How extreme heat can affect tires in Arizona

Effect of extreme heat on tires in Arizona

We're seeing a lot of tire treads on the freeways and roadways -- a sign of how brutal the extreme heat is to tires.

PHOENIX - As the temperature rises, it's important to check your vehicle's tires as you don't want to be left stranded on the road with a flat.

"When we're at 117°, you can expect 5 to 7 extra pounds of pressure in your tire," said Howard Fleishmann, managing partner with Community Tire. "That is going to put stress on a tire. But if you're under inflated, that's where an issue comes into play."

Air pressure helps keeps your tires cool, and too little air is a bad thing.

"When it runs low like that, it's not going to be able to keep the tire cool, therefore it will cause a tire to fail prematurely because of the extreme heat," said Fleischmann.

The other thing is to be mindful of is your tread.

"Tread, of course, is a big deal as you can see. This is a brand new tire so you have plenty of tread on the tires here, so you always want to look for that," said Fleischman.

The best advice at the end of the day is to leave it to the professionals if you're not sure about your tire pressure.