Planning for an interstate road trip? While you load essential supplies, call your friends to tag along, and create a playlist on your phone, you need to make sure your car is ready for the journey. You don’t want to be stranded in the middle of the road asking for help. Apart from checking fuel and oil levels, follow these tire safety tips to ensure a mishap-free and memorable road trip.
- Tire pressure
This is the most important tip when it comes to road trip tire safety. Although it is imperative to check tire pressure regularly, checking it before a road trip ensures that you do not get a flat while cruising on a freeway. Every car has a different tire pressure; so, ensure that you know your car’s tire pressure before inflating them. Before you check tire pressure, ensure that the car has not been driven for at least three hours. Front and rear tires have different pressures; however, tires on each axle have the same pressure. - Tread depth
Now that you have checked the tire pressure observe the tire treads. It is yet another most important road trip tire safety tip. Tire treads ensure proper gripping on the road and help prevent the car from skidding due to hydroplaning when driving in the rain or through a greasy patch on the road. Tire treads wear off with time due to heat generated by friction with roads. To check the condition of the tread on your car’s tire, insert a penny between the tread grooves. If you are able to see Lincoln’s head, the tires are bald and need to be replaced. The minimum tread depth of any vehicle is under 2mm. Apart from this, it is also necessary to look for any other unevenness and irregularities in the tire’s sidewalls. - Wheel alignment
Wheel alignment means aligning wheels to be parallel to each other and perpendicular to the road. Wheel alignment ensures that the tires will not wear out faster. They also ensure better handling of the car by reducing the risk of traction. Wheel alignment also provides better fuel economy. So, ensure to take your car to an auto garage every two to three months before taking a long road trip to check if your car’s tires are properly aligned. - Tire age
The more the age of the tire, the more it is vulnerable to weather or climate change. Auto experts suggest changing tires every six months. Every tire has its age written on the sidewall. The age is written in the form of a “dot” followed by several digits. For instance, if “2020” was written on the tire’s sidewall, then it means that the tire was manufactured in the 20th week of the year 2020.
