There are many reasons why it is unsafe to drive on bald tires. Our goal here at Righter’s Auto Repair is to ensure that your vehicle is safe at all times, and this includes replacing your tires when you need a new set. The best way to preserve your tire tread life is to have your tires rotated every 6,000 miles. In the meantime, if your tires are bald, here are some dangers you might face.
Driving in Rain Danger
One of the purposes of tire tread is to have the valleys between the tread funnel water. When you drive in the rain, the tread helps your tires retain their grip on the road by pushing the water through the tread valleys. If your tires are bare, you do not have rows of tire tread with valleys in between them. This causes your tires to float on the water, which makes it much easier to hydroplane and lose control.
Driving in Snow Danger
If you look at new tires, you will see small slits. These are called “sipes.” Combined with the deep grooves of the tread, the sipes help the tires bite into snow, which increases their ability to grip the icy and slick roads. Winter tires also have sipes on them. Bald tires no longer have sipes and cannot bite or grip the snow. In fact, it’s impossible to drive on winter roads with bald tires. You will slide everywhere.
Summer Driving Danger
We certainly never get as hot here in Grand Ledge, MI, as they do in the southwest, but summer roads can still cause problems for bald tires. Hot roads weaken tires, especially bald tires. As you drive over the hot asphalt, grit, gravel, and other road debris, you run the risk of complete tire failure. A bald tire on a hot road will blow out more easily than a tire with plenty of tread to protect it from the heat.
Flat Tire Danger
Finally, bald tires lose tire pressure more easily and increase your chances of ending up with a flat. The flat could be the result of a blow-out, as discussed above, or a slow air pressure leak. It isn’t worth the risk either way. Should your tire blow out, you might lose control of your automobile and cause an accident. Slow air leaks can cause further tire damage, as you might not realize your tires are low.
Give Righter’s Auto Repair a call to schedule an appointment for a tire inspection. Our shop is located in Grand Ledge, MI, and we’re here for your automotive tire needs.
