As the holiday season descends upon us, some of us are looking at some longish drives as an inevitable part of it. For better or for worse, a lot of us are going to be taking to the roads to travel long distance, for whatever reason.
It’s important to make extra sure your vehicle is up to snuff in every way shape or form before you drive that first mile toward that destination.
Tyres:
Everybody knows to check the pressure, but not everybody knows what the correct pressure is. Consult your vehicle’s manual (If you don’t have it anymore you can Google it, it’s easy). And these days, most rest stops and petrol stations have digital gauges that stop automatically when they reach the required pressure.
Also, check the tread for any sign of uneven wear whatsoever, and also for Don’t hesitate to replace tyres if they are no longer in optimum condition. Go somewhere like TyrePlus and get some real tires on that car if you have to, and you will see the difference immediately. Not only will your car handle better, especially in nasty weather, it will obtain better fuel efficiency instantly, and be much safer on the road.
Brakes:
There are two main types of brake pads, ceramic and steel. Ceramic brakes should make no noise whatsoever, and in the UK are generally considered the better of the two. If you do have steel brake pads, they do sometimes make audible noise (ceramic brakes “squeal” at a supersonic frequency so we don’t hear them). However, it should be a very high pitched and almost inaudible noise.
Check your brake pads, making sure if they are not ¼” thick to change them before your trip. It’s easy to neglect brakes, but they are a cheap part to replace, and the labor to replace them is also minimal.
Suspension:
There’s a very easy check for your suspension. Push down hard on each of the vehicle’s four corners. The vehicle should bounce back to equilibrium quickly, without bouncing back and forth or making any undue noise.
These three things are crucial components of any vehicle, and taking what is really minimal time and effort to get them right before a trip, especially a long road trip, is something that nobody has ever regretted ever. Go and make sure that vehicle is in tip-top condition and happy holiday driving!
