Summer Travel and Tire Safety Go Hand In Hand, Say GT Radial Tire Officials

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA, June 05, 2013 (Press-News.org) What is the most important component of your vehicle? The engine? The brakes? Your steering wheel? What about your tires?

This is National Tire Safety Week. Combined with the start of summer and heightened upcoming travel, this is a good time to think about the only part of your vehicle that actually touches the road. Sponsored by the Rubber Manufacturer's Association (the national trade association for tire manufacturers), National Tire Safety Week is an industry-wide initiative to help drivers learn the simple steps they can take to ensure their tires are in proper working condition.

"Tires are taken for granted by many drivers. But if you think about it -- they allow you to go, stop, turn, and carry the load of your vehicle, not to mention all your precious cargo," said David Shelton, director of marketing for GITI Tire USA, which markets and sells GT Radial tires across America.

The facts support Shelton's assertion. An article in the Saturday Evening Post stated that 80 percent of all tire failures were related to under-inflation. The article appeared in 1928. Not much has changed! An RMA survey found that more than 13 percent of U.S. vehicles had at least one bald tire. Another RMA survey showed that 64 percent of motorists did not know how to check tire tread depth and nine percent said they never even tried to.

Shelton said that sufficient tread depth and correct air pressure are critical elements in proper tire maintenance.

For a tire to have good contact with the road in wet weather, it has to move the water out of the way. Without this capability, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water (or "hydroplane") - drastically increasing a driver's risk of losing control. A tire's tread has channels (also known as "grooves") that run around and across, and are designed to direct water away from the tire. As the tread wears down, the channels become shallower and also less capable of moving water.

When tread depth reaches 4/32 of an inch, it is time to seriously consider a new set of tires. When it gets to 2/32 of an inch, you are required by law to replace them.

So how do you tell when your tread depth is too low? Tires have treadwear indicators (or "bars") molded in the tread design. These bars run across the tread pattern from the outside shoulder to the inside shoulder. If the wear bar is even with the tread depth, your tires no longer meet minimum tread depth requirements.

Or, you can use the venerable penny test: Place a penny upside down into several tread grooves across the tire. If part of Lincoln's head is always covered by the tread, you have more than 2/32" of tread depth remaining. If not, see your local tire dealer immediately.

"Tire technology is constantly progressing, and there are tremendous products like the GT Radial Champiro VP1 that are engineered for excellent water channeling and anti-hydroplaning performance," Shelton said. "But no matter how technologically advanced the tire is, it won't do the job it was designed for if the tread depth is too shallow."

Shelton also recommends checking your tire air pressure at least once a month. Low air pressure can cause damage to the sidewall, thus decreasing the load carrying capacity and consuming more fuel. Using a good quality gauge, adjust the air pressure to the vehicle manufacturer's instruction manual. The proper air pressure is also often found on the door jamb on the driver's side.

"An under-inflated tire simply does not perform at the level to which it was engineered," said Shelton, noting that you should also allow the tires to cool down after driving before checking the air pressure in order to obtain a more accurate reading.

Shelton added, "Have your tires checked before you hit the road this summer. It could mean the difference between a hassle-free trip and ending up stranded on the side of the road - or much worse!"

GITI Tire (USA) Ltd. is the sales and marketing operation in the U.S. for GITI Tire Pte. Ltd., which manufactures and sells high quality GT Radial brand tires for passenger, SUV, light truck, truck, bus, and high performance vehicles. GT Radial tires are sold through distributors, independent dealers and retailers throughout North America. For more information, visit www.gtradial.com.

Check your tires before you hit the road this summer!