You don’t want a blowout while you’re driving. The sound alone of the tire blowing out can terrify you. The road isn’t your tire set’s best friend, even though it might seem as it would be. There are many dangers on the road that can seriously damage your tires. Mark’s Auto Service recommends you avoid these five things if you can. If you can’t, we can fix or replace your tire(s).
Curbs
We agree that it’s really cool to see an automobile go up over the curb during a high-speed chase in an action movie, but if you were to emulate this, you’d destroy your tires (and your suspension for that matter). Hitting the curb, parking up against it, and rubbing up against it can all damage your tires, especially because the weakest part of the tire, the side, is what is making contact with the curb.
Potholes
Your tires bend and flex slightly when they make contact with differences in the road surface, and this is why potholes wreak havoc on tires. You can easily blowout a tire if you fly over a pothole going too fast, which can happen to even the safest driver if he or she doesn’t see it. If you can go around potholes, that’s the best action plan. If you must drive through them, do so very slowly.
Gravel
You know how much it hurts to walk on gravel in your bare feet; imagine how your tires feel on gravel roads. If you’re driving on a standard set of tires, which you would be unless you’re operating an off-road vehicle, the gravel pieces, which can be about 3/4-inch, can easily pierce through the tire surface. Don’t drive on gravel roads unless you absolutely have to.
Rough Driving
Do you gently step on the accelerator when the light turns green and slowly proceed about your business, or do you put the pedal to the metal and burn rubber from a dead stop. If you do the former, you’re okay. If you do the latter, you’re damaging your tires. You can also damage them when you slam on the brakes, so slow down and take it easy behind the wheel.
Debris
Finally, road debris is a tire’s worst enemy, partially because so many things make up road debris. Wouldn’t it be nice if all the roads you drove on were as if they’d been freshly paved, so smooth and quiet. The reality is that roads have a ton of debris, including branches, gravel, rocks, tire rubber, and waste. Be careful on the road and avoid debris if you can for your tires’ sake.
Mark’s Auto Service is located in Loves Park, Belvidere, Roscoe, and Rockford, IL, with a second shop in Loves Park, IL. Contact us if you have a blowout or need a new set of tires.
