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By Wil Yeo
Tire maintenance is an often overlooked aspect of car safety as car owners often focus on various exterior aspects and functionality of the car such as waxing and grooming, car engine & radiator system etc. The importance of properly maintaining your car tires cannot be overemphasized as tires are the only contacts between your car and the ground surface.
Any damage done to the tires could result in unstable handling and potentially dangerous especially when the vehicle is going at high speed.
There are 4 major functions of tires and they are as follows:
* To support the weight of your vehicle – a average car weighs between 1.4 to 1.8 tons which is equivalent to the weight of about 30 people. The air and the build up pressure in your tire play the important role of supporting the weight of the car plus the driver and passengers on board.
* To absorb road shocks – the tires, together with the car’s suspension system act as shock absorbents to reduce the effect of bumpy roads felt by the driver and the passengers in the car.
* To transmit traction and braking forces – being the only contact between your car and the road, the rough surface of your tires provide traction when your car is moving off and also, provide the necessary braking when your car is coming to a stop.
* To change and maintain the direction of travel – the tires turn according to the turning of the steering wheels, thus changing the direction of travel.
It is important to maintain your tires well for a few main reasons:
1. Tire are the only contact between your car and the road. The proper pressure level will ensure that it provide the right level of shock absorbent, required traction and braking, provide proper directional steering and lastly, support the weight of the car and the passengers within the car.
2. Whether you like it or not, your tire loses pressure either on a continual basis due to passage of time or whenever your tires hit a hard object such as a curb or went pass a high hump.
3. Tires can experience uneven wear and tear among the tires due to weight variation, over or under inflated tire will also result in uneven wear and tear on each individual tire.
After knowing why the tires are important to your car’s safe handling and your safety, here’s some tips on help you in knowing how to properly maintain your tires:
* Know your tire pressure rating – this information is usually provided and can be found in the car’s user manual or in the glove box or at the car’s door jamb.
* Keep to the required tire pressure, by checking your tire pressure on a weekly or monthly interval and when the tire is cold – which basically refer to one that has not been driven on for at least three hours. The reason behind is that tires that are ‘hot’ after some traveling will demonstrate higher pressure thus produce inaccurate result.
* Tire rotation – the main reason for tire rotation is to ensure even wear and tear among the four tires. Tires of the car can wear at different rate due to the uneven weight distribution of the car or passengers in the car (over a period of time).
It is the responsibility of you, the vehicle owner, to know that the vehicle tires need to be rotated and highlight to your mechanics when you want your tires to be rotated. The direction of rotation is usually provided by your car manufacturer, if otherwise, your car mechanic will usually know how to go about rotating the tires for the given the brand and type of tires that you are using.
Make sure that proper wheel alignment is maintained after each rotation.
* Visual inspection of tread wear – from time to time, you should check how well worn are you tires as worn tires can be dangerous as it only provide diminishing friction with the road and thus affect the optimal brake distance. Some tires come with marks to let you know when your tire needs to be changed, so look out for these marks and take action accordingly when it is time to change your tires. Another alternative to know the tread depth is to use a penny with a Lincoln head. Place the Lincoln’s head upside down and insert into the tread. When the top of Lincoln’s head is seen (which means the tread is shallow), it is time to replace the tires.
* Before going for a long trip, make sure that you check and maintain your tire pressure to give you maximum control.
* Lastly, even if you prefer to do most of the checks by yourself, it is always good to have a reliable professional mechanic to check your car and your car tires as part of your regular maintenance schedule.
In conclusion, tires that are properly maintained will have the following advantages:
* A proper tire pressure will guard against avoidable crashes or breakdowns. * Reduce frictional losses and therefore increase tire life. * Enhance fuel efficiency, and lastly, * Optimal vehicle handling. * Help to keep your car in better condition and therefore increase the value of your car.
Take care of your car, and it will serve you well. Enjoy safe journeys.
About the Author: Wil Yeo is a mechanical engineer by training and own the business and the site Avani Revolv Anti Theft Tire Pressure Valve Stem Caps (avanigroup.com) which features a unique patented anti theft tire pressure valve stem cap product.
Source: isnare.com
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