You need to quit jumping around and making excuses for the real problem.
You need to purchase new or retread tires for your husband’s car.
The fact that you often make car trips that are at least 12 hours in distance one way means that you put a lot of miles on your two cars. Your family van, for instance, that has been paid in full for the last three years, has nearly 150,000 miles on it. In fact, the van has so many miles that you now are very selective in the trips that you make with this vehicle. The last time that you made the long road trip to watch your daughter’s college gymnastics team you were traveling alone, so you decided that the van was not the vehicle that you drove. The fact that your husband’s car needs new tires, however, also kept you from driving that vehicle. Instead, your husband decided that you should rent a car for this trip. This decision kept you from putting even more miles on your husband’s car, and it also helped you avoid buying a new set of tires.
It was the cost of the new tires, in fact, that kept you from driving your husband’s car. More than a concern for putting on more miles, the real reason that you rented a car was to delay the expense of buying new tires. In hindsight, however, you think it might have been smarter to take the money you spent on the rental car and used it to purchase retread tires. Instead of paying the higher price for new cars, the retread tires would have been more affordable and kept you from wasting money to rent a car.
It may come as a surprise to you that some of the tire companies that most people rely on for new tires also offer more affordable, but very dependable, retread tires. Although some may have never thought of buying used tires before, the decision to look at retread tires as an option can be a very wise economical decision. If you find yourself in a place where you cannot quite afford to purchase a whole new set of tires, retread tires are a viable option.
What Are You Doing to Make Sure That Your Family Is Safe When You Travel Long Distances?
Economic research indicates that neglecting the needs of vehicles costs the U.S. economy over $2 billion every year. In the case of old, thin, and thread bare tires the cost can be great. While you may be the lucky driver who only has to deal with a flat tire when you come out to your car after a long day at work, the cost of driving on tires that are no longer viable can be a dangerous accident when a tire blows on a vehicle being driven at a high rate of speed on the interstate. The best way to avoid shouldering the expensive of a neglected vehicle is take preventative measures to make sure that you and your vehicle are safe.
Consider some of these facts and figures about the importance of buying new and retread tires when they are needed, as well as the other preventative maintenance that should be taken:
- When an inspection indicates that your tires? tread has worn to 6/32nds of an inch, it is time to get them replaced.
- Depending on your insurance carrier, some policy holders can save 5% off car insurance premiums by simply equipping a vehicle with four winter tires.
- Safety experts recommend checking tire alignment every 6,000 miles, or whenever a car’s oil is changed.
- Safety experts recommend tire rotations every 7,500 miles, or whenever the car manufacturer recommends.
- Performance is directly affected by your tires. For instance, according to test results, hydroplaning starts at 47 mph when a driver is cornering on worn out tires, which is considered any groove depth below 1.6 mm. Conversely, the corresponding hydroplaning speed for new tires is 60 mph.
- Even when you purchase new or retread tires, regular maintenance is important. For instance, under inflation results in unnecessary tire stress, irregular wear, loss of control, and accidents. A tire can lose 50% of its inflation pressure and not appear to be flat.