From weekend trips to the lake to visiting Ann Arbor for the July Art Fair, summer is filled with Chevrolet driving adventures in Michigan. While the temperature rarely hits triple digits up here, your warm-weather driving may test your car if you haven’t kept up with regular Chevy tire service. Don’t let a blowout interrupt your vacation fun. Stop by Randy Wise Chevrolet to avoid these problems.
Hot Air Expands
As the summer sun heats up the black rubber of your tires, the air inside expands. As a rule of thumb, tire pressure increases by about one PSI for every ten-degree shift in the ambient temperature. It’s easy to test and adjust your air pressure in your own garage with a pressure gauge; just let a little air out to stay in the recommended pressure range listed on your door jamb.
Wear Distributes Unevenly
Even when your tires are in the right pressure range, heat can make the surface expand and bulge. That means that each tire will start to develop uneven wear patterns that, if ignored, will start to interfere with handling and may even cause your car to pull to one side. Regularly rotating the tires, along with regular pressure checks, ensures that any wear is distributed naturally to keep you in control.
Tires Break Down
With the blazing summer we’ve had this year, it’s especially important to be aware of how heat can break down your tires’ rubber walls. Between the temperature and the direct UV light from the sun, older sets of tires will be more likely to start cracking along the sidewall. Since these cracks can be dangerous even when they’re almost invisible, you should have our team inspect them before any long-distance summer road trips.
Get Chevrolet Tire Service in Flint, MI
Don’t let these hot-weather dangers get in the way of your summer fun. Have our expert team at our Flint, MI Chevrolet dealership perform a complete check-up before you hit the road. Whether you have road trips or just everyday driving in store, it’ll be easier with a healthy set of tires, so visit us today!