Keeping tires inflated to the correct pressure - and checking the pressure regularly - can prevent uneven wear, extend tire life and help prevent blowouts.

A little attention to those oft-ignored tires on your car or truck can pay big dividends, according to two Wallowa County experts.

You can get a better ride, much longer tire life and help prevent flats by observing a few rules, say Kevin Neal, owner of Kevin’s Tire Shop in Wallowa, and Loren Finifrock, manager of Les Schwab tire center in Enterprise.

Both agree on the top two rules.

Rule No. 1: Keep tires inflated to the pressure printed on the sidewall of the tire. Check the air pressure at least monthly, using a reliable personal tire gauge or having your tire dealer do it.

Underinflation will wear tires out prematurely and may damage them, while overinflation raises the risk of a blowout from an errant rock and increases wear, the experts say.

Rule No. 2: Rotate tires regularly, roughly every 5,000 miles. This spreads around any irregular wear, extending tire life.

It’s convenient to have your mechanic do it whenever you take the car for a regular service, Finifrock noted.

“We look at the tires and may switch them front to back or left to right, depending on what we see,” he said.

Unusual tread wear also may indicate the need to rebalance wheels or perform an alignment.

When do you need to buy new tires? Finifrock advises shopping when tread gets down to one-sixteenth of an inch. It’s easy to measure: insert a penny upside-down into the tread, and if you can see all of President Lincoln’s head, it’s time for new tires.

While some drivers will keep tires until they’re absolutely bald, experts advise against it because shallow tread reduces traction, stopping ability and protection against blowouts.

When selecting tires, Neal recommends getting the maximum number of plies, or rubber layers, as you can afford, and warns against buying a passenger car tire for a pickup or SUV just because it costs less.