Continental Tire the Americas Provides Advice for Drivers About to Hit the Road for Thanksgiving Travel

FORT MILL, S.C., Nov. 11, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- With Thanksgiving travel right around the corner, it's time to ensure your vehicle is properly maintained and ready for the road trip to grandma's house.

When it comes to car maintenance, proper tires and tire care are the first lines of defense.  But according to the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA), an alarming number of consumers don't pay attention to their tires, and the results can be costly – and dangerous. Underinflated tires pose a definite safety risk:

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) acknowledges  that underinflated tires contribute to many accidents throughout the year;

• 50% of vehicles have at least one underinflated tire;

• And only 9 percent of vehicles have four properly inflated tires!.

But it doesn't have to be this way; proper tire care is simple. Continental Tire recommends getting in the habit of taking five minutes every month to check your tires, including the spare.

"Your tires are the only part of your vehicle that are actually in touch with the road when you drive. So it is primarily their job to ensure maximum contact and traction," says Jay Spears, technical product manager, Continental Tire the Americas. "It only takes a couple of minutes of maintenance each month to keep your tires working at their best, and the resulting safety benefits far outweigh the time it takes."

Winter Tires are Critical in Many Parts of the United States

In cold-weather climates, Continental recommends that drivers switch to winter tires when the temperature dips below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.  Colder weather brings on a whole new set of driving challenges – slush, ice and hard-packed snow -- and once the temperature drops below that 45-degree mark, an all-season tire's ability to grip the road is reduced.  

Many cars in the U.S. have all-season tires, but they just aren't built using the optimum compounds to hold the road in the same way that winter tires do.  Winter tires are uniquely designed to deliver safety and control in snow, ice, and cold weather conditions, because they are specially engineered to deliver a substantial increase of traction over all-season radials – by as much as a 25 to 50 percent.

"That's enough added traction and braking power to avoid a severe weather-related accident," Spears said. "Stopping distances can double if you aren't using a tire that is designed for colder temperatures and wintry conditions."

It's also important to install winter/snow tires on all wheel positions for optimal control. Failure to follow this recommendation could result in severe and dangerous handling conditions, Spears added.

ContiWinterContact™ winter tires are engineered with pliable tread compounds and tread designs that remain soft and flexible in even the coldest temperatures, increasing the contact area and providing better grip on wet or icy roads.  Tread design features include more supple compounds, deeper tread grooves and smaller shoulder grooves.

The Continental winter tire lineup includes:

• The ContiExtremeContact – Our newest winter tire designed with state-of-the-art winter technology for advance performance in winter conditions which include wet, slush, ice and snow.
• The ContiWinterContact T830P -- a state-of-the-art winter tire featuring exceptional handling and braking at low temperatures.
• The ContiWinterContact TS810 -- engineered to handle unpredictable snow and wet driving conditions.
• The ContiWinterContact TS810 S – built for winter driving performance.

Take care of your tires during winter and they will take care of you.  Remember your winter tires are not designed just for snow.  They are designed to increase traction in cold winter conditions.  Make the switch to winter tires when the temperature hits 45 degrees.

Helpful Tire Care Tips:

The RMA's "PART" campaign gives consumers an easy way to remember the basics of monthly tire maintenance:

PRESSURE:  According to the RMA, underinflation is a tire's #1 enemy. It results in unnecessary tire stress, irregular wear, loss of control and accidents. A tire can lose up to half of its air pressure and not appear to be flat!

And the air pressure listed on the side of your tire is NOT the correct air pressure for your vehicle.  That number is the maximum air pressure for the tire.  The correct tire pressure can be found in the car's owner manual, on the gas tank lid; on the driver's side door edge; and on the door post.

ALIGNMENT:  A bad jolt from hitting a curb or pothole can throw your front end out of alignment and damage your tires. Misalignment of wheels in the front or rear can cause uneven and rapid treadwear.

ROTATION:  Regularly rotating your vehicle's tires will help achieve more uniform wear. Unless your vehicle owner's manual has a specific recommendation, the guideline for tire rotation is approximately every 6,000-8,000 miles.

TREAD:  To prevent hydroplaning and skidding, your tires must have proper tread depth. The minimum tread depth is 2/32nds of an inch, (1.6 mm).

The easiest way to check your tread depth is the penny test: Take a penny and place it in the tread of your tire. If part of Lincoln's head is covered by the tread, your tires have enough tread. If you can see Lincoln's entire head, you should buy a new tire.

Helpful Car Care Tips:

Once your car is properly shod for the season, there are a number of other steps drivers can take to make sure their car is ready for the snow to fly.  Now is the time to give your car a thorough checkup.  You can do most of these jobs yourself, but some work really must be done by a professional.

• Radiator: Add a dose of antifreeze to the coolant
• Shocks: Should be checked.  Defective shock absorbers increase braking distance and shorten the lifetime of tires
• Wiper fluid: Add a dose of frost protector
• Battery: Check the acid level for optimum performance
• Spark plugs: check for wear and replace if necessary
• Connectors: Examine for corrosion
• Lights:  Check and align properly for maximum efficiency
• Door seals:  Silicon or WD-40 should be rubbed on each seal.
• Door locks: Be sure to lubricate and grease
• Be sure to include the following equipment in your trunk : a set of jumper cables, a snow brush/ice scraper and a de-icing spray
• Winter tires: Set the pressure 2.9 psi higher than what is recommended for summer tires
• Winter sports: Consider snow chains – they may even be required in certain areas

With targeted annual sales of EUR 25 billion for 2010, Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, Continental contributes to enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently employs approximately 146,000 in 46 countries.

SOURCE Continental