Things You'll Need:
- Tire pressure gauge
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Step 1
Check your tires' pressure (PSI). Purchase a tire pressure gauge, available for a few dollars. Insert the tire pressure gauge into the tire's valve stem (the nozzle on the side of the tire). Press the gauge down until you don't hear a hiss of air. Note the reading on the gauge. Look for a sticker on the driver's side door that lets you know what the maximum tire pressure should be for your tires. Add or subtract air to your tires as needed.
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Step 2
Inspect your tires for wear in odd places. Wear in the middle or on the edges may indicate over or under inflation. If the edges look erratic or feathered, the tires may be misaligned. If you notice wear in the same spots on all the tires, you may need to have them rotated.
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Step 3
Verify the tread hasn't gotten too low. Take a penny and insert it into the tire groove with Lincoln's head upside-down. If you see all of Lincoln's head, the tire's too worn and needs replacing. Make sure you check the tread in all four tires—not just one. You can also look for the tire wear bars actually in the tires. When you can see these bars, the tire needs replacing.
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Step 4
Look at the tires for nails, damage or cracking. You can deal with some tire damage by patching it. Speak to a mechanic for more information.
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Step 5
Make sure if you're replacing tires that you put the correct size tires into your Chevy Silverado. With the huge variations available for Chevy Silverados you'll need to go to the Goodyear Tires site (see Resources). Enter the year and model of your Silverado into their search engine and you can find out the correct size tires for your truck.
