Tire safety tips for Tire Safety Week
This week (April 22nd through April 28th) is Tire Safety Week. I know that sounds like one of those hokey industry-sponsored commemorations, and maybe it is, but it's an important one: Tires are the most oft-overlooked safety feature on our cars. Think about it: Antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability control -- none of these can do a blessed thing if your tires can't hold their grip on the road. Improperly inflated or overly worn tires tires reduce your car's ability to avoid an accident, plus they increase fuel consumption. And here's the punch line: Checking your tires takes five minutes and requires almost no mechanical skill. Just about anyone can do it.
I've put together a quick list of tire safety tips that will walk you through inspecting your tires. For more information, check out this site with tire care and safety tips from tire manufacturer Michelin. -- Aaron Gold
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Photo © Aaron Gold
Comments
Aaron, you are correct is saying it only takes 5 minutes to check tire pressures but I would disagree that “anyone” can do. Anyone who has back problems or finds it difficult to bend or squat for a lengthy period will have difficulty. Furthermore, most pressure gauges attached to air hoses at service stations are awkward to use, requiring considerable fiddling to get the correct pressure. I believe many drivers neglect tire checks for these reasons.
You may recall the Firestone/Explorer debacle of a few years ago in which Ford blamed drivers for failing to maintain proper tire pressures. I was “you” at the time (About Cars Guide) and wrote an editorial containing a proposal for tire sales chains. I suggested they advertise free tire pressure checks and adjustments to anyone, anytime. This would take a skilled attendant less than five minutes, while offering an opportunity to sell new products by pointing out unsafe tires. It would lead to safer cars and be great public relations for the chain.
No response. Zilch. And I’ve yet to see any signs advertising free checks at a tire showroom. Ah well… in my previous career as an ad agency creative guy I leaned not to have much respect for suits. Also known as marketing guys.
I have a question that’s been bugging me for quite some time. I have a ‘98 malibu. It came with Firestone tires. I put some new tires on it a couple of years ago that had just come out in the right size for my car. They were not around when the car was built, that size I mean. Ok, my question is, how does my door jam know the proper inflation for tires that were made via new technology 6 years later? Wouldn’t the tires themselves have a better idea of what pressure they run the best at? I understand why it’s on the door jam for the tires the car was tested with originally, they tested it with those tires at that time. But I don’t understand how that crosses over to all tires all the time - past, present and future. And I would think this would be even more of an issue when driving a sports car of some kind where you switch from sumer tires to snow tires as well as using completely different brands. Please tell me if I’m making this too complicated. Aaron, if you tell me to just look at the door jam and quit thinking about any other factors, I’ll trust you and will no longer bother myself with these questions.
Jim, it’s a good question, and one that’s not easy to answer. The manufacturer’s chosen tire pressures are arrived at from a combination of factors, including ride comfort and handling, both of which inflation pressure affects. You can go higher than these pressures (to the max pressure printed on the tire’s sidewall) and will probably improve your gas mileage, though the ride will change. The bigger problem, as I understand it, is *under*inflation, which leads to more sidewal flex (the tire “bowing” outwards at the bottom as the wheel rolls) which creates more heat. Underinflated tires, high vehicle speeds (which cause more flexing and more heat) and hot days combined to be a major contributing factor to all those Explorer roll-overs.
For performance driving, the way to find the *perfect* pressure involves a racetrack and a pyrometer (a device that measures tire temperature). Tire pressure can be used to fine-tune your car’s handling. For more on this subject, which I think is fascinating, look for a booked called “The High Performance Handling Handbook” by my friend Don Alexander.
If the tires are the same size as the stock tires, the posted inflation pressures should be fine. Again, as I understand things, under-inflation is the real enemy, not overinflation (provided you don’t exceed the “Max inflation pressure” posted on the tire itself).
Well, there you go then. Look the whole picture - the car, the tires and the conditions of the area being driven in, all the while remembering that underinflation is not an option, and use your spidey sense. That’s pretty much what I was thinking and the way I’ve been doing it.
Thank you.