A couple things you can do to increase tire life: 1) always make sure you have the recommended air pressure in the tires. 2) never use tire cleaners, tire protectants, etc. Although they make your tires look shiny and new, they can harm or prevent the lubricating properties that are built into the tire's rubber compounds from the factory. 3) it helps to use the tires. Using them works the rubber compounds and allows the lubricant to distribute itself throughout the tire. 4) when not using the tires, cover them or put them in the shade to protect them from sunlight (UV light breaks down the rubber compounds and accelerates dry rot). 5) when not using the tires for an extended period, place the vehicle on jack stands to take weight off the tires.

To install tubes in the tires, you'll have to break the side-walls away from the rims. to do this, it can be done with large C-clamps, by tightening the clamp against both side walls, and turning it in until they pull away from the rims. To get it all the way off, lubricate the tire bead and rim with oil or grease, and carefully pry the tire off the rim. After cleaning and priming/ painting the inside of the rim, and its' dry, lube the inner bead of the tire, and force it onto the rim, using a rubber hammer. Now, with the one bead inside the rim, and the other bead not, spread the tire out and stuff the inner tube inside, spreading it out all around the rim. Stick the valve out thru its hole, and tie a string to it. Before installing the tube, you should pump the tube up enough to get the wrinkles out of it, then let the air back out of it!, and install it, as above. Then, after its inside the tire, carefully get the other bead of the tire onto the rim! Be careful the valve doesn't slip into the rim!(The string) Now, pump the tire up to seat it on the rim, watching that no part of the tube is caught between tire and rim! Then leave the air back out until it has gone down well. Using the rubber hammer, pound on the tire so any wrinkles in the tube will be gone, then reinflate it, and you should be good to go! (With the rim off the machine, we used to bounce it on the pavement) All of the preceding is a tried and perfected method of replacing tires and tubes, as taught to me by The Gulf Oil company service station schools, way back in 1946! We had no fancy tire repair machines, nor tubeless tires, no Flat-fix, Slime, nothing except hard work! HTH: Rustyj

OK this IMO and probably more infor than needed, but what the H#^^, I got some time to kill! I have never had to change tire on the road, never had a blowout, never had an oil related failure (knock on wood), and probably never ran my tire low on air. ( about 36 cars 2.5 million miles so far.) I have had slow leaks in tires mostly at the valve stems, did have one patch job done poorly and the patch didn't stick too good on one corner and leaked. Most all the plugs I have had installed leaked in year or two. Again probably cause they were poorly installed. I will take my tire off and take to a repair shop. why? I don't trust them installing (sure they tell you they torque them (with the Big A$$ air hammer gun), Just like I don't trust anybody changing my oil, (lessons learned for the pass, and yes dealers are no different IMO). If I do get dealer work I take the manager with me to check the fluid level more times than not it's over filled, Some don't even know how many quarts to put in and just dump 5 in.) Words of warning, If you have dealer change you automatic transmission fluid you better check the dipstick after words! (again lessons learned for the pass) My motto is: Smile and comfirm, cause most think you're DA and don't know mechanic's. Course this is only My opinion and what I have experienced. I keep close track on my tires for my vehicles, yard crap an't that important to me, so I use any easy method to keep air in them. Only rust I have found using chemical sealent (fix-a-Flat) was on rims not painted on the inside. IMO bare metal will corrode requardless is you slim them.

Very cute! I'm not offended and I had a flat tire last night! I got out my little compressor, added 20 PSI and went to bed. It was a little low this morning so I added 15 PSI and went off to the tire store hoping they could repair it. I didn't want to buy a new tire- this one only has 18,000 miles. Happy ending- they fixed it, paid my $20.00 and went on my way. Now if only I had my Emergency Flashers I would have been styling as the kids say!