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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1973)
How to Get Maximum Safe Miles Out of Tires, Told by Expert By RODGER WARD I’ve learned a lot about tires and what makes them last longer, perform better, thank« to my years as a race car driver and profes sional tire teeter. Now that I have a performance safety tire on the market with my nama on It I’m even more interested In seeing that motorists everywhere get the right facts on prolong ing tire life. The tricks to gettin g those extra miles of tire life aren't all connected solely with the condition or quality of the tires Installed on a car however. Improved driv ing techniques will help ex tend tire life, as will taking care of your car’s tires from time to time. I have a list of seven thing? to do that I know will prolong the life of your tires WATCH THAT INFLA TION! Perhaps the greatest single determining factor In tire mileage is the air pres sure at which tires are run Check the owner’s manual for your car — this Is where the load range data will be useful — and follow the recommended air pressure W in n e r o f th e In d ia n a p o lis ‘5 0 0 ’ in 1 9 5 9 an d 1 9 6 2 , H odgcr W a r d k n o w . how lo « r t every * » f r m ‘ l r P«"“ «ble o u l o f tires. H ia advice lo car ow ner« is presented in ih e accom panyin g a rtic le . T h is p h o to was ta k e n in 1 9 6 6 , W a r d ’s Iasi year in co m p etitive racin g . for the tires you now use T he -D e p a r tm e n t of T ransportation estim ates that some 33 million tires a year are destroyed by under- inflation. This represents a loss of some $750 million to car owners. So remember, the few minutes a simple tire pressure check takes will save you money. If you get a tire that Is larger than normally called CAR CARE QUIZ THE NUMBERS GAME for on a given car, this is all right — as long as the wheel rim will accept the larger tire. Undersized tires could fall you In a stress situation. An undersized tire will not safely carry the weight of your car and Its payload Another point about tire sizes Be sun- that the same tire sizes are In service on the same axle. n I f you are the typical d riv e r, you’ll put considerably m o re m ileage on yo ur car d u rin g spring anil sum m er than you do in the cold weather months. T h a t means yo ur odom eter w ill be spinning a lot faster. I f your odom eter could ta lk as well as spin, it m igh t be the best car care adviser you’ve ever had. W h v? T h e m ileage recorded on the o dom eter is often an indication o f when to have v ital m aintenance p e rfo rm e d . T his q uiz lin ks m ileage w ith suggested service intervals. So, see how well you can listen to y o u r silent odom eter. T h e P f ’V valve, p a ri o f th e s n ll-p o llu - lio n system, -h o u ld be rh s n g e d o r d i n a rily si I nder n o rm a l w ear voa can expert lo -----■----- ko ek absorbers al : 1 A. ¡0 ,0 0 0 m ilrt B. 20,000 m il,, C. 30,000 m ilrt A. 10,000 m ilrt B. 25,000 m ilrt C. 50,000 m llrt should be r o u t e d every 7. A. 5,000 m llrt B. 15,000 m llrt C. 24,000 m llrt A. 5,000 m ilrt B. 15,000 m ilrt C. 30,000 m ilrt 3 A m a jo r " tu n e -u p should be p e rfo rm e d every ß. Tran sm issio n filte rs should be eh ang ed every B. 5,000 mile* C. 10,000 mUrt A. 12,000 n i l f . B. 30,000 m ilrt C. 50,000 mUrt W ith n o rm a l w ear, you ra n e x p e rt m a jo r b ra k e service every Y ou can begin e x p ec tin g rep la cem en t o f yo u r m u ff le r and ta il p ip e at A. 12,000 m i l ; B. 24,000 m H » C. 50,000 mUrt * 24,000 m ilrt B. -, *.000 mUrt C. 60,000 m ilrt A. 1.000 m llrt X R a d ia to r hoars, u n d e r n o rm a l w ear, need rep la cem en t al O il fille rs should be chang ed w ith the -, o il a t about J (j W ip e r blades should be rh e e k e d every A. 1,000 mUrt A. 3,000 m llrt B. 4,000 m ilrt C. 10,000 mUrt B. 6,000 mUrt C. 12,000 m llrt B (0 I V (6 'V (8 □ ( ¿ V (9 a ( S H ( f 3 ( € V(ü H (I 'SH3W.SMV CUTS, BRUISES AND HUBBLES: Tires that have sustained actual damage are a serious safety hazard A sidewall cut can let go when It's least expected, s. me- tlmea with disastrous re sults. 