When was the last time you checked your tires for wear? Many people are currently driving a car on tires with very little tread. Tire tread are the grooves in the tire rubber that makes them grip the ground. Tire tread is most important when driving in rain, snow and ice. There are even special tire treads that help drivers ride in in climate weather. One old school technique for checking tire wear is to place a coin in between the tread of your tires, and if it doesn’t hold the coin you need new tires. Now days we have more specific gauges for accessing a tires wear. Riding on bald tires pose the risk of not being able to stop your car in time to avoid an obstacle or another vehicle.
It’s so easy to neglect basic car maintenance because we generally think of our cars as safe. We use them everyday without any issues, so we expect them to function without any problems. For many people, the only time a car needs service or maintenance is when something goes wrong. A fix it when it breaks mentality will leave you stranded on the road or in a position where you cannot control your car. I’m sure that you understand that driving around with bad brakes can cause an accident and kill you or another driver, but you have to realize that worn out tires are just as lethal.
Commercial truck drivers are legally required to keep a maintenance diary on their trucks. Things like brake repairs, tire changes and general maintenance must be logged. Oddly enough auto repair shops and dealerships do this to a lesser extent. They log your service appointments and oil changes, so that they can remind you to come back for scheduled services. When it comes to your tires you should do this yourself, and create a schedule of when you have your tires rotated to evenly and reduced the amount of wear that they endure. Simply rotating your tires every few months can save you money and spare your life.
