Disclaimer: This article is sponsored by Hankook Tires. All text and opinions are our own.
Presenting an abundance of sunlight and the toasty essence of warm temperatures, summer is the best season to be a car owner (not withstanding the inflated prices at the pumps). For many of us who can’t afford the luxury of a convertible or sports car, we need to adapt our vehicle to all four seasons of driving.
An exciting time to roam the road, summer presents its own challenges to drivers. Higher speed potentials on roads and hot temperatures reacting with already high-temperature vehicle components can contribute to trouble while driving.
Prepping a car for summer driving is important not only for safety reasons but to ensure better enjoyment for fun in the sun driving.
Clean and Remove Unneeded Items
We’ve grown accustomed to spring-cleaning at home, but when it comes to our cars, spring days come and go with procrastination to tidiness. During colder days, disposable coffee cups and winter gear may accumulate somewhere inside your car’s cabin as you avoid the cold. Before any major summer road trips, a clean interior and trunk area will definitely reward travelers.
The tolerable weather should be an inviting opportunity to clean and vacuum the vehicle. During the winter and through the lingering coldness of early spring, an ice scraper, snowbrush and traction solution were essential tools. In summer, those items are best removed.
Keep in mind that items left in the trunk add weight that reduces fuel economy and performance.
Check Vehicle Fluids
Preparations for summertime driving should also include attention to automotive fluids. Thanks to higher temperatures, you’re no longer required to fill your windshield washer fluid reservoir with an anti-freezing agent. For summer, there are windshield washer solutions formulated for removing bugs and insects. There are also all-season windshield washer fluids that perform well in all climates.
As for other engine related fluids, there’s no major advantage to using different fluids. Though different viscosities of engine oil exist, changing to heavier oil won’t help reduce engine overheating unless you’re racing the car.
The important thing is to ensure all vehicle fluids are topped off and service intervals are maintained.
Tire Maintenance
Tire performance is paramount as the weather gets hot. Extreme cold or extreme heat have a massive impact on the construction and performance of tires on a vehicle. While responsible motorists make an effort to monitor their tire wear and pressures on a regular basis throughout the year, most of us need to pay better attention.
Bald tires are incredibly susceptible to failure on hot, summer roads. Even though traction is generally better during summer driving, moments of rain will leave you craving for grip on wet road surfaces.
If a tread depth is less than 2/32ths of an inch, the tires need to be replaced. At this point in the year, the purchase of new tires is a wise move.
Hankook Tires is offering an $80 rebate on a set of tires- check the details below. When all-season tires are worn, a need to replace your vehicle’s rubber presents the opportunity to consider the option of summer and winter tires.
The new Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 tires are a good all-season high-performance tire worth taking a look at:
Specs:
- Asymmetric tread pattern for efficient water evacuation
- An advanced silica rubber compound for better wet handling and braking
- Straight Rib Block design on the outside of the contact patch to prevent road noise and increase cornering grip
- Multiple 3D Kerfs and Carving Edges for improved winter condition traction
- Positive Aqua Hydro Block- providing highly efficient wet braking
- 50,000 mile limited treadwear warranty
- Speed Symbol- W
- Series- 30~55 Series
- Inch: 16~20
- UTQG: 500, AA, A
The $80 rebate applies to four different sets of tires for four different purposes, whether you’re looking for all-season or summer-specific rubber:
- Ultra-High Performance Summer: Ventus V12 evo
- Ultra-High Performance All-Season: Ventus S1 noble2
- Premium Touring All-Season: Optimo H727
- Premium Highway All-Season Light Truck/SUV: Dynapro HT
What do you do to prepare your car for summer? Do you change tires depending on the season? Hankook wants to hear your thoughts and opinions, so feel free to share what you think (good or bad) below.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hankook Tires. The opinions and text are all mine.
