Imagine this: As you are driving along Macon roads, you hear a loud noise. Your car jerks and gets hard to steer all of a sudden. You struggle to stop and get to safety as you bounce and swerve. You have a flat tire, so you turn on your hazard lights and exit your vehicle. Upon further inspection you find a full tire blowout. Not only is this scary, but it can be dangerous especially if you are driving on an interstate like I-75 or I-20 in Georgia. These are the top six reasons why tires blow out.
1. Excessive Weight on tires
Just as semi-trucks have weight constraints, so does your vehicle. Your tires will be subjected to excessive strain if you overpack your car. While this is exacerbated by uneven tread or uneven tire pressure, it can happen if your car is loaded with too much weight for it to bear.
2. Uneven Tire Tread
As mentioned above uneven tread can cause a tire blowout. This would be caused by not having your tires rotated regularly. If this is something you've been putting off, please get it scheduled sooner rather than later. When tires aren't rotated as recommended by the manufacturer, the tread wears down unevenly, which raises the possibility of blowouts.
3. Old and worn tires
Ultimately, you're just inviting a blowout if your tires are old and in need of replacement. The tread will wear out and can cause a tire to blowout. It is a good idea to have our Ford mechanics here in Milledgeville check your tires every 6,000 miles. When you bring your Ford into our Macon dealership we will make sure your tires are in good driveable condition and comply with any recalls.
4. Damaged Roads – potholes and debris can lead to a blown-out tire
You may get a blown tire on your Ford through no fault of your own. A big culprit of tire blow outs are potholes. And don’t even get us talking about the debris that can be encountered on I-285. When you go over a foreign object or hit a pothole, you're at risk of your tire blowing out. A tire can also blow out if it strikes a curb, a piece of glass, or even a nail. If your tires are already worn, they are especially vulnerable.
5. Nails – the stealthy tire blowout culprit
It's possible that you didn't know you ran over a nail months ago, but your tire is now primed for a blowout due to internal issues. Your tire weakens as air escapes around the nail. If you don't get the nail removed and get the tire repaired, this will eventually cause the tire walls to wear down and blow. It’s not a bad idea to visually inspect your tires every couple weeks, or better yet, check the tire pressure. If you notice that one tire seems to leak air, check it closer for an embedded nail or screw.
6.Underinflated tires
Logically, this seems a bit counter-intuitive, right? Shouldn’t a tire with TOO MUCH air have a big chance of blowing? But let’s explain why there is a significant chance of a blowout in Macon or Warner Robins with underinflated tires. Low tire air pressure results in internal wear, just like with a nail puncture. Your tire walls are thinner than the tread where it contacts the road. Weak areas are produced by low air pressure, allowing the air to burst through and blow out.
Paying attention to your tires as you drive around the greater Macon and Eatonton areas is an important safety precaution, no one wants to be stuck having to call for roadside assistance when it could have been avoided. If you need your tires inspected, rotated or changed, make sure to make an appointment at our Milledgeville service center.