The important thing with tires is to prevent the possibility of accidents before they happen. Fortunately, there are emerging technologies that make it so you will have less instances of accidents due to tire problems. Here are a few examples of preventative technologies for tire damage.
Self-Sealing Tires
Nothing will ruin a tire faster than driving over a nail and puncturing the inner section of the tire. Blowing out a tire is also one of the more dangerous things you can do while driving on the highway.
According to Gizmodo, there are self-sealing tires out there now that contain an extra layer right inside a tire's treads that can immediately seal punctures. Anything that causes holes of 5 millimeters in diameter or less can be sealed with this technology.
The layer is sticky, viscous and it covers the inside of the tread. Any time a puncture occurs, the viscous layer will pour into the gap automatically, sealing it and keeping it so that you can still drive on the tire safely.
It's still important to periodically check your tire for screws or nails just like always though, since these tires aren't designed to run long term after being punctured once. You should bring the tire down to a specialist to look at it and see what long term repairs are needed if this happens with a self-sealing tire.
Automatic Tire Pressuring Monitoring
It can be a tall order to try to check your tire pressure anytime you drive anywhere. But the truth is that the lower your tire pressure is, the more likely you are to have trouble driving and the more prone you are to accidents.
It's surprisingly easy to miss extremely low tire pressure when you're in a hurry as well. That's why computerized systems that keep track of your tire pressure can be so helpful. You can tell where all the pressures are at with one glance at your dashboard.
Many of these can also be set to beep at you when your pressure is dangerously low in one of the tires. This way you'll be able to take care of the tires before they become a problem and seriously lower the chance of a highway blow out.
The system can also help you notice a potential tire problem, like running over a nail, while you're in transit somewhere. That way you can pull over to the side of the road and switch out your tire for a cheap replacement you got on sale somewhere.
Technologies such as these may be prohibitively expensive for some at the moment, but they are worth watching for when they inevitably come down in price. And of course, it's always important to visit tire sales to pick up cheaper backup tires on hand just in case.
Share17 December 2014
When you live in the coldest parts of the United States, you need to learn how to adapt your car to the prevailing weather conditions. Winter tires will improve traction, and can significantly lower the risk of a dangerous accident. Unfortunately, a lot of drivers don’t really understand how to choose the right winter tires, but, with fifteen years as a skilled mechanic, I hope I can use this blog to give you all the information you need. Whatever car you choose to drive, I will help you winterize your vehicle effectively, and I will also tell you about some of the problems that unsuspecting drivers face in the depths of winter. I hope you find the content interesting and informative!
