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Tires Are Built to Be Durable, but That Doesn’t Mean They Always Are

The advanced technology in today’s tires makes them far more complex than you might believe. Many people think of a tire as nothing more than a rubber balloon that keeps the car in contact with the road. A tire, however, is much more than a round piece of rubber with a hole in the center. Tires are a critical component of any motorized vehicle, made from a wide range of materials combined through vulcanization — a curing process that uses heat. Not only do they have a complex molecular structure, but there’s also far more going on inside a tire than you might think. You can learn more about our Victoria car accident lawyers here.

The next time you’re riding down the highway or on a side street full of potholes, give some thought to your tires. Potholes are extremely rough on a tire. Factor in the wear and tear from braking suddenly or swerving, and it becomes clear just how hard a tire works to do its job. When a tire is properly manufactured and maintained, it’s remarkably durable and performs magnificently.

Typically, a vehicle has four springs that make up the main components of the suspension system. Your four tires are often grouped together and called the “fifth spring” because they absorb and release energy. The next part is a bit technical, but bear with us, because it’s important to understanding how your tires operate. Your car’s suspension springs have a fixed spring rate; your tires do not. A tire that’s performing correctly and in good shape is said to act like a “good spring,” keeping your car from rolling, leaning, or “yawing” when you corner or change lanes. Defective tires, on the other hand, behave like a “bad spring,” and your car’s handling can suffer significantly. On bad tires, a turn or lane change may feel “soft” or “mushy,” especially during a quick maneuver like swerving to avoid something in the road — and a car in that condition is much more likely to roll over. If defective tires caused your crash, our Victoria personal injury attorneys can help you determine who is responsible.

The point where your tires meet the road is called the “contact patch.” Because of your vehicle’s weight, each tire is pressed into a flat spot at the contact patch, bending at the edges in reaction to the road’s surface. As that happens, the part of the tire touching the road flattens instead of staying round, creating compression energy that’s released into the tire as heat. It’s basic physics — energy released this way turns into heat, and a tire holds a surprising amount of it.

The heat from compression energy combines with heat generated by friction. Add in cruising down the freeway on a 105-degree Texas day, and your tires have even more heat to endure. All of that heat can significantly alter a tire’s structure. We all know how hot a summer day can get here — drive around for an hour on a blistering afternoon, then touch a tire when you get home. You’ll pull your hand away in a fraction of a second, because it’s almost like touching a hot oven.

This slice of Tire Physics 101 matters because it shows how tires are designed for durability, and how inadequate mounting or maintenance can result in defective tires. Combine those factors with the possibility that the tires on your car don’t conform to the manufacturer’s specifications, and you can see how easily a rollover accident can occur.

Think about all the punishment your tires endure, and remember that tires are the only part of a car designed to touch the road. Each contact patch is only about the size of the palm of your hand, so the entire connection between your vehicle and the road is remarkably small. Consider all of that, and you begin to grasp just how vital your tires are to the safe handling of your vehicle. A car’s manufacturer bears the immense responsibility of conducting detailed research to identify the correct tire for each automobile, and quite a few rollover accidents have been caused by manufacturers establishing inadequate tire specifications for the vehicle involved. That could very well have been a factor in your accident.

If you or a loved one was injured in a rollover or tire-related crash in Victoria or anywhere across the Crossroads region, the team at Carabin Shaw can investigate what went wrong and pursue the compensation you deserve. Call us today at (210) 222-2288 for a free, confidential consultation.