Summer Tire Maintenance
For many people, summer often means long road trips, with family and loads of gear. If you are one of these people, it’s time to prepare your vehicle, especially its tires for those long summer trips. When it comes to long distance trips, tire pressure automatically comes into the scene. Checking tire pressure before long trips will help you ensure a safe and happy vacation.
Checking air pressure in your vehicle’s tires is an inevitable part of car ownership. Unfortunately, most people do not do this! According to Larry Wolf, an automotive technology program instructor at WyoTech in Fremont, California, “The need for regular oil changes and annual tune-ups is pretty common knowledge. But consumer knowledge about tire safety unfortunately remains low.” Wolf urges that drivers or people should check tire pressure regularly, at least once a month. “Driving around on under-inflated tires or worn tires can have serious consequences on your ability to control your car, especially in bad weather.”
Wolf explains, “Essentially, under-inflated tires concentrate the weight of the car on the tread under the sidewalls, instead of evenly distributing the car’s weight throughout the tire, means the sidewall is continuously being squished, and becomes very hot, posing additional risks to the car and driver. Eventually, a tire that is significantly under-inflated can blow out from the stress and heat that builds up.”
For the U.S. government, a tire under-inflated by 30 percent is the minimum safety standard. If a tire under-inflated by more than 30 percent, is considered unsafe to drive. However, under-inflated tires not only pose danger to a vehicle.
Over-inflation can also be dangerous, because over-inflated tires prevent the car from maximizing tread contact with the road surface.
Thus, it is utmost necessary to maintain a proper air pressure of your tires. A regular monthly check up will not only help you keep the tire pressure maintained, it will help you get an overlook of the other signs of damage as well, such as uneven wear which often indicates wheel alignment problems.
