When To Change Your Tires" New Study Suggests Sooner Than We Think
Tires can be an “out of sight, out of mind” component on your vehicle, but worn tires can be hazardous, especially during an unexpected downpour. New research from AAA finds that driving on relatively worn tires at highway speeds and on wet surfaces can increase stopping distances by nearly 90 feet.
That’s more than the length of an eighteen-wheeler.
Survey Says
In partnership with the Automobile Club of Southern California?s Automotive Research Center, AAA conducted testing to understand performance differences at highway speeds between new, all-season tires and those worn to a depth of 4/32″ on wet pavement. The study examined both passenger cars and light trucks.
When the rubber met the road, the passenger car exhibited an average increased stopping distance of 87 feet, versus 86 feet for a light truck. The study also found a 33 percent reduction in handling for a passenger car and 28 percent for a light truck. ?Tires are what keep a car connected to the road,? explained John Nielsen, AAA?s Managing Director of Automotive Engineering and Repair. ?Even the most advanced safety systems rely on a tire?s basic ability to maintain traction, and AAA?s testing shows that wear has a significant impact on how quickly a vehicle can come to a stop in wet conditions to avoid a crash.?
“Traction is your last line of defense,” added Brandon Grade, Service Advisor at Findlay Toyota in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Traction control systems can only ...
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