Proper Tire Maintenance & Repair
Tires are essential for transportation. No matter if it is a bus, a car, or an over the road truck, tires are necessary to make them move. The modern radial tire is an important, high-tech piece of equipment designed to carry ever increasing loads at continuously increasing speeds. With the high number of miles every tire is expected to travel, it is important to make sure that you are properly maintaining your tires as it is essential to making sure your vehicle is used to the best of its ability. After all, “Everything” is riding on your tires!
While properly maintaining your tires is important, most people do not know what this means or how to take proper care of their tires. Here are some key tire maintenance tips every driver should know:
- How to check and maintain proper inflation pressure
- How to identify safe tread depth
- How to check the tire for defects such as irregular treadwear or weather cracking
- It is also important to make sure that any punctures in your tire are properly repaired. Properly repairing your tire will allow it to run out its remaining tread life while keeping the driver safe.
When you get a puncture in your tire, like a nail, there are a few key things you should always keep in mind when taking it to a shop to get repaired. One of the first things you should ask your shop of choice is, what type of repair training the technicians have received. Each technician should have a certificate to prove that they have proper tire repair training and can repair your tire safely and without taking any shortcuts. You should also ask about the types of repair materials and practices the shop uses.
A Proper tire repair should always consist of these three components: 1) The tire should be removed from the wheel for proper inspection to ensure the technician has a proper understanding of your tire and the issue, and so it can be safely repaired. 2) A precured rubber stem must be installed which will permanently vulcanize to the tire and seal out any moisture. 3) A repair unit that will reinforce and seal the liner. It is important to know and inquire about these practices as patch-only and plug-only repairs do not meet the tire industry guidelines for proper tire repair and are considered unsafe.
Always make sure your tires are properly taken care of and when damaged, properly repaired. For more information or any questions on how to properly repair your tire, please visit techtirerepairs.com