How East Texas Heat Quietly Kills Your Tires

The heat is the real enemy

Every July, we see the same thing roll into the shop: a tire that looks fine on the outside and is falling apart on the inside. East Texas pavement regularly runs 40 to 50 degrees hotter than the air temperature. When the asphalt on South Broadway is sitting at 145 degrees, the air inside your tires expands, the rubber compound softens, and any weak spot in the carcass starts working itself loose.

Three checks that matter

1. Check pressure in the morning, cold. Pressure readings taken after a highway run can be 4 to 6 PSI high. Check before you drive, and set to the number on the door jamb sticker, not the number on the sidewall.

2. Look at the inner shoulder. Heat plus a little bit of negative camber eats the inside edge first, and it is the one place you never look. Turn the wheel all the way to one side and run your hand along the inside tread.

3. Mind the birthday, not just the tread. A six-year-old tire with plenty of tread can still be dry-rotted from sitting in the sun. Look for fine cracking in the sidewall grooves.

When to just replace them

If you see cracking deeper than a credit card edge, a bulge anywhere on the sidewall, or tread under 4/32", stop reading and come see us. Heat failures do not give you much warning, and they almost never happen in a parking lot.