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
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