It’s amazing that just a few decades ago, cars or vehicles were considered a luxury item and were only available to the very few privileged and affluent members of the society. While this may still be true in some parts of the world, it is a fact that today, cars are more of a necessity than a luxury. In fact, imagining a life without a car or a vehicle is close to impossible especially for families who’s livelihoods depend on the availability of a car. Of particular importance are car tyres that are really one of the most essential parts of a car but easily ignored due to their long service and durable nature.
I remember the first time when I bought a car for myself and the excitement that came with it. I had just gotten my driver’s license and was eager to hit the road to wherever it could take me. The car was a used one but very decent, and the first advice that I got was to change the tyres just in case the existing one’s had issues that I wasn’t aware of. They looked fine and dandy to me until I took the car for inspection to a high school friend of mine who’s family owned a shop. The car was perfect for the price but it was apparent that a couple of the tyres were not even and only a trained eye could detect that.
Since then, the importance of maintaining good car tyres has stuck in my mind like never before and every time that I plan on long trips out of town, I find myself inspecting my car tyres. Many drivers aren’t aware of their tyre problems until they get an abrupt tyre burst or even a flat in the morning. The statistics on road accidents and fatalities caused by tyre bursts every year is quite mind-boggling and scary indeed. Car experts all over the world will agree that most of these accidents and fatalities can be prevented simply by ensuring that the car tyres are well inflated all the time, and that the car treads are even and not worn out before hitting the road.
One way of ensuring that these precautions are taken before it is too late is to do a simple inspection every time that you plan on using the car. It is recommended for one to walk around their car and do a quick inspection before they drive out of a location. This advice apparently is not taken seriously by many drivers, but it does help in the long run to prevent road accidents and other inconveniences. Many drivers are not aware that their car’s fuel consumption is greatly increased if they fail to maintain enough tyre pressure or drive on worn out tyres.
The correlation between high gas consumption and the air pressure of car tyres is not usually easy to grasp even at the first mention of it, but it is a scientifically proven and verifiable fact. The science behind this concept is known as “rolling resistance”, which is a measure of how easily your car’s tyres roll down the road while minimising the energy wasted as heat. Flabby tyres are known to have higher rolling resistance which ends up consuming more fuel than is necessary, and the cost adds up really quick over time. It is definite that having your car tyres inflated to the proper pressure and in good condition is going to not only save you money, but also prevent you from risking your life on the road any more than is necessary.
