What’s a good way to show love this Valentine’s Day?
According to “The Bachelor” and race car driver Arie Luyendyk, it’s showing some TLC to your tires.
Luyendyk teamed up with Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.’s Tread Wisely program, a tire and vehicle safety campaign for teens and young adults, to share important tire safety checks to keep young drivers safe.
“Nothing says love like keeping yourself and the people you care about safe on the road,” Luyendyk said. “Your tires, while often overlooked, are the only thing connecting your car to the road, and are extremely important to safe driving.”
Important tire safety checks- with a Valentine’s Day twist – include:
1. Love is in the air…pressure.
To check your tire pressure, find your car’s ideal pressure listed on the sticker inside your car door, glove box or fuel door, or in the car’s manual. Remove the tire’s valve cap and press a tire gauge firmly onto the valve stem. The end of your tire pressure gauge will pop up and show a reading of the pounds per square inch (PSI) of air pressure in your tires. If this number matches your recommended tire pressure, no worries. If its lower, you’ll need to inflate your tire. If it’s higher, you need to release some air.
2. Your love runs deep…but does your tire tread?
To check your tread depth, use the penny test. Insert the edge of a penny into the most worn groove of your tire tread with the head side facing down and facing you. If the top of Lincoln’s head is covered by the tread, meaning you cannot see the top of his head, the tire tread is in good shape. If the top of his head is visible, you need to replace the tire.
3. True love is unconditional…but the overall condition of your tires can change.
Assess the overall condition of your tires by looking at them closely. Make sure there’s no cuts, cracks, punctures or bulges. If you spot any of these, get your tires checked by a professional before driving on them.
Videos featuring Luyendyk showing how to perform these three tire safety checks and other driver safety videos with him, are available on the Cooper’s free Tread Wisely mobile app. The app also includes an “I Got There” feature that allows users to set a reminder when leaving home to contact their parents or friends once they’ve arrived at their destination.