8o for safety's sake check your tires for cuts, bruises and bubbles This kind of checking must be done with the tire free of the road, so that It can be spun and checked on the entire circumference of the tread as well as the sidewall that faces Into the car. If the tire rubber la abraded over a considerable distance, and the tire look? as though it may be dam aged, there’s only one thing to do. Have the tire removed and the Inside checked for possible cord damage Bubbles that Indicate rub ber layer separation are cause for Immediate re placement also. A young tire w ith a s id e w a ll bubble should be taken back to the point ot purchase for war ranty consideration. • • • SUSPENSION ADJUST MENTS CRITICAL TOOt Proper alignment of a car's front-end will help to get more miles out of a set of tires And If you rotate tires regularly, accurate front- end alignment will Improve the wear of all road tires Another point to remem ber is that shock absorbers also should be checked reg ularly for effectiveness and correct operation. It the shocks are weak they won't keep those tires on the road and frequent bouncing im pact will take its toll in shortened tire life. Hlgh-mlleage cars should h a v e th e ir b a ll Jo in ts checked since wear of these components also can lead to rapid tire wear Maintaining regular wheel balance Is an other key to longer tire life The wheels should be bal anced according to the car m aker's suggestions, or when you feel any unusual minor vibrat ion In the chas sis or steering • Eaeeaaive «peed i t u n o to rio u s w a ite r o f fu e l. K e e p in g w ith in th e posted «peed lim it« w ill h e lp save gaso lin e , not to m e n tio n re d u c in g accident danger«. STARTS. STOPS. COR- NERS AND CURBS. Even If y o u ’re In a h u rry, you should take your time when pulling away from a stop. On the other side of the coin, you should never as a habit use the panic stop, or other such hard-driving techniques as late breaking, unless you absolutely must as an evasive maneuver. Taking comers and curves at high speeds Is one of the best ways I know to reduce tire mileage. When your car builds up a lot of forward momentum, and you ask the tires to absorb the side ways force of a quick turn, you're burning rubber If you must drive over curbs or driveway entrances where you work or where you live, take them very slowly. A curb taken at high speed can do more damage to ply cords than the aver age driver knows, and a wheel can be deformed or even destroyed. • • • WAIT» IHE WEATHER i When the weather turns extremely cold, tire pressure drops approximately one pound for every 10 P drop In temperature Conversely, tire pressure Increases by one pound for every 10 F rise In temperature Regular tire pressure checks should catch pres sure changes due to tem perature lifts But the driver wh travels from a cold nort! ,em state to a warmer pt rt of the nation— or vice v< rsa — should be particularly alert to the need for tire pressure ad justments. a • • Tl KNPIKES A EHEEWAYS. Finally, a tip that will de stroy one of the oldest and most harmful myths about tire wear Ask almost any driver how he should prep his tires before doing any prolonged high-speed driving and he'll tell you to take out some air And he'd be wrong You're supposed to add air about 4 psi over normal, In fact. a K e e p in g a lig h t a n d ( steady fo o t on the gae ped ia also a fu e l «aver. Jack I ra b b it «tart« and «udden ac ce le ra tio n w h ile d riv in g re q u ire ex creel vc f u r l. 8-tracks to r y o u rc a r stereo W e h a v e a g re a t selection in stock w a itin g for youi S U P E R F L Y - N E W M A IN IN C R E M E N T N E W IS L E Y B R O T H E R S N E W T E M P T A T IO N S — A N D M O R E O n ly $4*69 each w ith this ad LONGHAIR MUSIC 915 S.W . 9 th dow ntow n 2 2 4 - 8 5 4 2 j
