Consumers rely on apps and cell phone notifications to help them remember birthdays and manage everything from prescription drug refills to dinner reservations. Tire Rack Inc. has created an app so users can manage their tires the same way.
The Tire Rack Garage app provides users with “built-in reminders right in the palm of your hand.” The app offers reminders to check tire pressure, including seasonal adjustments, plus tire rotation, tread depth, balance and alignment. The tire status icon will change colors and alerts will be shown depending on the health of the tires.
“Maintaining recommended inflation pressure is the single most important thing you can do to get the most out of your tires,” Tire Rack says.
A single user can save multiple vehicles in the app, and keep records of the maintenance performed on each tire, including alignment, balance and rotation dates. The app allows for multiple sets of tires per vehicle, and users can record the dates of when tires are replaced or changed for the seasons. Tire Rack will send reminders “when tire maintenance is due or when it’s time to think about changing your tires.”
When it’s time to replace tires, a “buy tires” button will appear.
Set up requires a user to provide basic information about the vehicle — the year, make and model, plus the number of miles driven each year, current mileage reading, and the recommended tire pressure from the original equipment manufacturer. The app then provides a drop-down menu of OE tire sizes for the vehicle, or lets the user input a “custom size” if one is installed. Users then measure and enter the tread depth and psi of each tire.
The app also features a tire tech section, which includes information on everything from general tire care and air pressure to run-flat tires. Tire Rack refers to it as “your usual dose of Tire Rack expertise.”
The app is available in the Apple App Store.
