Wheel alignments. Why are they so important?

Wheel  alignments. Why are they so important? Why should you spend more money on this service when you buy a set of tires?

The simple answer is, because you don't want this to happen to your N10,000+ set of tires within a few months:

See the right side of the picture? That shiny stuff? That's the steel belts that are part of the inside of the tire. You are not supposed to see that. Ever. See how deep the tread is on the left side of the picture? If this vehicle were aligned properly, the tread on the right side of the picture would be the same as the left. 

So ensure you go for a wheel alignment often to prolong your tire life.

  

Toyota Highlander Overview

A pioneering vehicle in many ways, the Toyota Highlander was one of the first midsize crossover sport-utilities to be sold in America when it debuted in 2001. With its carlike unibody design, the original Highlander provided a variety of benefits over Toyota's more traditional SUVs, such as better handling, less cabin noise, improved crashworthiness and easier entry and exit for passengers.

Since then, the Highlander has gone on to become one of the most popular crossovers available, appealing to shoppers who want a vehicle with SUV styling, plenty of cargo-carrying versatility and carlike driving characteristics. The second-generation Highlander is larger and roomier than the older model, but a Highlander of any vintage will be one of the better values out there for those who need a comfortable, easy-to-drive vehicle that can carry a fair amount of cargo, handle occasional snow and ice during the winter months and still turn in adequate fuel economy.

The present Toyota Highlander represents the second-generation model, which was introduced for 2008. It's significantly bigger than the previous model in nearly every way, adding shoulder room, hiproom and legroom all around as well as additional cargo capacity. It also has a more powerful V6 engine and other new features.

The tyre sizes of Highlander model 2013-2008 is P245/65R17

The first-generation Toyota Highlander was produced from 2001-2007. It was powered by either a 155-hp four-cylinder engine or a 220-hp 3.0-liter V6

The tyre sizes of Highlander model 2007-2001 is P225/70R17

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WATCH HOW HIGH SPEED TYRE BLOWS OUT CAUSING MASSIVE ACCIDENT

Count yourself lucky if you've never had a tire blowout. If you have, you know just how scary it can be. The tips below will help you know what to do to maintain control of your vehicle and get safely to the roadside.

Know what a tire blowout feels like:

When a tire explodes at speed, two things happen:

• The vehicle starts to slow down.
• The vehicle pulls strongly to the left or right, depending on which tire burst. 

Know what to do if you have a tire blowout

To get safely to the shoulder during a blowout, you first need to avoid swerving into another lane or grinding to a dangerously slow speed. To do this, you need the following one-two punch of speed and steering:

• Keep pressure on the accelerator -- or maybe even step on it a bit -- so your vehicle maintains its forward momentum.
• Steer in the opposite direction of where the vehicle is pulling. For example, if the vehicle is pulling left, steer right. 

Once you have the vehicle under control, you can pull to the shoulder or another safe location. As with most unknowns, having an idea of what to expect goes a long way toward calming your fears and giving you the tools you need to safely handle a tire blowout.

Know what causes a tire blowout:

Blowouts are the result of air escaping from the tire -- slowly or all at once -- leaving it with less air pressure than needed to support your car's weight, passengers and whatever else you're hauling around.

Not having enough pressure in your tires forces the rubber to work harder than it's built to. Working past the limits of its design causes the tire to get too hot, which breaks down its internal structure and, ultimately, causes a blowout.

Blowouts can also be caused by asking your tires to carry more weight than they can manage, immediate or old impact damage, or a puncture that releases air over time until eventually the tire cries uncle in the form of a blowout. 

  

Know how to prevent a tire blowout:

Regular tire pressure checks are the best way to prevent blowouts and extend the life of your tires. Learn how to check tire pressure yourself or stop by any tyre service center for a fast inspection. Also, drive safely and avoid road hazards to keep tires strong.

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HOW MANY DIE WHILE OVERTAKING

Overtaking other vehicles is one of the most dangerous driving manoeuvres. Many road crashes, some of them causing deaths, are the result of insufficient care when overtaking. There will be times when you toss up in your mind whether to overtake or not. If in any doubt, don’t!

No doubt

Overtaking always involves risk, whether you're on a multi-lane city motorway or a single lane country road.

So the number one rule is: if you have any doubts about the safety of overtaking, don't do it.

To the right

You must overtake on the right unless you and the vehicle you want to overtake are travelling in marked lanes on a multi-lane road or the vehicle you want to overtake is waiting to turn right and giving a right turn signal – in these cases you may overtake on the left side if it is safe.

Judging when it’s safe

This is the difficult bit, particularly for new drivers. Country roads can be tough: speeds are high and the road may be unfamiliar to you. As a new driver, it’s best to be extra-cautious about how much road you need to overtake. Forget about the line of traffic behind you and be patient.

