Tips To Help Get Your Vehicle Summer Road Trip Ready

Summer is almost here and I am getting excited about the school break, summer road trips and weekend family getaways on the horizon. Are you going on any summer adventures with your family? Preparing your vehicle for the changing road conditions is important, including your tires, so today I am sharing some great tips from Hankook Tire Canada’s very own auto expert Darryl Gray to help get you road trip ready!

RIGHT SEASON, RIGHT TIRES

Did you know? Summer and winter tires are nearly complete opposites! Winter tire compound is meant to ensure tires remain pliable in the cold and summer tires are meant to stay firm in the summer heat.

Summer and winter tires also differ in tread pattern. Winter tires have a wider, deep, aggressive tread to maintain grip in adverse conditions while summer tires have a tight tread pattern for optimal handling in warmer weather – but they become stiff and unresponsive in the cold due to their compound. In the summer, the tread on winter tires cause a noisy ride with depleted handling characteristics whereas summer tires help create a smooth, quiet ride.

Tip: Swap out your winter tires for summer tires once the temperature reaches 7oC on a consistent basis. Failure to do so will impact your driving performance and actually degrade your winter tires faster, costing you even more performance and money in the long run!

BENEFITS OF SUMMER TIRES

• Summer tires have a lower rolling resistance and increased handling in warm weather
• Money Savings:  Cut back on gas costs! Summer tires offer better fuel efficiency than winter tires.
• Longevity – having separate sets of tires for each season means they will last twice as long
• Silence is golden! Summer tires are much quieter in warm weather making those long  summer road trips more enjoyable!

SAFETY FIRST

Tires are one of the most important parts of a car, and are often the most neglected. Low inflation can cause tremendous amounts of heat in the tire, in turn decreasing performance and durability, so proper inflation is key to tire safety.

Tips:

• Check your air pressure and rotate your tires regularly – every 10,000 km rather than annually – to ensure optimal performance
•   The best time to get a new set of tires is when there is 2/32” tread depth remaining – the deeper the tread, the better the performance.
•   As tires wear down so do traction, control, handling, fuel efficiency, wet weather traction and braking distance so make sure you’re monitoring them regularly.

BUY THE RIGHT TIRES FOR YOUR CAR 

Don’t try to save a little money on your tires. They’re the only thing between you and the road! Look for the best overall value – the cheapest generally isn’t the best value, and neither is the most expensive.

I just got my first set of Hankook 4-Season tires recently and I love that they are great for all surfaces from normal roads to rain and snow. These 4- season tires work great for us here in Vancouver as they provide excellent driving performance under all weather conditions.

Finally, always trust an expert, not the internet. Buying the right tires can be a confusing process – a mechanic can help steer you in the right direction.