{"id":336,"date":"2011-07-04T06:00:14","date_gmt":"2011-07-04T13:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.www.accurateautoadvice.com\/?p=336"},"modified":"2017-02-07T10:08:54","modified_gmt":"2017-02-07T17:08:54","slug":"tire-pressure-wear-rotations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.accurateautoadvice.com\/maintenance-repair\/tire-pressure-wear-rotations\/","title":{"rendered":"Awesome Car Tips: Don\u2019t Play Russian Roulette with Your Tires"},"content":{"rendered":"
We all know about the game called \u201cRussian Roulette\u201d – you have a revolver with only one bullet in one of the six chambers. People take turns pointing the gun and pulling the trigger until the gun eventually goes off and someone dies. The \u201cpoint\u201d of Russian roulette is a mystery, but one thing is certain: someone will die (or at least get seriously hurt) if you play it.<\/p>\n
Playing Russian roulette with your vehicle’s tires is no different than playing with a gun<\/strong>. However, it’s not just the driver who is put at risk, but the passengers and passers-by who happen to be near the car when a tire bursts and the vehicle loses control.<\/p>\n Every tire manufacturer will suggest a conservative tire maintenance program, especially when it comes to when tires should be changed and rotated. But these manufacturers do not know if the driver is a racer, a long-distance sales rep who does a lot of highway miles, or a little old lady who rarely travels faster than 40 mph. Each of these users will have a different level of wear on their tires, not to mention that things like typical terrain and weather conditions effect tire wear.<\/p>\n No tire or vehicle manufacturer can foresee all of these conditions, so it’s unwise to accept the manufacturer’s recommended tire maintenance at face value. The responsibility is thus totally with the driver to check their tires regularly. Don\u2019t play Russian roulette with your tires; it\u2019s best to avoid all risks.<\/p>\n The easiest thing for a motorist to do is once a week check the air pressure in the tires at the local filling station. This alone will alert owners to constant deflating tires, or tires looking damaged or beginning to misshape. Buy yourself a decent tire gauge and make it a habit every time you fill up.<\/p>\n If you check your air pressure regularly, you’re also more like to spot tire cracking, worn patches on the tires, bulges, and blisters. There\u2019s no need to be a tire expert to know what these things are \u2013 if something doesn’t look right, you’ll want someone who is a tire expert to look at it soon.<\/p>\n As far as tread depth, some people use the famous \u201cpenny test\u201d (putting a coin in the tread of the tires), but the truth is that it’s just not that simple. Tires should have at least 3\/8th<\/sup> of an inch of remaining tread \u2013 if they don’t, or if you don’t have the ability to measure that correctly – it\u2019s best to leave it to professionals to have your tires checked for wear.<\/p>\n