Mopar | April 17 2019

Keep the ride smooth with Mopar tire TLC

Whether it’s daily trips around town or the memories-forging road trip, tires play a key role in making the ride safe and comfortable.

Today’s tires are versatile, reliable and high-tech if you look at their construction and rubber compounds. Still, a little TLC goes a long way toward helping to minimize the chance a flat tire will add an unplanned stop to your trip.

Even with regular maintenance, tires eventually need to be replaced when they wear down to minimum tread depth (2/32 inch is the legal minimum.) When that time comes, the Mopar service department at your Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram and FIAT USA dealer is an ideal place for new tires. By the way, through the end of April, Mopar service departments are running a promotion that offers the fourth tire for $1 when you buy three at the regular price.

Yes, there are many places to buy replacement tires, but there are more factors than just matching the tire size.

The tires installed on your vehicle at the assembly plant were evaluated and tested by the engineers who developed your vehicle and its suspension. Tire and wheel size are just one parameter. Vehicle engineers also select tires using factors that include vehicle loading, sidewall stiffness, road noise, tire wear, suitability for towing and off-road use.

That process results in the comfort, noise and handling traits that made an impression when you test drove and bought the vehicle. A new set of original equipment tires helps maintain those qualities, as does regular inspections and preventative maintenance of your vehicle’s suspension.

The Mopar Tire Program carries 19 tire brands, so matching your factory-installed tires is practically assured. That’s true even if your vehicle doesn’t wear a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram or FIAT badge. Mopar will service any make.

Whether your tires are ready for replacement or have plenty of tread left on them, now’s a good time for some TLC:

  • Give them a close look, keeping an eye out for uneven tread wear, bulges in the tread or sidewalls and any foreign objects stuck in the tire.
  • Don’t ignore the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) warning. If the light comes on, stop as soon as possible and add air. How much? Check the sticker on the driver’s door jamb for the factory-recommended pressure for your tires – don’t go by the maximum pressure on the tire sidewall.
  • Wear bars in the tire tread will form a solid line when the depth reaches the 2/32” minimum. If you see the wear bar, or any uneven tread wear, have your tires replaced and your wheel alignment checked as soon as possible.
  • To keep the tread wear even between front and rear wheels, have your tires rotated as recommended in your owner’s manual.

Dale Jewett

Do you know your blood type? Mine is 100 octane (not your standard blood bank classification). At any given moment, I’m thinking about cars – driving one, fixing one, buying one or (in my dreams) restoring one. So I love to tell stories that involve horsepower, brake and wheel diameters
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Do you know your blood type? Mine is 100 octane (not your standard blood bank classification). At any given moment, I’m thinking about cars – driving one, fixing one, buying one or (in my dreams) restoring one. So I love to tell stories that involve horsepower, brake and wheel diameters and 0-to-60 times – and the people who make it happen. Because behind every awesome vehicle are amazing people with vision and the desire to make it a reality. I cover Mopar, Dodge, SRT and motorsports for Stellantis Digital Media. I learned to drive on a 1973 Jeep CJ-5 with the rare Super Jeep option package and three-speed manual transmission. I still belong to the dwindling club of people who prefer to shift their own gears, and think the best way to drive is with the top down!