ONanESCAPADE.com
/’esk,pād/ noun
An act or incident involving excitement, daring, or adventure.
NEW TIRES
As Beth and I continued our preparations for our 12,000 mile National Parks tour, we knew it would be best to check the condition of our tires to assure they had enough treadlife to complete the trip. Good thing we did – all four tires showed significant wear and it is unlikely they would have lasted even a few thousand more miles, let alone the entire trip. Nothing could deflate an attitude faster than a flat tire (pun intended) in the middle of nowhere during the first week of our travels.
Not to worry. I did some quick research and discovered that Walmart carries Goodyear tires at reasonable prices. I purchased the tires online and scheduled an appointment to have them installed at a Walmart on our way home from Easter weekend with our kids.
We dropped the car off at the Auto Care Center and did some shopping while we waited for the tires to be changed. We didn’t have to wait long, 40 minutes to be precise. Not as fast as an NASCAR pit crew, but much quicker than we expected. We hadn’t even finished our shopping when I received a text message that our car was ready. As Beth headed to the checkout with a full cart of supplies, I headed to the Auto Care Center and retrieved the keys and our car. We don’t typically get too excited about car tires, but both Beth and I thought the tires looked great and they sure looked like they would get us safely across the country and back.
As we talked about it, we thought it would be a good idea to provide our readers with some recommendations to consider before you head out in your vehicle on your own escapade. While most of these recommendations are obvious, it still doesn’t hurt to repeat them.
Here’s our Top Eight Tire Recommendations, in no particular order:
#1) Inspect your tires for adequate tread. If the tires show wear, or if you aren’t sure how to gauge the condition of your tires, have your local mechanic check them out. Better to be safe than sorry.
#2) Be sure to check your spare tire to assure it is inflated and ready for deployment if so needed. There are few things more discouraging than getting a flat tire and then finding your spare isn’t property inflated, leaving you stranded.
#3) Check that the car jack and lug nut wrench used to change a tire are in your vehicle. These items are typically found in the spare tire compartment.
#4) If you have never changed a tire, view a You Tube video to educate yourself on the correct procedure. When done properly, it’s not that big of a deal. If done improperly, you could cause harm to yourself or damage to your vehicle. Here is a iink on how to change a tire on Ford vehicles, for example:
#5) Purchase and keep in your vehicle a portable air compressor. They are relatively inexpensive and can be plugged into your vehicle’s cigarette lighter port to provide an air supply to inflate a tire. Walmart, Amazon, and other stores carry a variety of options for as little as $20.00. This is money well spent.
#6) Purchase and keep in your vehicle a can of Fix-A-Flat aerosol. This can be used to seal and inflate a flat tire in an emergency situation. For less than $10 a can, Fix-A-Flat can be a life saver if you experience a flat tire under dangerous or hazardous conditions and need a quick fix to get on the road as soon as possible. While there are some disadvantages to using Fix-A-Flat (uneven tire wear, it can be corrosive), it is a $10 insurance policy that you would be wise to have.
#7) Prior to embarking on a road trip, check the air pressure in all tires, including the spare, and add whatever air is necessary to get to the recommended inflation PSI for the tire. This information can be found on the sidewall of your vehicle’s car tire.
#8) If you have a AAA membership, be sure you have your membership card with you when you travel so you can call for roadside service and assistance if needed.
Obviously, all flat tires can not be prevented. If you follow the recommendations detailed above, you should be able to minimize your risk and should you experience a flat along your way, you should be in a position to handle the situation so you can get on the road as quickly as possible.
There’s our two cents on tires!
Safe and happy travels.