HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-10-22, Page 12(MS) -- For most people, their car
is their lifeblood. It gets them to
work, to school, to their lives.
And in these tough times, many
are keeping their cars longer than
ever before.
It might be tempting to neglect
regular maintenance tasks in the
name of saving money, but in the
long run, that could end up costing
you even more.
And proper maintenance is crucial
now, with winter just around the
corner.
When it comes to car
maintenance, tire care is the first line
of defense.
But according to the Rubber
Manufacturers Association (RMA),
an alarming number of consumers
don’t pay attention to their tires, and
the results can be costly -- and
dangerous.
Underinflated tires pose a definite
safety risk:
* The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA)
acknowledges that underinflated
tires contribute to many accidents
throughout the year
* 50 per cent of vehicles have at
least one underinflated tire
* And only nine per cent of
vehicles have four properly inflated
tires!
But it doesn’t have to be this way;
proper tire care is simple.
Continental Tire recommends
getting in the habit of taking five
minutes every month to check your
tires, including the spare.
“Your tires are the only part of
your vehicle that actually touch the
road when you drive,” says Joerg
Burfien, director of R & D,
Continental Tire. “It only takes a
couple of minutes of maintenance
each month to keep your tires
working at their best, and the
resulting safety benefits far
outweigh the time it takes.”
The RMA’s “PART” campaign
gives consumers an easy way to
remember the basics of monthly tire
maintenance:
Pressure: According to the RMA,
underinflation is a tire’s no. 1 enemy.
It results in unnecessary tire stress,
irregular wear, loss of control, and
accidents. A tire can lose up to half
of its air pressure and not appear to
be flat!
And the air pressure listed on the
side of your tire is NOT the correct
air pressure for your vehicle. That
number is the maximum air pressure
for the tire. The correct tire pressure
can be found in the car’s owner
manual, on the gas tank lid, on the
driver’s side door edge, and on the
door post.
Alignment: A bad jolt from hitting
a curb or pothole can throw your
front end out of alignment and
damage your tires. Misalignment of
wheels in the front or rear can cause
uneven and rapid treadwear.
Rotation: Regularly rotating your
vehicle’s tires will help achieve more
uniform wear. Unless your vehicle
owner’s manual has a specific
recommendation, the guideline for
tire rotation is approximately every
6,000-8,000 miles.
Tread: To prevent hydroplaning
and skidding, your tires must have
proper tread depth. The minimum
tread depth is 2/32 of an inch (1.6
mm).
In regions with harsh winters,
Continental recommends that drivers
switch to winter tires when the
temperature dips below 45 degrees
Fahrenheit. Colder weather brings
on a whole new set of driving
challenges --slush, ice and hard-
packed snow -- and once the
temperature drops below that 45-
degree mark, so does an all-season
tire’s ability to grip the road.
Many cars have all-season tires,
but they just aren’t built to hold the
road in the same way that winter
tires do. Winter tires provide safety
and control in cold weather as well
as snow and ice, because they are
specifically engineered to deliver a
25 to 50 per cent increase in traction
over all-season radials. That’s
enough added traction and braking
power to avoid a severe weather-
related accident, Burfien said.
Take care of your tires during
winter and they will take care of you.
Remember your winter tires are not
designed just for snow. They are
designed to increase traction in cold
winter conditions. Make the switch
to winter tires when the temperature
hits 45 degrees.
PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2009.
Preparing
Keeping tires properly inflated is the first line of defence in
safeguarding a vehicle from crashes on the road this winter.
(MS photo)
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