You probably only look at your tires when there is an issue with your tires, right? Most of us just fill them with air or whatever available gas there is and off we go. We only stop to mess with our tires if we get an alert from our car's onboard computer about tire pressure or if find ourselves with a flat tire.

Flat Tire
YouTube, Chris Fix
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Tires like a lot of common products have their own unique code and language. Those who are in the tire business understand these little nuances and they use the information stored on the tire, sometimes in the form of colored dots to make your drive a lot safer and your travels a lot smoother.

Next time you step outside around your car, take a look at your tires. Do you see a yellow dot? Or, do maybe you see a red dot? Believe it or not, those dots convey some very important information about your tires and how to get the most use out of them.

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The yellow dot on your tire indicates the point where the tire weighs the least. If your tire is mounted properly that yellow dot should be very close to the valve stem, where you put in the air, on your car's rims. The valve stem is the heaviest point of the wheel, the yellow dot is the lightest point on the tire.

Off Grid Adventures via YouTube
Off Grid Adventures via YouTube
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Technicians match those up so your tires will spin in a balanced manner. That balance makes all the difference in your ability to control the car, the comfort of the ride, and how long your tires will last.

Auto Repair Guys via YouTube
Auto Repair Guys via YouTube
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The red dot on the tire indicates where the tire is the flattest or the lowest point on the tire. This should line up directly across from the highest point on the wheel. That is usually noted by another colored dot or a notch in the wheel. Again this is done to improve the balance.

So, if you're experiencing a bumpy ride or your car isn't handling as well as you think it should, take a minute and check your tires. Check not only the air pressure inside the tire but look up those colored dots too. You might wind up saving a lot of money and making your car safer for many more miles down the road.

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