When it comes to your vehicle, one of the most important things to keep an eye on and monitor is your tires. Seriously – tires are the key to everything from getting better gas mileage to staying safe in hazardous conditions. This means making sure that they are at the correct pressure and that the tread depth is still good. The great thing about this is that checking both of these things is super duper easy!

First, to check your tire pressure, all you’ll need are the tires and a tire pressure gauge. The gauge can be bought at pretty much any auto store (or store that sells auto supplies and accessories) for super cheap. Put the gauge on the valve stem and it should tell you what your pressure is. To find out what it should be, check in your owner’s manual, the sticker inside the door jamb of the driver’s side door, or the sidewall of the tire itself. If you’re low, pump your tire up with an air compressor. Easy!

Second is checking the tread. This will cost you approximately one cent and is a great use for your pennies, which are basically useless. The way to use a penny to check your tread is to put the penny into your tread with Lincoln’s head facing directly down. If you can see the top of his head, you need new tires. That’s all there is to it!

Your tires should be lasting you at least five years, so if you find them wearing out faster than that, you might want to be more vigilant about your tire pressure as well as the way you drive. You should see an improvement in the longevity of your tires!