Monday, November 7, 2011

Verifying the Safety of Your Car Tires

By Daniel Akinson


Performing proper car tire checks is a very important part of vehicle maintenance and road safety.

The first thing you should check is to see that your tires have the proper amount of air pressure. The best time to check tire pressure is when it is cold, as your pressure will be altered by the outside temperature.

The friction caused by driving increases the tire temperature and expands the tire itself. Having low tire pressure is even more dangerous than having pressure that is a little bit high, as it makes your tires more prevalent to wear and tear.

It is also vital that tires and wheels are balanced properly. Regular tire rotations help with keeping an even wear tot he trad ont he tires, preserving the tire life. While you are driving, if you notice a vibration of the wheel, this could be due to unbalanced wheels and tires. New tires are in particular need of balancing. Vehicle steering and suspension are both impacted by tires not in proper balance.

A tire rotation is not just a matter of moving the tires about, but the opportunity to thoroughly inspect the tires for any unusual wear patterns or defects.

You also want to check the depth of the tread on your tires to see how much it has worn. The tire tread generally has contact with road surfaces. There is a thick rubber material that gives your car the grip or traction as you drive down the road. Drivers who try to hold onto their tires to the last possible moment have caused accidents due to a lack of tread, for this reason, there are regulations governing the allowable amount of tread on a vehicle. You loose control over your braking and steering as well as traction when you lose tread.

Another factor to examine involves the sidewalls of the tires. Be certain that there are no slashes or holes in the sidewalls of the tires. Because of the support the side walls provide to the tire, you may have to repair or replace the tire depending on the severity of the issue.

By properly maintaining your vehicle tires you are not only aiding in the safety of yourself and others, but saving yourself expensive vehicle repairs and early tires replacements. Roads are frequently dotted with potholes, large and small. By hitting these holes you can drastically reduce the air pressure in your tire when it takes the shock of the impact. By doing this you can potentially lose control of your vehicle and cause an accident.




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