Take Care of Your Tires, Prevent Accidents
Ever ask yourself, are my tires safe? and when is the right time to change them? Not a lot of drivers realize that car tires are critical to the safety, performance and efficiency of their cars.
Taking care of your car’s tires has a lot of advantages, such as durability, handling, and performance, as well as offering you with a smoother ride and better gas mileage, not to mention driver safety. According to the N.H.T.S.A. about 400 fatalities annually may have been attributed to tire failures.
Many drivers don’t realize that tires have an expiration date. Tire makers state 8 years is a reasonable useful lifespan for a tire, depending on how often they are used. At some point they start to loose traction and braking ability.
There are many reasons why tires start wearing out. Sometimes an alignment problem on a vehicle causes tires to wear unevenly. This can cause a tire to need replacement long before it normally would. Also examine your tires to make sure any harmful objects, such as glass, nails, debris, rocks or metal is not causing any gradual damage to your tires.
Tire Tips
The most important aspect in caring for your tires is maintaining the correct pressure. More than a quarter of all passenger vehicles on U.S. roads have significantly low pressure on their tires. Drivers should check their tires regularly and before every long trip to see that they’re properly inflated. Keeping your tires properly inflated not only increases your car’s fuel efficiency but also improves your car’s handling, braking ability and ride quality.
Make sure to avoid potholes and other road debris if you can, since those things can knock your tires out of alignment or damage the tires themselves. Considering that the average cost of a replacement tire has jumped nearly $40 over the past ten years, getting more use out of your tires makes a lot of sense.
You always want your best tires on the front. A blowout in the rear is dangerous and problematic, but a blowout on the front is more likely to lead to a car accident. You also need the traction on the front for stopping much more than you need traction on the rear for acceleration. To further extend the mileage you get from your tires, it is important to rotate your tires every 6,000 to 7,500 miles to even out the wear.
For our drivers that live in warmer areas, remember that tires tend to age faster in warmer climates.
Knowing how to take care of your tires will help you save money, protect you and others. 1-800-411-Pain recommends to take five minutes a week to check and care for your tires to increased tire life, improved economy, increased safety, and peace of mind. Additionally, making your tires last as long as possible is the environmentally sound thing to do. Unfortunately car accidents still can happen. and when they do 411 Pain is there for you.
For more of the latest information on driver safety and accident news, visit www.411Pain-News.com. Robert Lewin, owner of 1-800-411-Pain, reminds you not to drink and drive and to always wear your seat belt.