Have you got any road trips planned for the school break? aching to leave the city and head into the woods? Perhaps you’ve already taken all the necessary security precautions to keep your house safe, but have you made sure that your “home in transit” is also secure before you leave?
The mid-year school holiday break is characterized by heavy traffic volumes and difficult winter driving conditions, so in the hustle of making travel plans, making sure your car’s tyre are safe for the road ahead should rank right up there with using seat belts, avoiding fatigue, and not speeding.
Lubin Ozoux, CEO of Sumitomo Rubber South Africa, one of South Africa’s largest tyre manufacturing companies and manufacturer of the Dunlop tyre brand, said: “We know it’s important to recharge and spend time with family, and many of us look forward to going on road trips or holidays at this time of year when our children are likely to be on holiday from school.
“We’re urging holidaymakers to dedicate time to make sure their tyres are in good condition, not just for this period, but at all times, so that they can safely enjoy their time away. The school holidays also mean there will be an uptick in child pedestrians, many of them unsupervised, so it’s especially important to ensure that your tyres are in the best condition to maximise safety and braking efficiency.”
Why is tyre safety important?
The only component of your car that touches the road directly is its tyres . The tyres must have enough friction in an emergency to stop moving.
Your vehicle may be unable to stop in time if your tyres are worn out or damaged, or in the case of wet weather, the vehicle may aquaplane.
Quick fact:
The area of the tyre that touches the road is called the tread. The legal maximum for a tyre tread grove shouldn’t ever be less than 1mm all the way across the tread surface. Most of the time, tread wear indicators are incorporated into the 1.6 mm grooves of tyres during manufacturing.
The tyre needs to be replaced when the tread wear indicators are flush with the tread level. Any tyre with a tread depth below 1.6 mm lacks grip, lengthens stopping distances, and impairs control of the vehicle. These tyres need to be replaced because they are unsafe for driving.
Prior to getting on the road, perform this 5-minute tire inspection.
Take five minutes to look around the car before hopping in the car for your mid-year vacation.
Do this a few days prior to your departure so that you have enough time to make any necessary tyre modifications.
Check for:
1. Shoulder wear – when the tyre’s outer edges begin to wear out unexpectedly. Under-inflation, improper wheel alignment, or hard driving are the three main causes of this.
Either you must rotate or replace your tyres, check and correct wheel alignment, or inflate your tyres to the manufacturer’s recommended pressure.
2. Crown wear – when the tyre’s center begins to wear out excessively. The tyres must be rotated or replaced, and the tyres must be deflated according to the car manufacturer’s recommendations.
3. Irregular wear – When the tread area of your tyres begins to wear unevenly, this is typically due to poor alignment, over- or under-inflation, or a worn-out suspension.
Wheel alignment must be checked and adjusted, and the tyres must be inspected for mechanical issues and possibly repaired or replaced.
4. Sidewall damage – When there is unusual wear on the sidewalls of the tyres, possibly from a flat tyre or impact damage from driving over potholes or bumping into kerbs. Check the tyre for damage, get the aid of a professional tyre expert to check the sidewalls inside the tyre for damage, and replace the tyre as necessary.
5. Spare tyre – Be sure to inspect the spare tyre in your boot for all of the aforementioned issues. Make sure you have a triangle on hand in case there are any roadside emergencies.
Helpful Tips
- Make tyre safety checks a monthly habit so that you can get on top of issues before they worsen.
- Check your tyre pressure regularly – find your vehicle’s optimal tyre pressure in your car manual, or the information label on the side of the driver’s door.
- Check air pressure when your tyres are cold, preferably in the mornings.
- Have your tyres rotated at least every 8 000km or at least once a year.
- Do not overload your tyres – check the carrying capacity on the sidewall of each tyre.
- Do not speed, so that you have enough reaction time to steer clear of people, potholes or other hazards.
- To help ease the cost of replacing irreparable damaged tyres, take out tyre cover such as Dunlop Sure, which includes a complimentary package of services providing peace of mind when purchasing tyres from Dunlop’s own network of stores (Dunlop Zone, Dunlop Commercial, Dunlop Express and Dunlop Container).
- Check brakes, windscreen wipers, lights and indicator functionality regularly.
If you are unsure of the condition of your tyres and want to stay #SaferThanSafe, stop by a tyre expert retailer like your neighborhood Dunlop store for assistance before setting out on any winter vacation excursions.
Need a fresh set of tyres before you leave on your mid-year vacation? A R1000 universal e-commerce voucher that can be used online at any retailer in South Africa is available to the first 1500 customers who purchase two or more of the selected Dunlop tires during the Dunlop Winter Promo, which is running until July 31, 2022.