As a car owner, you want to enjoy a stress-free, comfortable, and safe ride each day of your life. After all, your car is not only a prized possession, but it has also become a traveling companion that takes you to places far and near. But even the most expensive cars will not save you from accidents brought about by neglecting “trivial” maintenance like checking tire pressure or the general state of your vehicle’s tire.
Yes, ensuring the functionality of your tires is one of the most important road safety tips. Your tires carry the weight of your vehicle and are the only components that touch roads. And roads come with different kinds of surface – rocky, muddy, snowy, sandy, or slimy. Without proper care and tire detailing, your tires will wear prematurely. This might lead to accidents in the future.
5 Tire Pressure and Balance Tips for Road Safety
Why risk your and your loved ones’ lives when you can do something about it? Here are some road safety tips that every driver should be aware of:
1. Check Your Tire Pressure Regularly
Experts say that a lot of road accidents stem from tire-related issues. This is why it is essential to find the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle. Maintain it at that level by checking it regularly. You can use a tire pressure gauge which you can buy cheaply in automotive shops. What is a few dollars compared to the safety and comfort that you can enjoy when you have well-maintained tires, anyway?
2. Make Sure That Your Spare Is Functional
This is one of the road safety tips that you should not ignore. Always check your spare tire before you ride your car, no matter if you are just going to work or heading to the mountains. Why? Well, nothing can be more frustrating than having a flat tire in the middle of nowhere only to find out that the only means to get your car going, your spare tire, is damaged as well. And when you do check your spare, ensure that you have the right tools for changing and some tire dressing as well. It always feels good to have great looking tires, right?
3. Check Your Tire for Stuck Objects
It happens all the time – nails, grit and other debris stick in your tires, especially when you were out traveling to a woody or rocky terrain. To be on the safe side, always check your tires after such outings and remove the stuck objects. Ignored, these objects may set deep into the tread of your tires. Eventually, they may even puncture the tires when you least expect it.
4. Have Your Tires Re-Balanced
This is perhaps one of the most ignored road safety tips. People do not generally seem to notice if their tires are balanced or not. Yes, an eye inspection of your tires may not reveal unbalanced tires, but you can feel it from the vibrations it makes. Do you feel the slight “shimmying” or vibrating each time you ride your car? This means that your tires are out of balance. Eventually, this may shorten the life of your car’s suspension and steering parts. Additionally, it may increase your gasoline consumption and worse, cause lethal accidents.
5. Buy the Right Tire for Your Vehicle
Think of your car’s tires as a pair of shoes. If the shoe fits, you can walk with ease and comfort. Moreover, you will never worry about having corns or calluses. Tires do the same thing for your car. Tires that fit your vehicle’s manufacturer standards will provide you with a safe, smooth, and comfortable ride. So be very careful when choosing a tire. Make sure that you are buying tires that will match your car by referring to the tire placard or owner’s manual. And to ensure that your tires look great, always have some tire dressing stashed in your car’s trunk or compartment.
Checking your tire pressure, functionality of your spare, removing stuck objects, balancing your tires and buying the right ones for your vehicle are some of the road safety tips that you should always remember. In case you have any trouble with any of these tire maintenance procedures, just schedule an appointment with known detailers, tire dealers or automotive shops in your area. They have the right tools, materials and skill set to ensure that your tires will function as they should for a long time.
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