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What to know about the Rubber.

The reason for this is because of all materials used in cars, rubber is a material that can be greatly affected by time and the environment, in addition to the wear and tear that happens to it during the car’s running time. Now , let’s discuss what you should know about this very important rubber part of vehicles, basically this is “where the rubber meets the road” literally speaking!!! TIRES Tires are the connection between the vehicle and the road; therefore it’s very important to know some basic information. There is so much to consider and understand about vehicle dynamics and geometry to be able to get good traction and grip. However,  grip and traction will only happen if the rubber meets the ground. In other words if the tire is in the air it will have no traction and grip, that’s why it’s very important for the suspension system of the vehicle to work in perfect condition, dynamically and geometrically. There is a tendency to think that comfort is the job of the suspension, but more than comfort , the objective of the suspension is to keep the tires on the ground. Anyway, let us focus on the Tires. The suspension topic will be expounded on in the future. In this issue we’ll discuss about basic tire options and what to consider when you buy. We don’t want to overload our readers with so much information, so, in our next issue we’ll discuss and share the technical aspect, sizes & performance of tires. Be careful with OLD Brand New Tires I really don’t know how else to call it but yes, there is such a thing and a lot of consumers get hit by promotions & discounts when buying tires, but sometimes they end up buying old brand new tires. Remember that rubber is a material that can be greatly affected by time and the environment, the tires are no exception. During all the years that I have been involved in racing as a driver, engineer and instructor, I was able to realize that the performance of the tires diminish as they get older, in terms of manufacturing date.  So, for street and everyday use, I prefer to use tires that are 5 years old & below (of course the newer the better). Tires have the date of manufacture stamped on them. Some manufacturers stamp extra information sometimes, but the basic are the 4 digits. In case of extra information stamped, just focus on the last 4 digits. The 1st two digits of the last 4 digits represent the manufacturing week and the last two digits represent the year of manufacture. (See the pictures) I really recommend buying brand new tires, not older than 2 years old.  On the other hand, if the discount is very significant you can buy brand new tires that are not older than 3 years old. We hope this information will be helpful for you as a consumer.  In the next issue we’ll discuss the tire rating on traction, tread wear, temperature and maximum speed. This is a picture of an Old brand new tire, this tire was never used, still brand new but it’s really old. Cracks on the rubber are very visible. This is a fresh new Saffiro tire. Manufacture date stamp is 1016 which means that this tire was manufactured in the 10th week (around 1st week of march) of year 2016. This is a tire that I’ve being using on my pickup for almost 4 years already. Manufacture stamp 0413 means that this tire was manufactured in the 4th week (last week of January) of year 2013. Also you can see I was able to really make the most of these tires. The tread wear has almost reached the maximum tread ware limit of the tire, after almost 4 years of use. To maximize the tires, it’s important to have data and base it on mileage; driving style and tread wear rating.  

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