Thank you Sam’s Club for gifting us tires to keep our family safe on the road.
I’ve always been into cars, from my childhood in the 90s reading car magazines to the driving enjoyment I have in adulthood. Though most of my car enthusiasm has been aligned with performance and technology, something happened in my life that expanded my interest in the car world: I became a dad.
Now, there’s something else I care about just as much when I’m cruising around: safety. And what I’ve learned, from some personal experience and some education, are what I say are the two most important aspects of keeping your car safe on the road. These are, of course, separate from the driver’s responsibility to actually drive safely, but they’re very important nonetheless! In honor of National Tire Safety Week, here you go.
Don’t fall behind on maintenance
I remember when I was younger, probably right out of high school, while driving on the highway my car’s engine suddenly sputtered and died. Luckily the steering and brakes functioned well enough to get me safely to the shoulder, but my car was dead. What happened? I’d skipped an important service interval a while back and the timing belt snapped, killing the engine. It was an old semi-worthless car, but still, I needed it and it was gone.
Every car’s manual comes with a list of fluids, belts, and components that need to be checked or replaced at set mileages. Contrary to what many may think, this list doesn’t exist solely for the dealer’s service department to extort money out of you (though some try to anyway!), it’s what your car needs to keep running safely and to save you money in potential catastrophically big repairs down the line. My old car was toast but I’m always on top of that stuff now. I even do a lot of it myself.
Shoes, mattresses, and tires
The saying goes, never cheap-out on anything that comes between your body and the ground (like shoes and mattresses), and boy is that true for cars too. Your car’s ability to stop and turn are only as good as its tires, as the tires are the only thing connecting the car to the road. All the work your car does goes through the tires. They need to be tough and capable, and because of this pressure, shopping for tires can be confusing and stressful.
I’m very sensitive to getting a good deal so I was incredibly pleased with the value I got at Sam’s Club. The actual price of the tires was the same as the major online guys (who also charge for shipping) and they mount tires for like 15 bucks each. Sam’s Club’s tire installation package also comes with all this stuff included in that price:
- Free rotation, free balance, and free flat tire repair for the usable life of the tires.
- Free road hazard protection where Sam’s Club will replaced a busted tire for free within the first year or sell it prorated thereafter.
- A 24-hour roadside service where they get someone to put your spare tire on for you for free.
- And of course, they safely dispose of your old tires for free too.
Sam’s Club tire installation package
This is a very good deal. Where I used to get my tires installed they charged over double that price and had exactly zero of the extra benefits. And even if you didn’t buy your current tires from Sam’s Club, they’ll still repair your flat for free.
So how do you know if you need new tires? Well for starters, the rubber degrades after about 6 years leaving you with significantly less ability to turn or stop. That’s widely proven. And finally, if your tread is mostly worn down, your tire’s ability to displace water on even a damp road is sacrificed. If you put a penny upside-down into your tire’s tread and you can see the top of Abe Lincoln’s head, your tread is completely worn out and you need to head to Sam’s Club asap. Check out these new beauts! And to help you stop putting off doing it if you need new tires now, get $140 off a set of Pirellis this weekend only at Sam’s Club.
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