There are many parts in a single tire, and they all play a significant role in the tire working in your car correctly. One of these parts is your tire’s shoulder. It is the portion of your tire tread that is located between the center of the tire and the sidewall.
A tire shoulder’s appearance can vary depending on the tire design. However, it can look identical to the rest of the treads in certain designs. Certain tire types, like off-road tires, can even have a different tread type for their shoulder altogether. If you want to learn more about your tire shoulder, here is some information about it to familiarize yourself:
The Purpose of Your Tire Shoulder
The primary purpose of your tire shoulder is to provide necessary stability to your car as you drive around corners. It can also aid in keeping traction on the road. Besides these, it can also offer protection and support to your sidewall and tread.
A tire shoulder can show you the overall quality of your tires and provide you with some insight into if there’s something wrong with your tire or alignment. Having a worn-out shoulder is often a sign that you may need to have a wheel alignment soon.
Maintaining Your Tire Shoulder
One way to keep your tire shoulders in good condition is to ensure that you have proper tire pressure. Underinflating your tires can cause the sides of your tires to wear out faster than usual because more parts of the tire make contact on the road. Doing so can build up heat and pressure and affect other parts of your car, such as the suspension and chassis.
Overinflating your tires makes you more prone to sudden tire blowouts. Excessive pressure can also distort your tires, decrease your traction on the road, and give your tires uneven tread wear.
Do keep in mind that if you have any punctures on the shoulder of your tire, it is no longer repairable, and the entire tire needs to be replaced immediately. The reason is that the shoulder is essential for the stability of the whole tire. Any punctures compromise the tire’s overall structural integrity and can no longer be safely repaired.
The best way to keep your shoulder in good condition is by conducting tire inspection and maintenance by a mechanic once a month or every 5000 to 6000 miles. Should the need for expert tire repair arise, all you need to do is contact Graham Tire and schedule an appointment.
