Debunking Tire: Care Tips & Truths
As the only part of a car that comes into contact with the ground, the importance of tires is self-evident. Of course, due to the long-term "ambush" under the vehicle, people pay very little attention to it, and this lack of attention not only makes it frequently break out accidents, but also makes rumors surrounding it endless. For this reason, we will "root out" some common rumors today.
Tires are not afraid of being released but afraid of heat. What is the most speechless rumor that tire people have heard? Tires will expire! This ridiculous rumor may have existed for at least decades. So much so that tire giant Michelin has designed a test to prove that tires have no shelf life. Michelin believes that the "expiration date" of tires should be calculated from the moment they are installed on the car for use, not from the date of manufacture.
Therefore, in order to verify this statement, Michelin has conducted tests in Germany, South Korea and Saudi Arabia to prove that tires that have been in stock for three years can still provide the same performance level as newly produced tires. The test results in Arabia show that the performance of tires that have been used for one year is similar to that of tires that have been in stock for 10 years.
At the same time, in order to test the characteristics of tire rubber, Michelin heats the tires at 40 degrees Celsius It has been stored for 20 years under constant temperature conditions. Compared with tires that have been used for 40,000 kilometers, it is found that the rubber of tires stored for 20 years will deteriorate faster when used. Tires do not have a shelf life, but if they are not properly stored, excessive temperatures will directly affect tire performance.
Therefore, when you are asked by customers to sell tires produced in 2020 or 2021 when selling tires in 2023, you can show this experimental data to the car owner. However, you should also note that since the above experiment clearly shows that tires are afraid of heat, you should store tires in a ventilated, clean, cooled, dry and dark room in accordance with national standards when storing tires on a daily basis. The room temperature is between minus ten and thirty degrees and the relative humidity is 50 to 80 percent.
Tires are not afraid of water but are afraid of cold water. Previously, CCTV News had released a report that at a car repair shop in Binh Phuoc Province, Vietnam, a repairman was watering the tire to check the tire leak, and the tire suddenly exploded. The strong impact will directly blow the tire worker away.
Did the tire explode because the tire was afraid of water? Obviously not. Tires can be wet. Driving and braking on slippery surfaces naturally cannot be afraid of water. The explosion caused by pouring cold water is because the tire has been driving for a long time under high temperatures. The friction of the high temperature of the road surface makes it have a lot of heat energy. At this time, it is suddenly stimulated by cold water, which will cause thermal expansion and contraction.
The thermal expansion and contraction at this time often cause the tread and sidewall rubber layers to shrink unevenly, and then there is a certain probability of cracks. If the rubber of the tire that is poured with cold water at this time has aging problems, it is easy to explode. Therefore, if someone comes to the store to repair or replace the tire in summer, the driver should be advised to park in a cool place first and wait for the tire temperature to drop to avoid danger. Never use cold water to cool the tire!
Not afraid of mud and afraid of potholes and wetlands. Good performance tires rely on core technical support such as patterns and formulas, and they can walk on flat ground in the mud. However, on potholes with poor road conditions, the tire will be "weak all over". If the tire is forced to drive fast at this time, the tire may be damaged by the stones in the potholes, and then a slight impact from foreign objects will cause a blowout accident.
Similarly, there are manhole covers and Curbs, patterns on manhole covers, and collisions with curbs can cause tires to be squeezed with great force, resulting in tire damage or even blowout accidents. In particular, the damage to tires in these potholes is often permanent and irreversible.
Therefore, long-term high-speed driving over potholes, frequent pressure on manhole covers, and frequent slamming on the accelerator will undoubtedly push the tires to a chronic death.
Tire treads are most afraid of foreign objects stuck in the tires. After each service, the owner should be reminded to regularly clean the foreign objects mixed in the tire treads. Although the pebbles sandwiched in the treads seem harmless, they are full of sharp edges.
Therefore, they are easily punctured by the tires and cause air leakage, resulting in abnormal tire pressure and blowout. In addition, since another function of the tread is to help the tires drain water, pebbles sandwiched in the treads are like foreign objects blocking the river, affecting the tire's drainage performance, thereby reducing the tire's wetland braking ability and causing accidents in emergency situations.
Therefore, frequently cleaning the tire foreign body pattern and paying attention to maintenance details can keep the tires in a healthy state for a longer time!
