How crucial are tires are to safe driving??

[misterparker]

I know it's worthwhile to invest heavily in solid wheels for my Rodeo, but I just got wondering abt it a bit more when I caught the ad flying around comparing the SUV driving exp to the taming of a wyld beast. Anyone else seen what I am referring to??


I was curious enough to go to it's source and came across a fun little game they were offering to test your driving skill....in case anyone is interested - www.esuvee.com/landing.html

So back to my question - how valuable are valuable tires in the SUV driving exp??

[drdisque]

very valuable, especially based on the type of driving you will do. If your SUV does alot of highway driving, its best to use truck highway or touring tires, if its more of a snow or mud vehicle, its better to use knobbier tires to prevent sliding around, but these tires will be less predictable on the highway or in the rain.

[CapriRacer]

Where to start??

Your tires are the only thing in contact with the road surface. So if you are interested in trouble free driving, then you should be interested in your tires.

Pay attention to the inflation pressure. The general rule is to check your inflation pressure once a month.
The placard will list the original tire size and the appropriate pressure for that size. The placard is usually located on a doorpost or in the glove box.

However, many folks prefer a little higher inflation pressure in order to gain some improved durability, wear, hydroplaning resistance, snow traction, fuel economy and steering crispness, while sacrificng a bit of ride harshness. I like 3 to 5 psi over the placard. (varies with the vehicle)

Tires should be appropriate for your driving style. Off road tires for a vehicle that rarely goes off road just doesn't make sense and can be dangerous besides.

As tires wear, some properties degrade. For example, hydroplaning resistance goes down as you approach wear out. My recommendation is to remove the tires at 4/32 tread depth remaining.

Another factor is age. The latest research seems to indicate that regardless of how little a tire is used, it loses durability over time. My current recommendation is to replace tires when they reach 10 years after date of manufacture. This is reduced to 6 years in AZ, CA, NM. NV, TX, and FL, with states further north in between, For example TN would be 8 years.

Hope this helps.

[tetrahydro]

Originally Posted by misterparker

I know it's worthwhile to invest heavily in solid wheels for my Rodeo, but I just got wondering abt it a bit more when I caught the ad flying around comparing the SUV driving exp to the taming of a wyld beast. Anyone else seen what I am referring to??


I was curious enough to go to it's source and came across a fun little game they were offering to test your driving skill....in case anyone is interested - www.esuvee.com/landing.html

So back to my question - how valuable are valuable tires in the SUV driving exp??

god damn that game is retarded, as is the whole site, im still trying to figure out if its a government sponsored organization or what. that suv sasquatch monster thing is annoying looking too.

[RightWingZionist]

It's an bullshit anti-suv envirnmentalist site.

[drdisque]

actually its run by the insurance companies trying to reduce their costs from SUV related accidents