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Printable Version LOOKING FOR A DOT CODE? CLICK HERE! Keyword Search:    What Does a Paper Clip Have to Do With Proper Tire Inflation? Pick one up, bend it till it breaks, and you'll see. Paper clips and tires have one thing in common. They are both designed to perform a specific job, and when they are not abused they will perform that job well. Nearly all of us at one time or another have idly toyed with a paper clip by bending it and changing its shape. If the paper clip is misused long enough it will break at the bend point, and when it does we can feel heat at that point immediately after the break. What has happened here? We have asked the paper clip to do what it was NEVER designed to do, thereby causing a "failure." No one really knows the life of a paper clip that has not been abused -- maybe 1000 years! So what does this have to do with tires? A tire is also designed to do a specific job and it does it by carrying the amount of air specified by the manufacturer. New tire manufacturers spend millions of dollars designing tires to perform throughout their life cycle (not 1000 years like a paper clip, but a long time when properly maintained). If the tire is run underinflated, overloaded, or otherwise abused, it will not deliver the trouble free mileage it was designed to do. Just like the paper clip, it will fail before its time. What can you do? The answer is really very simple but like the old saying, it's simple but it's not easy. You just have to take the time to check your tires on a regular basis for proper inflation. You MUST use a properly calibrated tire gauge! Once you get into the habit you will find that your tire problems will be greatly reduced and you will no longer be spending serious money on your tire purchases AND you will greatly reduce the amount of downtime you spend during those $500 roadside service calls! Isn't this worth a few minutes of your time? FREE video: PRE-TRIP INSPECTION TO MAXIMIZE TIRE PERFORMANCE, is available from TRIB. (See Videos Available from TRIB.) Back to The Importance of Proper Tire Inflation

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