Broome County Traffic Safety Board Urges Drivers to Check Their Tires Monthly

BINGHAMTON, NYDid you know that by checking your tires on a monthly basis you will save money at the gas pump? Properly inflated tires keeps your tires rolling longer and keeps you safe on the roadways. Proper tire care and safety is simple and easy. The Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) recommends getting into the habit of taking five minutes every month to check your tires, including the spare. 

There are four important things to be looking for when checking your tires; pressure, alignment, rotation and tread. When checking the pressure in your tires, you should always follow the specified amount of inflation provided by the vehicle manufacturer. You can find this information on the vehicle door edge, door post, glove box door, fuel door and/or owner’s manual. It is recommended to check your tire pressure at least once a month and before long trips. And don’t forget to check the spare. Be sure your tires are cool when checking pressure. Proper tire inflation helps your car be more gas efficient, saving you money. Under inflating tires or overloading a vehicle creates excessive stress and heat and can lead to tire failure. Under inflated tires also waste fuel. An over inflated tire can cause uneven wear in the center of the tread. Over inflation can also make the tire more susceptible to road hazard damage and pose vehicle handling issues. Additionally, regular tire care can help tires get the most potential wear so they don’t need to be replaced as often. 

It is best to have your alignment checked periodically as specified by the vehicle owner’s manual or whenever you have an indication of trouble such as “pulling.” Misalignment of wheels in the front or rear can cause uneven and rapid tread wear. Tire balance should be checked periodically as well. An unbalanced tire and wheel assembly may result in irregular wear or vibration. 
  
Sometimes irregular tire wear can be corrected by rotating your tires. Before rotating your tires, always refer to your vehicle owner’s manual for rotation recommendations. If no rotation period is specified, tires should be rotate approximately every 5,000 – 8,000 miles. This ensures that tires wear evenly.
 
Proper tire tread is especially important in bad weather. It provides traction and helps dissipate water more easily, reducing the likelihood that a tire will hydroplane. An easy test to determine whether you have enough tread on your tires is the penny test. Take a penny and place it upside down in the tread. If part of the tread is covering Lincoln’s head then you are driving with the proper amount of tread. If you can see all of his head, you should consider buying a new tire. Visually check your tires for signs of uneven wear. You may have built-in tread wear indicators or “wear bars,” which look like narrow strips of smooth rubber across the tread and will appear on the tire when the tread is worn down to 2/32 of an inch.
 
And remember practicing good driving habits will help keep your tires in good condition. This means obeying all posted speed limits, avoiding fast starts, stops and turns and avoiding potholes and other objects in the road. Do not run over curbs or hit your tires against the curb when parking. And do not overload your vehicle, as this puts unnecessary stress on your tires. 
 
For more information about tire safety contact Christine Muss, Traffic Safety Coordinator for Broome County, at 607.778.2807 or visit www.betiresmart.org
 

Posted: 6/17/2009 4:20 pm


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