Keeping tabs on the state of your car tires can help enhance your driving safety and reduce your chances of getting stranded on the road with a blowout. This article will look at 2 simple tire maintenance routines that can help make your car safer on your summer road trips.
Inspect your tire tread
The depth of your tire tread is essential to ensuring that your car has enough traction on the road, especially under wet conditions. Worn out tread usually provides inadequate grip, which can cause your vehicle to skim over the road and possibly collide with oncoming traffic.
The first sign that your tread is worn out is when the indicator bars are even with the tire's tread ribs. Alternatively, you can insert a penny between two of the ribs on your tires. If most or all of Lincoln's head is not covered by the tire tread, then you should consider replacing your tires. Remember that tires may wear out unevenly, so be sure to check the depth of the tire tread at numerous points to ensure the tires can provide adequate traction.
Pay special attention to the edges, sidewall and center of the tires. If there is too much wear on these areas, be sure to change the tires immediately. Finally, consider rotating your tire sets on a regular schedule so as to ensure they ride better and wear evenly.
Keep tabs on tire pressure
Underinflated tires are usually susceptible to blowouts, wear and other forms of damage that can compromise your safety on the road, not to mention that they ride inefficiently and can increase your fuel costs. Before heading out this summer, be sure to perform a thorough pressure test to ensure you have adequate air in your tires. The best time to perform a pressure test is early in the day before the sun gets too hot and before you drive, as air pressure in the tires can go up due to heat and give you an inaccurate reading.
Unscrew the cap on each tire's valve stem and place a tire pressure gauge into the stem until the tire stops hissing. The gauge will detect the pressure and give you a reading which you can compare with the recommended pressure that is usually indicated on the front of the tire just above where the rubber meets the wheel.
Along with the above tips, ensure that you pack a spare tire, tire jack, flares and other emergency supplies to help you out incase of a tire blowout. For more tips, contact a company like Euro-Tire.
Share24 June 2016
When I started focusing more on car maintenance, it was astounding to see just how many things needed to be repaired on my car. I felt as if I was whittling away thousands of dollars worth of repairs, and it was really frustrating. However, I just focused on one thing at a time, and before I knew it, my car problems started to melt away. Within a few months, my car was functioning perfectly, and I wasn't worried about it starting each and every day. This blog is all about choosing better auto service and knowing which problems to address first.