There is a silver lining to the first real snow fall on Calgary streets…potholes become less of worry! Until then, this incredible fall weather we’re having leaves us to divert and drive around these inevitable road pests that are a burden on your tires.
You can thank Calgary’s varying temperatures in winter for the creation of potholes due to the wide fluctuations in freezing and thawing we experience throughout our winter.
If a chinook rolls through Calgary, daytime temperatures will melt snow, causing water to seep into the cracks in the pavement and roads. At night when temperatures dip again, the frozen water in these cracks expands, further pushing on the pavement and widening cracks even more. Repeat this process over time and compound things with the effects of driving traffic, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for the creation of potholes.
TireForce is Calgary’s answer to mobile tire service where we will come out to your location to provide tire sales, perform seasonal tire changes, and tire repair. Potholes are not friendly on your tires as they can puncture your tire, bend or crack your wheel, damage the sidewalls and belts. At TireForce, we’ve seen our share of tires needing repair because of them so we’ve put together some simple tips to avoid pothole disasters:
- Don’t tailgate the vehicle in front of you. Doing so is never a good idea anyways, but this also prevents you from seeing potholes in the road ahead of you in time to miss them.
- Most potholes occur along pavement seams and well-traveled ruts in the road. Do your best to avoid these spots when you drive and keep your tires off these areas if you can.
- Avoid driving through puddles, as tempting as they may be. Many clients have lamented how they didn’t realize a puddle was just a full pothole.
- Your tire’s air pressure (insert link on these words to blog about air pressure on tires) is an important item to keep an eye on because the optimal pressure in your vehicle will be the best protection for you if you hit a pothole. Tires that are too-firm and tires that are too soft are not good for protecting against pothole damage.
Potholes can alter your car’s alignment, suspension, steering and more. You won’t see it, but it could result in uneven and premature tread wear on your tires, costing you a tire replacement before you expected it. If you are concerned about something with your tires, reach out to us at TireForce and our mobile team of tire experts in Calgary will come your way to assess your tires.
