During the hot summer months, heat can cause or exacerbate tire damage.
Sterling Hayden, a sales associate at Anthony’s Tire Store in Paso Robles, said the hotter months are when they see the most tire issues.
"Summer's our busiest season," he said. “More often than not people are usually coming in at this time because they’ve either pushed their tires too far and they’re worn out, or they’re seeing a lot of the issues that are coming from having low tires with low pressure."
Issues resulting from low tire pressure include blowouts and flat tires.
"Tires wear out four times as fast in the heat," Hayden said.
Part of that wear comes from the increase in tire pressure that occurs when the temperature rises. For every 10 degrees the temperature increases, your tire's PSI increases by 1.
"As that happens, it can cause more blowouts, especially if you’re not keeping track of the inflation. If they’re underinflated, they heat up really, really fast and blow out from the sidewall," Hayden said.
If your tire pressure is too low, however, it can also cause damage.
"When you do run on low pressure, it’ll damage the outer edge of the sidewall," Hayden said.
He recommends checking your tire pressure monthly and having your tires checked for damage by a professional regularly.
