Car maintenance ahead of summer
Summer has arrived, and with it comes vehicular problems. Perhaps there is nothing that deserves care in the car more than making sure about its tires, as they often represent the difference between life and death. Tires are always eroding very quickly in our atmosphere, especially in summer, so they require more attention and making sure that they are not cracked and do not have any defects, eroded or having any other problems.
The ring itself also needs checking. Then, if we wished to buy new tires, we must make sure that its production date goes back not more than two years, bearing in mind that the possibility of manipulating tires is large and widespread. It is always better to buy the tires from an authorized dealer, and select the good and expensive brands, instead of buying tires from a cooperative society branch or a small store; where a person might be satisfied with a ‘good deal’ that may come at the expense of your life or the life of any member of your family.
Each tire has a production date printed on it; usually in a clear rectangle made of four digits; the first two represent the production year and the one on the left represents the week. So when we see the number as ‘32 16,’ it means that the tire was made during the 32nd week of the year 2016. It is preferred to buy new tires and avoid the old ones, and to also avoid going after cheaper prices, because the newer the tire, the safer it is. It is also necessary to balance the new tires as soon as they are installed so they become equal in their performance and do not cause the car to shake, and to help keep one tire from eroding before the other. I also advice to alternate tires every 10,000 km to keep their eroding equal, bearing in mind the alternation should be made according to the car’s maintenance booklet.
Gauging air pressure in the tire is something very important and should be done once or twice a month for all tires, because the more air it loses, the larger the area that touches the road, and its erosion will increase. Meanwhile, if the air pressure in the tire is more than required, it will make the area less and that will result in eroding the middle of the tire faster. It is important to gauge the air pressure when the car is cool, because the reading will not be accurate when it is hot. We wish you safe driving.—