The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Auto expert offers tips on maintaining tires
Baby Safety Month, observed in September, was founded in 1983 by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association.
According to the website, www.nationaldaycalendar.com/baby-safety-monthseptember, Baby Safety Month features a special area of focus each year for baby safety.
A recent survey commissioned by Bridgestone Tire and conducted by Harris Poll revealed that 72 percent of parents worry about losing control of their vehicles while driving and 35 percent admitted that they do not know how to change a flat tire.
According to Cesaley Sparks of Edelman, the communications firm for Bridgestone, the tire company is using Baby Safety Month to let parents know the importance of a car’s tires in regards to safely transporting the family. Sparks points out that the only part of a car that touches the road is the tires.
Tires are a critical safety product that should be carefully researched and evaluated alongside other necessities such as cribs, car seats and vehicles.
Nate Tokar, store manager at Firestone Complete Auto Care in Mentor, offered several tips on tire safety that could help avoid a flat tire while driving.
Tokar said a key phrase to remember is “inflate, rotate, evaluate.”
The inflation of the tires should be checked monthly simply by inserting a tire
gauge into the valve stem on the tire and measure the PSI (pounds per square inch).
“How much air should be in my tires?” is a common question that Tokar receives.
He advises checking the tires, which will often have the maximum pressure imprinted them, or check the inside of the driver’s door for a label listing information on the car and tires. If the label is not inside the door, then check the owner’s/user manual for the car under tires for proper inflation information.
Rotation of tires is also important, as it helps extend the life of the tire Tokar said. Rotation of tires involves moving the front tires to the back and the back tires to the front. Depending
on vehicle type, a cross rotation — rotating tires diagonally front to back and left to right — may also be recommended.
The third key step Tokar addresses is evaluating the tire. He offers a simple test for checking the tread depth of a tire and determining if it needs replaced.
He advises taking a penny and inserting it in the tread of the tire and check to see if Lincoln’s head is visible.
If you can see Lincoln’s head the tread on the tire is worn down and the tire should be replaced, if Lincoln’s head is not visible, the tire has a decent amount of tread and is acceptable to run on, providing there is no there visible damage to the tire.
When it comes to the
spare tire, Tokar recommends that it be checked once a month when you evaluate the tires on the car.
The life of a tire is typically up to seven years. The date a tire was manufactured, known as the DOT date, can typically be found on the side of the tire indicating the month, week and year the tire was manufactured.
“Tires are so important, because say, you have a family in a car with a lot of luggage going on a summer trip. The only thing really touching the ground is the tire and its only a small portion of the tire at a certain point touching the ground,” Tokar said. “So, it is only that small amount of tire touching the ground that keeps everybody on the road.”