Why it's good to have a slush fund

...'cause you never know when your front tire might burst on the way to work on a bright, sunny 7-degree day. Oh well, at least I have new front tires to greet the next snow storm. I needed an alignment thanks to the ongoing construction on every road I drive on, and an oil change, and windshield wipers, and a new inspection sticker anyway. So the day was not a total waste. What the heck. I even got some exercise walking to and from the tire store. (Brrrrrr!)
These stupid tires that came with the car didn't even last 25K miles. And yes, I rotated, but evidently, not often enough. :-(
No emergencies allowed for the rest of January!

Comments

HAR said…
You are about to hear (read) a speech inspired by many lectures received from good old mom.

Thank goodness that you weren't hurt! A tire that blows like that can really cause a serious accident.
Now that probably warmed you up after that frigid walk and the loss of mucho dinero.Didn't it?
alan said…
Sorry to have been carried aloft by "the whirl" these past two weeks or so; thank you much for the visits and the kind words!

I am glad you weren't hurt as well!

Something a lot of people don't think about, but if you set your tire pressures to the recommended inflation when it's 60F outside, they'll be 8 to 10 pounds low when it's 15F, and another 5 lower than that if it's 0F. Conversely, if you set them at 0F they are going to be way over when it goes back to 60, and there is that much difference again between 60F and 100F.!

It does depend somewhat on the tire size and profile (the larger the tire the more they change), but most people don't think to check them often enough.

If you can get into a "rhythm" of checking them every other month (pick odd or even) not only will you lessen your chance of a catastrophic failure, but save a bundle on tire wear as well. A lot of what gets blamed on alignment or rotation is from under or over inflation...if they are wearing on the edges they are "soft" and if they wear in the middle they are too "hard".

In the early 80's I put a new set of studded snows on the back of "the family car" for the winter. I was too broke to buy the road hazard. When they were two weeks old I picked up a nail that couldn't be plugged or patched, so I put a radial inner tube (yes, they make them) in it and ran them for 4 winters. That last winter I picked up another nail, thank goodness at slow speed, and it blew the inner tube inside the tire. The sidewall blew out, the back of the '71 Chevy Impala jumped a foot into the air and two feet over from the force...I understand now why tubeless tires were such a big deal when I was little!

I vote no more emergencies, ever!

alan
Anonymous said…
Must be something going around in the family. I had to replace my driver's side rear tire this week. No tread wear, just a ripped up steel belt.

Needless to say, I'm thankful you're ok. Those slow streets helped keep you safe, I bet. Imagine if you'd been on the pike...shudder.
Unknown said…
Laryssa!!!! I can't comment because the page is still in Russian..UGHHHH
Carolyn
Kimberly said…
Yikes! I'm glad you're OK, but what a pain in the arse.
And of course it couldn't happen this week when it was in the 60s.

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