HOUSTON – Your tires, they certainly aren't sexy or exciting.
But when you realize they are the only thing holding that car of yours on the roadway, they become very important to your safety.
Kim Monson, of Houston, learned how important it is to take good care of your tires when she suffered a blowout at 75-miles an hour on the freeway.
"On a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of fear in my life... it was a seven-and-a-half or eight... it was really scary", Kim says.
The fact is you are 3 times more likely to be involved in an auto accident if you are driving on under-inflated or badly worn tires, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
That's why Channel 2 Investigates teamed up with National Tire And Battery to identify the five most common tire troubles, and whether you can repair those problems or have to actually foot the bill for a whole new tire.
Tire Trouble Number One: A Sliced Sidewall.
"This is usually the result of hitting something pretty hard with your car tire, a pothole, big debris, something like that", says Frank Velasquez with National Tire and Battery.
Repair or replace?
Replace.
"This cannot be fixed for the simple reason that you can't go back and attach the sidewall all back together, something has breached the sidewall", says Velasquez.
Tire Trouble Number Two: Leaking Valve Stem.
"This is a valve stem that has either been cut or has rotted-out", says Velasquez.
Repair or replace?
This can be repaired cheaply.
The cost will run between two and fifteen dollars.
Tire Trouble Number Three: A punctured Tire.
We all know about this one.
It's simply a flat tire and yes it can be repaired for between fifteen and twenty dollars.
All it requires usually is a tire patch.
Tire Trouble Number Four: Severe Uneven Tread Wear.
Repair or replace?
Replace, you can't put new tread on a bald tire, unless you are willing to buy retread tires, and that involves buying a different tire.
Tire Trouble Number Five: An Impact Bubble.
This is a problem you might not even notice unless you are looking closely at your tires.
"This is the result of a broken belt on the inside of the tire and... the fix is... well, there is none, not this time", Velasquez says.
Repair or replace?
The answer is replace.
NTB is holding a free tire information seminar for everybody at their Cypress store this coming Sunday from 10:00 am to 2:00 p.m.
The event will be held at the location below:
Sunday, May 17, 2015
NTB Tire And Service Center
25827 N.W. Freeway (Highway 290)
Cypress, 281-256-1314)
