AUTONEWS

Heat can be your tires' enemy: What to do in case of a blowout

With the intense heat of recent days, it has become common to see cars parked on the side of the road with unchanged tires.

It is well known that heat impacts car wheels, and if the internal temperature of a tire rises, the air inside the tire – under pressure – heats up and expands. This can be a problem, especially in the summer.

The tire is an essential point of contact between the car and the road. The materials and technologies used are improving, making products safer, but tire blowouts remain a common occurrence.

That said, and to prepare for the risks you may face on the road, we remind you, according to data from the Portuguese Automobile Club, what can cause a tire blowout, and how to act in such a case.

What factors can cause a tire blowout?

According to the ACP (Association of Automobile Manufacturers), the main reasons for a tire blowout are:

-Poor tire condition due to lack of maintenance

-Heat, which can lead to increased tire wear

-Overloading and speeding the vehicle

-Failure to check tire air pressure

-Driving over potholes or objects, such as a nail, or tearing the tire

If you are driving and a tire blows out, these may be some of the warning signs:

-Hearing and feeling a kind of thud

-Vibration in the vehicle's suspension and steering

-If the blowout occurs in one of the front tires, the vehicle will usually start to veer towards the side of the blown tire

-If the blown tire is in the rear of the car, the vehicle will "slide" its rear end towards the side where the damaged tire is located.

If you get a flat tire on the road, here's what to do:

-Turn on your hazard lights

-Avoid sudden steering wheel movements

-Do not brake abruptly

-Reduce speed using the gearbox

-Keep the vehicle straight, even if it tends to veer towards the flat tire

-Once the vehicle is under your control, carefully pull over to the side of the road and signal your intentions