HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1973-05-09, Page 15:4,w.,,se •
TAW
r,"-zr
Winner of the Indianapolis '500' in 1959 and 1962, Rodger
Ward knows how to get every safe mile possible out of tires.
His advice to car owners is presented in the accompanying
article. This photo was taken in 1966, Ward's.last year in
competitive racing.
Since 1940" 'Serving Seaforth and District
P4,46527-1750 • SEAFORTH
'YOUR CHEV I-OLDS DEALER'
Complete Line of Genuine
GMl Parts and Accessories
Complete Line of
Uniroyal Tires
Modern Efficient Body Shop
•
ALL LICENSED 'MECHANICS
IN SERVICE DEPT.
•
New and Used Cars
See Us for Carefree
Summer Driving
Cover Every/if/kg WITH
SIMPLE, LOW COST INSURANCE
FROM
DON
EATON
_
Accidents Can Happen
To Safe Drivers Too!
Play it SAFE behind the wheel of your car. De-
pend on AUTO INSURANCE to meet the cost of
repairs, injuries and liability claims.
GET . THE FACTS
from
DONALD G. EATO
INSURANCE AGENCY LIMITED
OFFICE IN THE MASONIC BLOCK
PRONE 5214610 SEAFORTH •
How to Get Maximum Safe Miles Out of Tires, by Expert
aren't all connected, solely
with the condition or quality
of the tires installed on a
car howeyer. Improved driv-
ing techniques will help ex-
tend tire life, as will taking
care of your ear's tires from
time to time. I.have a list of
By RODGER WARD
rve learned a lot about
tires and what makes them
last longer, perform better,
thanks to my years as a
race car driver and profes-
sional tire tester. Now that
I have a performance safety
tire on the market with my
name• on it I'm even more
interested in seeing that
motorists everywhere get
the right facts on prolong-
ing tire life,
The tricks to getting
those, extra miles of tire life
seven things to do that I
know will prolong the life
of your tires.
WATCH THAT INFLA-
TION: Perhaps the greatest
single determining factor in
tire mileage is the air pres-
sure at which tires are run.
Check the owner's manual
for your car — this, is where
the load range data will be
useful — and follow the
recommended air pressure
for the tires you now use.
The Department of
Transportation estimates
that some 33 million tires a
year are destroyed by under-
inflation. This represents a
loss of some $750 Million to
car owners. So remember,
the few minutes a simple
tire pressure check takes
will save you money.
If you get a tire that is
larger than normally called
for on a given car, this is
all right — as long as the
wheel rim will accept the
larger tire. Undersized tires
could fail you in a stress
situation. An undersized tire
will not safely carry the
weight of your car and its
payload.
Another point about tire
sizes. Be sure that the same
tire sizes are in service on
the same axle.
CUTS, BRUISES AND
BUBBLES: Tires that have
sustained actual damage are
a serious safety hazard. A
sidewall cut can let go when
it's least expected, some-
times with disastrous re-
sults. So for safety's sake
check your tires for cuts,
bruises and bubbles.
This kind of checking
must be done with the tire
free of the road, so that it
can be spun and checked on
the entire circumference of
the tread as well as the
sidewall that faces into the
car. If the tire rubber is
abraded over a considerable
distance, and the tire looks
as though it may be dam-
aged, there's only one thing
to do. Have the tire removed'
and the inside checked for
possible cord damage.
Bubbles thatindicate rub-
ber layer separation are
cause for immediate re-
placement also. A young tire
with a sidewall bubble
should be taken back to the
point of purchase for war-
ranty consideration.
SUSPENSION. ADJUST-
MENTS CRITICAL TOO:
Proper alignment of a car's
front-end will help to get
more miles Out Of a set of
tires. And if you rotate tires
regularly, accurate front-
end alignment will improve
the Wear of all road tires.
Another point to remem-
ber is that shock absorbers
'also should be checked 'reg.,
ularly for Offectiveneas and
Correct operation. If the
thOcks are weak they won't
keep those tires on the road
and frequent boUribizig inn-.
pact will take its toll in
shortened tire life.
High-mileage cars should
have their ball joints
checked since wear of these
components also, can lead to
rapid tire wear. Maintaining
regular wheel balance is an-,
other key to longer tire life.
The wheels should be bal-
anced according to the car
maker's suggestions, or
when you feel any unusual
minor vibration in the chas-
sis or steering.
STARTS, STOPS, COR-
NERS AND CURBS: Even if
you're in a 'hurry, you
should take your time when
pulling away from a stop.
On the other side of the
coin, you should never as a.
habit use the panic stop,
or other such hard-driving
techniques as late breaking,
unless you absolutely must
as an evasive maneuver.
Taking corners.and curves
at high speeds is one of the
best ways I know to reduce
tire mileage. When your car
builds up a lot of forward
momentum, and you ask
the tires to absorb the side-
ways force of a quick turn,
you're burning rubber.
If you must drive over
curbs or driveway entrances
where you work or where
you live, take them very
slowly. A curb taken at high
speed can do more damage
to ply cords than the aver-
age driver knows, and a
wheel can be' deformed or
even destroyed.
WATCH THE WEATHER:
When the weather turns
extremely cold, tire pressure
drops approximately one
pound for every 10°F drop
in temperature. Conversely,
tire pressure increases by
one pound for every 10°F
rise in temperature.
Regular ,tire pressure
checks should catch pres-
sure changes due to tem-
perature shifts. But the
driver who' travels • from a
cold northern state to a
warmer part of the nation—
or vice versa — should be
particularly, alert to the
need for tire pressure ad-
justments.
TURNPIKES t FREEWAYS:
Finally, a tip that will de-
stroy one of the oldest and
most harmful myths about
tire wear.
Ask almost any driver
how he should prep his tires
before doing any prolonged
high-speed driving and he'll
tell you to take out some air.
And he'd be wrong. You're
suppoSed to add 'air — about
4 psi over normaly in fact.
',THE BRUSSELS POST, MAY 9, 103-15