Tire Pressure and Tread Before a Road Trip

The tires are the most important safety feature on your car and the most neglected, and the problem is that a long road trip stresses them in ways a daily commute never does, with heat, load, and speed all working against the rubber. A few minutes checking pressure and tread before you leave is the difference between a smooth trip and a blowout that ruins everything.The correct pressure is not the number on the tire, but the number on the sticker inside the driver’s door, and it should be checked cold, before you have driven, because heat raises the reading and gives a false number. Underinflated tires run hot, wear unevenly, and are far more likely to fail at highway speed, while a tire at the right pressure lasts longer and handles better, so this one check pays