The Importance of Checking Your Tires
Last night around midnight, while driving through a torrential downpour on a major highway, I felt a tire blow out. Though my first thought was to pull over, immediately to my right was an on-ramp. After that a short stretch with virtually no shoulder or space to change a tire, then an exit ramp. I knew that if I pulled off too close to either I would stand a pretty good chance of getting whacked from behind, so I pulled over just after the exit, as far away from the main road as I safely could without getting onto the wet grass. Then I turned on my 4-way flashers, which also illuminated the large exit sign, further warning motorists approaching from behind.
When I figured it was safe to exit the vehicle I took the LED strobe flashlight out of my purse and had a look. My rear driver’s side tire had blown out to such a degree that the last few feet I traveled was on the rim. Not much I could do about that. I knew I had a good spare, but I also have AAA, a service I have not gone without since I joined when I first started driving. I got back in and fastened my seat belt. If someone were to rear end me, which is always a possibility no matter how well lit up you are, I didn’t want to put my face through the windshield. As I called the AAA operator I noticed that my cell phone was nearly dead. Normally I carry a phone charger but as this was a borrowed vehicle, I had to make it last at least until help arrived. When the dispatcher contacted me back to tell me a tow truck was on its way, we did it by text to make the phone battery last longer.
Because I was a woman stranded on a major highway, the call was expedited, and it was only a half hour between when I’d called and when the tow truck arrived. As I shone the flashlight on to the wheel for the tow truck driver while he changed the tire I remarked, “I’m thinking the tire has exceeded its life span.”
“You still got a good 20,000 miles on this tire,” he said.
Technically, he should have been correct. There was plenty of tread on that tire. In fact, it would have easily passed the so-called ‘penny’ test. However, this was an older vehicle, new to me, and the maintenance on it had been sketchy at best. Just before I left home I’d made sure all four tires had 35lbs of air (the manufacturer’s recommended psi).
Once I got home I took a look at the date code, which is usually a recessed stamp right after the DOT, and found out that the tires were 9 years old. They were also made in China.
Now, not everything made in China is garbage, but their tires are not great. The tires have less rubber, which makes them harder and slicker, so they don’t stick to the pavement as well as tires with a higher rubber concentration. And of course, the tires were older than 5 years, which is considered past their life span and time to be replaced.
The moral of this story is that you can never be too well prepared. Although I did air them up properly, I know better than to be blasé about tire wear. I can’t stress enough how important it is to be knowledgeable about your tires. Good quality tires can be expensive, but they’re worth it. But be cautious of tires on sale because tires will often sit in warehouses for a long time before they’re sold. Not only does this use up part of their life expectancy, but tires that sit ‘stacked’ and unmounted will lose their shape over time and can leak around the rim when mounted.
Still, if you find yourself stranded on the road, you should always carry essential safety items with you. Some people might consider me obsessive, but here’s what I usually carry in my car:
A cell phone and a battery charger
My AAA membership card
A can of Fix-a-Flat (used for slow leaks, not blow outs)
Reflective triangles
Rain gear with reflective tape
Work gloves………
…………………..and there’s a whole long list of other stuff, including spare parts like replacement belts, hoses, fuses, etc., should your tow truck driver not have the right parts, and an even longer list if you’re towing a trailer. These lists are at the back of my book The Horse Trailer Owner’s Manual, and the information in there applies to other trailers as well, such as travel, utility, cargo and livestock. These are things we talk about when we give our safety, maintenance and repair seminars.
So, before you head out on the road again, go out and check your tires’ date of manufacture, tread, signs of wear or cracks, and inflation (all should be evenly inflated to manufacturer’s recommendations). And don’t forget to check your spare. It could save your life.
