How to prevent tire blowout

Tire blowout is very dangerous and can be life threatening in some situations. It is very important to know the various causes of tire blowout and how to prevent it for safety.

Measures to take to prevent tire burst

1. Inflate to correct tire pressure

The pressure of all the tires should be checked regularly to ensure that the inflation pressures are correct and in line with the car and tire manufacturer's recommendations.

Under-inflated tires get heated easily because of excessive sidewall flexing. When the tire gets weak due to excessive flexing and heating, it bursts.
Over-inflation of tire is also dangerous as it causes tire deformity which can then cause tire blowout.
Always refer to the inflation pressure recommended by the car manufacturer and never exceed the maximum inflation pressure given by the tire manufacturer. See Tips for correct tire inflation.

2. Replace worn tires

As soon as tires are due for replacement, they should be replaced. This is because as tires age, their rubber compounds degrade over time and the tire becomes increasingly plastic. Infact, tires have shelf life even if they are not used, they should be replaced. This shelf life ranges from around 6 years to 10 years, depending on the tire manufacturer's specification.

3. Rotate tires

Rotate your tires by following the procedure outlined by the car manufacturer. With this, you will ensure that the tires wear evenly.

4. Avoid excessive loading

Tires have rated load capacity. Exceeding the rated load capacity by overloading the vehicle is a recipe for tire blowout. Always check the rated maximum load capacity inscribed on the tire.

5. Avoid worn tires

Worn out tires are candidates of tire blowout. Tires treads should be regularly checked by inspecting the tread wear mark that is on the tire.

6. Drive carefully

Tire blowout can happen when the tire hits objects with very high impact. Therefore, it's unsafe not to drive carefully. Potholes, sharp objects and other unwanted materials on the road can cause tires to burst. You should vigilantly drive your car in order to avoid tire damage when driving on bad roads.

7. Fix mechanical issues

Car mechanical issues such as wrong wheel alignment, unbalanced wheels, worn bushes or other suspension components being worn out can cause tires to wear or deform prematurely. This can in turn lead to tire burst.

8. Buy good tires

Buy only trusted brands of tires to ensure safety and to avoid tire burst to an extent.

9. Check tire speed rating

Use tires of correct speed rating - Tires have different speed ratings, H, V, W and others. Use tire of the right speed rating for your applicantion in order to avoid tire blow out at top speeds.

8. Reduce top speed when you have patched tires

The speed rating of tires reduce when they are patched. For instance, a tire of maximum speed rating of 210 km/hr when patched with not retain same speed rating but might reduce to around 180 km/hr, depending on the size and quality of the patch.

9. Use correct tire type for your vehicle Tires are classified into commercial and passenger type tires. Confusingly, they can be of exactly same size (width, aspect ratio and rim size) but their inflation pressures differ. Commercial tires use higher inflation pressure than P metric tires. A user that puts a commercial tire in a car that should use a passenger car tire will likely under inflate the tire and a passenger car tire used for commercial application will likely be overloaded.

10. Avoid harmful chemicals pouring on the tires

When chemicals that can attack rubber pours on the tire, neutralize it immediately.

Example is brake fluid pouring on the tire. You can wash it off thoroughly with water to prevent it from slowly attacking the tire.

11. Don't use potentially damaged tires Example is when the car is driven on completely flat tire or park for a while on flat tire, it is safe not to use such tire again to avoid tire burst.

I believe that you will better take care of your car's tires with these points in order to prevent a tire blowout.