Ask yourself: do I really need to overtake? Remember, as a Learner license holder, your maximum speed is restricted (80 km/h for Learners and 90 km/h for P1 drivers). And it doesn’t matter what license you have, you cannot go above the speed limit to overtake.

• You must not overtake unless you have a clear view of any approaching traffic and you can complete the manoeuvre safely with plenty of margin for error.
• Don’t begin to overtake when approaching a crest in the road, a curve or any other situation where your view of the road is limited. Remember that even on a straight stretch, a dip in the road can conceal an oncoming vehicle.
• On country roads, look out for signs indicating that there are overtaking lanes ahead. These offer a safer place to overtake but care is still required, particularly when traffic is heavy.
• Be sure to look carefully ahead at what is happening. A vehicle ahead of the one you want to overtake might be stopping or stopped at a pedestrian crossing, intersection or railway crossing. Also watch for vehicles waiting to turn right.
• If the road narrows ahead there might not be enough room to safely overtake.
• Check side streets and other lanes to ensure nothing will enter your space while overtaking.
• Don’t overtake a vehicle that is slowing down, it may be slowing to make a right turn into a street or driveway.

Crossing the line

You can't overtake across a solid (continuous) line, unless the line closest to you is broken. But remember, just because a line is broken it doesn't mean it’s safe to overtake. You have to judge the circumstances for yourself.

When you’re ready to overtake

• Check your mirrors.
• Signal that you’re going to change your position for long enough to give sufficient warning to others.
• Check your blind spots before turning your wheel to move out.
• Overtake and pull back into your lane with plenty of space between you and the other vehicle. You should be able to see the vehicle you have overtaken in your rear vision mirror before you change lanes to move in front of it. You must also check your blind spot to pull back in.
• If you're overtaking on a country road at night (a situation that requires extreme caution), then you need to think about your lights. You may find it necessary to put on your high beam when you draw level with the car you’re overtaking so you can get a good view of the road ahead.

Flashing

When you overtake another vehicle, you’re allowed to briefly flash your high beams immediately before starting to overtake.

If you're being overtaken

• Don't increase your speed. This will make the situation more risky for everyone on the road.
• Keep left and allow reasonable space for the overtaking vehicle to pass and move back into the lane.
• Keep within your lane.

Stay left

If you’re driving on a multi-lane road, you should stay in the left lane unless overtaking. If the speed limit is over 80 km/h or there is a ‘Keep left unless overtaking’ sign then you MUST keep left.

If there are three lanes and the left lane has many vehicles travelling at a slower speed than you, stay in the middle lane. After you have passed them, you should return to the left lane. The right lane is generally reserved for overtaking so move out of it as soon as it is safe.

Bikes of all kinds

Allow motorcycles as much space as a car when overtaking.

If you’re overtaking a bicycle rider, give them at least one metre of space to the side in a 50 km/h zone. If the speed limit is higher, you need to give the cyclist more space.

Dodgy overtakers

Country driving requires special care. The higher speed means that when things go wrong, it usually happens very quickly.

The FRSC has some good tips on avoiding dodgy overtaking behaviour by other drivers. They encourage drivers to look far ahead up the road. This will allow you to position the car correctly for the road conditions and alignment and to see potential problems before you have to deal with them.

An impatient driver in a line of oncoming traffic is a potential danger. The driver might be poking his or her car across the centreline, looking for the slimmest opportunity to overtake and potentially endangering everyone else on the road. If you see this, you should slow down, keep an eye on the dodgy driver as he or she approaches and move as far to the left as you safely can.

Mythbuster

Many people believe you are allowed to go above the speed limit to overtake as long as you drop back again after the manoeuvre. This isn’t true – you cannot break the speed limit at any time!

Large vehicles. 

Overtaking these is more difficult. You should

• Drop back. This will increase your ability to see ahead and should allow the driver of the large vehicle to see you in their mirrors. Getting too close to large vehicles, including agricultural vehicles such as a tractor with a trailer or other fixed equipment, will obscure your view of the road ahead and there may be another slow-moving vehicle in front
•  Make sure that you have enough room to complete your overtaking manoeuvre before committing yourself. It takes longer to pass a large vehicle. If in doubt do not overtake

Not assume you can follow a vehicle ahead which is overtaking a long vehicle. If a problem develops, they may abort overtaking and pull back in

Lastly, all of these rules may fail if your tyres are bad. So to protect yourself and loved once, buy original tyres. At Xpress tyres we offer competitive price for passenger car, suv, van and truck tyres by the leading names including dunlop, goodyear, michelin, pirelli, bridgestone, firestone and continental. sms ur size to +2347011311444