Tires are the shoes of the automobile and the wheels are the legs, having great legs is important but ask any woman shoes can change the world. On average a person will spend more on shoes for their feet than on tires for the car they drive. The C/V axles, the ABS control module, the control arms…literally every system in the car relies on the tires to keep everything in check. Ever seen one of those worlds wildest police videos what happens when the cops shoot out the tires? Does anyone ever get far without tires? No, they have to book it on foot.
In the day to day grind we all see thousands of cars, one day take a min and look at the average tire on a car. More than a third of the people out there are riding around on tires that are bald or dry-rotted. Worn out tires are a huge safety risk in many ways, not only will there be less traction but they are more likely to suffer a blow-out. When a tire is referred to as bald it means that all the tread is worn off to a point where the grip will begin to lack and the side walls of the tire begin to suffer too. With low grip a car will slide during steering even at low speed and the braking distance will be come much greater. Metal bands run throughout tires and serve as a basic structure for the unit but they are also held together by the rubber. The less rubber the less structurally stable that the tire will be, at which point the small cracks that develop in the tire can quickly expand causing the loss of air pressure internally.
Dry rot is the next major issue that may people are completely oblivious to, this is the drying of the rubber in the unit. Rubber in a tire is just like the rubber in a seal, if it is not lubricated it will begin to crumble. When the rubber falls apart it will lead to holes and loss of stability, not to mention loss of grip. The physical characteristics of rubber change once dry rot happens and the only solution is to replace the units. Tires that are in bad condition can make your driving experience as dangerous as driving drunk. You may get away with it but in the end you are endangering yourself and everyone around you, When is the last time you checked your tires?
