You spend a lot of money on tires, so you want them to last! To get the most mileage out of them, do the following:

Tire tip #1: Rotating and re-balancing your tires every 6,000 miles or six months will maximize tire life and minimize wear to the shocks and struts. Tires are made out of rubber and naturally wear with use, and each tire has a different wear factor depending on its mounted position on the car. Rotating the tires every 6,000 miles or six months gives each tire equal time at each position on the car, minimizing wear. It is important to re-balance the tires every time they are rotated. When the tire is new, it is balanced based on the mass of rubber present at that time. As the tire wears down, the rubber mass diminishes, throwing off the balance. This causes a tramping, or bouncing effect as the tire rolls down the road at highway speeds. This motion creates a choppy wear on the tread, causes tire noise, and escalates wearing. It also causes premature wearing of the shocks and struts!

Tire tip #2: Regular alignment checks and adjustments every year or 12,000 miles will maximize tire life. The alignment angles in your car's front and rear end change as parts wear and poor road conditions jostle the suspension. On cars with 4-wheel independent suspension or front wheel drive, get a 4-wheel alignment, as these cars have adjustable alignment angles at each wheel that are affected by the same forces.. When the rear or front wheels are out of alignment, the tires try to track against each other. This causes pulling, drifting, dog tracking (the rear of the car don't accurately follow the front), and excessive tire wear.