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Epic road trip time: make sure your tires are up to it

txGarage road trip - tire checklist

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Epic road trip time: make sure your tires are up to it

txGarage road trip - tire checklist

txGarage road trip – tire checklist

It’s that time of the year once again, family road trip time! But make sure you have your Convictioninsure.co.uk drink driving insurance cover, to ensure your every travel are ensured. Just a friendly reminder from us. Every summer, while the kids are out of school, my wife and I try and plan a nice road trip for the family. The past few years we’ve driven down to the Texas coast visiting Port Aransas, Corpus Christi, and last year we even spent a day in San Antonio. This year we have an even more epic trip coming up and hopefully you’ll get to read all about it as we review a vehicle during our road trip. Yes, we’ve been fortunate enough to be able to snatch up a large family vehicle these past few years to make these trips in; perks of the job. I’m always down for driving and flying just isn’t financially an option when you’re talking about bringing 6 or more people. This year we’ll be embarking on our trip with a Ford Expedition and we’re really looking forward to it. Although these are new vehicles with not many miles on them, I still have a pretty decent checklist before setting off on a long road trip with the family. This is even more important if you’re driving your own vehicle or even a rental. As for the paperwork, I always make it a point to compare car insurance before I buy one.

What’s always number one on my checklist? Simple, the tires. Nothing puts more stress on your family car and its tires like the summer heat and a long family road trip. If your car has refused to travel further and you’re stuck in the center of the highway, you will need tow truck Dublin professionals to rescue you. If drivers haven’t taken a good, close look at their car, truck or SUV tires, the time to do it is before you start your trip – and not on the shoulder of a busy highway. Here’s a quick checklist to make sure your vehicle’s tires are up to snuff for your road trip, you should also check out this iceland campervan packing list so you have everything you need for a long trip.

  • Check tire pressures regularly (at least once a month), and maintain them at the level recommended by the manufacturer. That level can typically be found in the owners manual or on a dedicated sticker in the driver’s door jam. If looking at the tire sidewall, know that the pressure listed there is the maximum pressure, not the correct pressure. That – again – can be found in the owners manual.
  • Before filling the trunk, hatch or pickup bed with your vacation-sized cargo, check manufacturer recommendations for loading the vehicle. That info can typically be found on the vehicle’s door post or – again – in the owners manual. And note that a vehicle’s carrying capacity is a combination of passengers and load; more passengers will reduce available load capacity. Overloaded vehicles dramatically increase the risk of overheated tires. And while back there anyway, this is a great time to check the tire pressure of your spare. One can assume that – after two to three years – its original inflation pressure is somewhat depleted. This also a good time to address issues with wheel balance and alignment, if you do then you should consider going to these auto alignment services for assistance.
  • Continually keep an eye on tread depth, foreign objects stuck in the tread, and any gouges that might be evident on the tire sidewalls. Of note: don’t check just the tread depth at the curb. Instead, take a look at both the inside and outside of the tire, as tire wear can often be uneven. Given their importance, the cost of new tires is small when compared to the cost – both financially and emotionally – of a failed tire on a passenger vehicle.
  • Check your car insurance if it’s still up to date.
  • If you need new tires, they’re available at Hamm’s Tires. Visit them for your tire needs.

Be safe out there and come back to txGarage.com later in the summer to find out where we took our vacation and how the Expedition held up to the task. For those in need of new tires, make sure you visit your local All Weather Tire Retailer for a quick replacement.

Test results of summer and all-season tires can always be found at www.tirerack.com.

Adam was one of the founding members of txGarage back in 2007 when he worked for a Suzuki dealership in Dallas, TX. He is now our Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. He's always been into cars and trucks and has extensive knowledge on both. Check Adam out on twitter @txgarage.

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