So what should you do to keep your tires in good condition and ensure that they will provide service and last as long as possible? First, look at them. If the tread is low you won't have good traction when braking or taking off from a stop, especially on wet streets. The deeper the tread the better the traction and the more water the tire can channel from beneath it. Check the sidewall of the tire. This is the thinnest area of the tire and thus the weakest. The sidewall of a passenger or touring tire is designed to be very flexible in order to provide ride comfort. Performance tires have a much stiifer sidewall to provide for better cornering stability and handling. If the sidewalls are cracked or torn they should be replaced as this could make a blowout more likely.
The most negected aspect of tire care is inflation. Tires should be checked at least every two weeks for proper inflation, more often if you drive a lot or if the weather changes drastically. To determine the proper inflation for your tire check the door sticker on your car or contact your dealer or a local tire shop. Proper inflation will ensure both ride comfort and steering response as well as gas mileage. Tires that have low air pressure have more rolling resistance, meaning that it takes more power to push them down the road thus increasing the amount of fuel used to move them. Low air pressure can also cause a decrease in steering response and handling. Tires with low air pressure also build up a trmendous amount of heat and cannot properly dissapate this heat which can lead to blow outs, such as in the recent problems faced by Ford and Firestone concerning tire failure on the Ford Explorer. A visible indicator of low tire pressure is increased wear on both edges of the tires tread.
 |
