Dangers of Bald Tires During the Rainy Season
Tires are a very vital car component. Tires must be in optimal condition for safe driving. Therefore, when a tire has lost its grooves and tread or is often called bald, the potential for the driver to lose control on the road is very large. The risk increases during the rainy season.
The tire grooves or treads, which are also often called flares, are not just decoration on the tire. The tire pattern turns out to be useful for optimizing the tire's grip on the road. Thanks to this, the tires are able to provide traction which is useful for acceleration and car control.
When it is exhausted or bare, the effect is very large. Tires are no longer able to work optimally in providing traction. Thus, vehicle control will be reduced. Apart from that, it is not uncommon for the steering wheel to feel heavier.
This condition cannot be allowed to drag on. The risk is too great. The driver is threatened with not being able to control the car properly. Even more so when driving in the rain.
When it rains, water floods the streets. In such a situation the water will be on the road surface. This becomes a “barrier” for the tires to tread directly onto the road.
This is where the big role of tire grooves or treads plays. Its existence turns out to be very useful for disposing of water on the road surface. When the tire hits the road, water will be channeled out through these grooves.
This has a big impact on the tire's grip on the road. The tires are still capable of treading well, thus producing optimal traction.
It's different when the tire treads are gone or bald. Tires are unable to shed water. As a result, aquaplaning can occur. This is an uncontrolled tire condition because the tires do not tread well on the road surface due to being blocked by water. The tires actually come into contact with the water, not the road.
What is the impact? Just like people are prone to slipping on slippery roads, car tires experience a similar condition. Due to treading in water, car tires are prone to slipping. This results in the car being more difficult to control. In fact, cars can twist when passing through roads that are wet due to rain.
The risk of tires slipping when it rains increases as the tire grooves are eroded. The thinner the tire, the more likely it is that the tire will experience aquaplaning, which can cause the car to deviate from its path. This is because the tire's ability to remove water continues to decrease when the tire tread also becomes thinner.
REPLACE THE BOUND TIRES IMMEDIATELY
To avoid this, it is recommended to immediately replace tires that are already bald. In fact, there is no need to wait until the tread is completely used up. Just pay attention to the tire wear indicator on each tire.
Inside each tire there is a tire condition indicator called the Tread Wear Indicator (TWI). This is a small triangular mark that is usually placed on the tire wall close to the tire tread. On each tire there are six TWI markings.
TWI is an indicator of a tire's ability to tread the road. When the TWI erodes until it disappears, it means it's time to replace the tire. Because, it shows that the tire track has run out.
Ideally the maximum TWI is in the range of 1.6 mm. However, you should not wait until it reaches that size. When the TWI has eroded or reached 2 mm, it is recommended that the tire be replaced. This is so that the tires are still able to dispose of water properly when passing through watery or rainy roads.
Apart from that, make sure to use quality tires such as Dunlop tires. Quality tires from Dunlop will guarantee that traction on the road is always optimal, so the risk of slipping is minimal.