MOTORING: Take care of the world’s most important passengers

Mercedes' AMG Petronas F1 Team German driver Nico Rosberg steers his car during the third practice session of the Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on November 12, 2016. It’s fascinating to watch hyper high-tech Formula One racing cars. PHOTO | NELSON ALMEIDA |

What you need to know:

  • That means being alert to any imbalance or misalignment or asymmetry  as you drive along, taking a cursory look every time you get in or out of the car, and periodically checking  for correct and stable air pressure; for adequate depth and even wear of the tread;  for any bulges or cuts in the sidewalls  (both the sides that are easy to see and the ones that aren’t).

It’s fascinating to watch hyper high-tech Formula One racing cars, which cost hundreds of millions of shillings each, being made brilliant or rendered incompetent…by just four rubber rings:  their tyres.

 Anyone who follows the sport will know that a racing car with just the right tyres in perfect condition will not only beat but completely trounce an identical vehicle with an identical driver whose tyres are wrong for the conditions or severely worn.

Ordinary motoring is much more tolerant of much bigger margins of error, so there is no need to be neurotic about the tyres on a family car. Just diligent. When you drive to the office or take important passengers to school you impose nowhere near the same levels of stress as motorsport  (I hope) and demand nothing like the same degree of  handling integrity and precision. The circumstances are very different. But the principles?  They’re exactly the same!

Everything a driver does to control a vehicle  - whether it involves the steering, brakes, engine, gears, or suspension, and whether you are driving a brand new Ferrari or a beaten-up old banger – is ultimately transmitted through the tyres.

And everything the road does goes the other way,  starting through the tyres and ending with the seat of your pants.

Tyres are not just a matter of tread depth and air pressure and not getting punctures. Any tyre defect will have some ill-effects (ranging from negligible to lethal) on every (!) other part of your vehicle and its behaviour.  

Although modern tyres are extremely reliable and “easy care”, there are many things that can be wrong or go wrong.   They are not just black rubber balloons on your wheels.  They’re tough but intricate.  Different styles have specific characteristics. They’re important.  Don’t take them for granted.

That means being alert to any imbalance or misalignment or asymmetry  as you drive along, taking a cursory look every time you get in or out of the car, and periodically checking  for correct and stable air pressure; for adequate depth and even wear of the tread;  for any bulges or cuts in the sidewalls  (both the sides that are easy to see and the ones that aren’t).

The mind-set you need is neither “absolute perfection” nor “relaxed indifference”. Yes, modern tyres on ordinary cars have lots of tolerance. But why waste that safety margin?  You never know when you might need it.

Consider the operation of passenger airliners.  Virtually all their systems are in triplicate, so if one fails they always have two back-up systems they can turn to.  But if they find any fault before a flight, they do not take off until it is fixed.  They never rely on the fact they still have two good systems.  They only start the flight when all three in perfect working order.

 Remember the adage:  safe driving isn’t about how close to the limit you can get. It’s about how far from the limit you can stay.  

So when you drive to the office or take the family on safari or the kids to school, don’t just hope that there’s enough safety margin.  Make sure there is.