One of the most painful things you can do to your car is drive on a gravel road for an extended period. Gravel roads can kick rocks into your car’s undercarriage and significantly wear down your tires. Below, we offer some helpful repair tips for your tires after driving on gravel roads.

Is Driving on Gravel Roads Bad for Tires?

Yes, driving on gravel roads can damage your tires, especially if you have standard, all-season, or highway tires. If you have more heavy-duty and durable tires, like mud or all-terrain tires, gravel shouldn’t be much of a worry, but you should still try to avoid these roads if possible.

The jagged rocks of gravel chew up the tread on your tires quickly and can cause punctures and leaks in the ply construction of the tires. To minimize the impact of gravel on your tires, always drive slowly on gravel roads.

Tire Maintenance Tips After Driving on Gravel Roads

Follow these steps after driving on gravel roads to keep your tires going strong.

Remove Gravel From Tires

The first tip drivers should follow after driving on gravel roads to repair their tires is to inspect the tires and remove any gravel that’s stuck in the rubber or wedged in the tread. Gravel is full of bits of rock and debris, and those seemingly insignificant bits of rock can easily get wedged in the tread of your tires.

Gravel in tire reads reduces the tires’ traction and can cause punctures and leaks if it gets pushed further into the tire while driving. A simple screwdriver is an effective tool for getting into the grooves of tire treads and removing gravel.

Clean Tires

After removing the hunks of gravel and debris left behind from your tires, it’s also wise to thoroughly clean your wheels. The rock dust and debris from gravel roads can stick to your tires, and it’ll also ensure you’ve gotten rid of all the gravel bits you may have missed.

Use a brush to scrub away all the remnants of the gravel road to ensure that your tires remain healthy, clean, and durable.

Adjust Tire Pressure

Drivers should also double-check the tire pressure after driving on a gravel road. As we’ve mentioned, gravel roads can easily cause small leaks in tires, leading to tire pressure loss.

If you notice your tire has lost pressure after driving on the gravel road, inspect it to see if you can find signs of a leak, then seal it with a tire repair kit and reinflate the tire to a safe PSI pressure.

Conclusion

If you need to repair or replace your tires, the RNR Tire Express tire shop in McAllen is here to help! Browse our tire inventory online for heavy-duty tires, or visit our location to get help from one of our experienced tire experts.

Locations: McAllen, TX