Tire Safety 101
Do you travel frequently? If so, then you should ensure and pay attention to your tire safety. This is essential in order to guarantee your safety while driving your car. Accidents can happen anytime, when it’s least expected, and that’s why you should assure that your car is in good running condition and the tires or the wheels are performing well. Here are some tire safety tips to consider:
Check the Tire Pressure
Under inflation is one of the main causes of tire failure according to National Highway Traffic safety Administration (NHTSA). When the pressure in the tire is insufficient, then there’s great possibility that you’ll find difficulty in handling your car, you’ll notice increase in fuel consumption and the tires would show wear and tear immediately. The tire pressure plays important role for your safety and for the proper maintenance and performance of your car. Checking your tire pressure should be done monthly or before you go for a trip.
Inspect Tires Regularly
Expect the unexpected when it comes to your tires because damage and wear can happen anytime and anywhere. Visual inspection would help to know if the tires are in good condition or not. Do not ignore if the tires have sidewalls and tread have bulges and cracks, treads that are uneven, foreign object and punctures sign, tread chunking and other tread separation signs. These serve as the sign that you should look for a professional to check your tires.
Regular rotation of the tires
It is a must that tires should be rotated every 6,000 miles that your car has travelled, so that the tread will be monitored and last longer. If you have a front-wheel-drive car, then you should expect that front tires will easily wear out the soonest, as they are specifically used for steering and braking. As advised, cars should be rotated in a “cross-rotation pattern”. On the other hand, unidirectional tires should take the rotation front to rear and vice versa without sacrificing the direction of the revolution.
Always balance your tires
Tire imbalance can affect the speed of your car as you may notice severe thumping while driving. With this in mind, balancing the tires is important to avoid accidents and damage on other components or parts of your car. It’s expensive to replace the tire that’s why it’s best to invest and take time in balancing the tires once and a while.
Proper alignment maintenance
Suspension and steering misalignment greatly affect the stability and steering of the vehicle. This would also result in faster wear and tear. An uneven tire may put you in a risky situation. Misalignment would also cause the tire to be ruined completely making it dysfunctional. Diagnosing tire misalignment can be done easily. One way of knowing if your vehicle is misaligned is if the front tires are uneven, that is why it is a must to check once your car suffers from any mishap or accident to know if the tires are still in good condition, if not you must repair it to avoid accidents.
It’s important to consider these tire safety tips, so that you’ll have a safe driving experience and your tires will last as long as possible.
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