10 Tips And Tricks To Get Your Car To 200,000 Miles On A Budget

4. Tires are the only thing that is in contact with the road. Choosing the right tire is important but doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive.

Tires are arguably one of the most important maintenance items on your car and having good tires is absolutely essential in getting your vehicle to 200,000 miles and beyond. Tire wear isn’t an exact science and how many miles you get out of a tire depends on what kind of tire you buy, how hard your tire compound is, how harsh you drive and if you keep up on your maintenance.

If you keep up on making sure tire pressures are within spec and you rotate your tires when you’re supposed to, typically your average commuter tire can last up to 50,000 miles. If upon your regular scheduled thread inspection you find that you have to change your tires, it’s time to get busy and shop around.

First, locate your tire size and make a note of it. Typically there will be three numbers separated by /’s. The first number is your tire diameter in millimeters, the second number is the aspect ratio percentage of your sidewall and the third number is your tire size in inches. If you’re still confused, check out this handy guide from Goodyear to aid you.

Then you have one of two choices. You can shop online or shop around town.

Shop online, for example on TireRack.com, and you can easily check other reviews people have left, don’t have to worry about going out, and can buy tires from the comfort of your own home.

Shop around town from other shops and you can get tires oftentimes the same day, don’t have to worry about shipping and can get them mounted and balanced all at the same time. Here’s a rough and ready guide to get the best deals in your area.

1. Head over to yelp.com and search for the nearest tire shops with the best reviews in your area.List down their phone numbers.
2. Call each shop and ask what kind of tires they have with their prices in your size.
3. Research online about the brands they offer and avoid any brands you might not trust.
4. After you’ve found a set that’s within your budget, go ahead and buy them and have them installed there or somewhere else (Costco, Walmart Etc.)

Next: Listen to your transmission and check its fluid regularly