By Sebastian Lesec
Tires are extremely important to your vehicle's performance and the safety of your passengers. Your vehicle carries your closest friends and dearest family members, and when you think about it, everything is riding on your tires when you're driving.
When you're trying to determine if your tires need to be replaced, there are a few things that you need to consider. Tires don't require tread patterns to perform well on dry surfaces. You can witness this fact when you watch a race such as the Indy 500 or Le Mans. These professional cars reach speeds of over 200 miles an hour on slick tires without losing traction; however, slick tires will lose their grip at surprisingly low speeds when liquid is present on the racetrack - and the racecars will be spinning out of control immediately.
Tires require a tread pattern in order to direct water and generate traction in just about every other driving conditions including: rain, snow, slush, loose dirt, mud, sand, and on wet pavement and other surfaces.
Hydroplaning:
The hydroplane effect is one of the main causes of vehicle accidents, and the best way to avoid hydroplaning is to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Hydroplaning occurs when your tires roll over a wet surface at such a high rate of speed that they don't have time to displace the liquid. The vehicle is then lifted off of the surface and becomes nearly impossible to control. Other than speeding, worn tire tread is the main cause of hydroplaning.
Tire treads are necessary to prevent hydroplaning, and the design of a tire tread can have different effects on the way a car handles during changing road conditions. Different tread designs perform better than others for channeling rain water. Most people prefer tires that adapt well to a variety of changing road conditions, such as transferring a vehicle from a dirt road to a paved surface, or from snowy conditions to a dry freeway.
Typical passenger car tires begin with about 1/3" of tread depth, and as the treads slowly wear away over time, it can be difficult to notice the amount left. If you don't visually inspect your tire treads, you could easily find yourself hydroplaning in the rain, slipping in the snow, or being unable to stop in time to avoid an accident.
Recommended tread depths for Rainy conditions:
Braking tests in the rain show that vehicles equipped with tires containing 2/32" inches (1.6mm) of tire tread took about 100 feet more to stop than vehicles equipped with 4/32" inches (3mm) of tire tread.
Wherever rain and wet roads are a concern (which is pretty much everywhere!), you need to replace your tires when the treads reach a depth of 4/32". You need enough tire tread to allow a channel for the water to escape or your vehicle can hydroplane out of control.
Recommended tread depths for snowy conditions:
Where snowy road conditions are a concern, you need to replace your tires when the tread reaches a depth of 5/32". Tires require more tread depth in the snow because they need room to compress the snow into the channels and release it as they roll. When there isn't enough depth in the tread, the tires don't displace enough snow and your vehicle will lose traction and control.
Saving Money:
Although you might think that you're saving money by waiting until the last minute to replace your tires, you'll actually save money in the long run by avoiding accidents and increasing fuel efficiency with new new tires.
Find the best tires for your vehicle now:
http://www.best-tire-review.com
I also have additional tire tips and articles including:
- Proper Tire Inflation
- Buying Tires Online
- To Sipe or Not to Sipe?
Cheers,
Sebastian
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sebastian_Lesec
