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Get Your Car Road Trip Ready

Everybody knows that summer is the ideal time to take a road trip. However, without following a few tips and advice, a fun road trip can quickly turn into just waiting on the side of the road for help. Hollywood makes a road trip look as easy as getting all of your friends or family into a car and heading off on the freeway! As fun and easy as this looks, however, it’s important to remember that the car they’re in isn’t actually moving and the scene is shot a hundred times.

Don’t Let Basic Problems Stop You from Enjoying Your Summer Road Trip

Synthetics Northwest knows a lot about keeping vehicles healthy and on the road for longer and has prepared the following post with some easy-to-follow tips to keep you and your passengers safe and help you arrive at your destination.

Don’t Let Your Tires Get…Tired Out!

Sit and think about the conditions you put your tires through. It isn’t all nicely paved roads – it’s likely a mixture or roads, paths full of dirt and rocks, or maybe even a curb or two. And while it is easy to assume that your tires are impenetrable, in reality, they are anything but! With this in mind, get your car out into the sunlight and give your tires a visual inspection, looking out for the following:

Is there sufficient tread on your tires?

Are there areas where there is simply no tread?

Can you see debris lodged in the tread?

How about debris stuck into your tire?

If you can identify any of the above, get your tire to your mechanic for repair or replacement. Whether it’s a matter of simply rotating your tires or replacing a tire entirely, if you don’t get the problems fixed before you leave then you could end up with a tire blowout while driving at high speed!

Queen Said It Best

Under pressure! Okay, maybe they weren’t referring to your tires, but we can turn it into a vehicle tip anyway! The change in temperature can cause significant changes in your tire pressure. This can cause two problems for your road trip. The first is your gas usage. Underinflated tires mean more of your tire comes into contact with the road as you drive, creating more friction, which means your engine has to work harder just to keep going. The second related to maneuverability. Once you inflate your tires to the correct pressure you will notice that your vehicle is easier to handle and maneuver, making it safer should you need to avoid problems on the freeway in an emergency situation?

Keep up Your Fluids!

This isn’t just a lesson for your body during summer but also for your vehicle. After all, no engine fluid lasts forever. Before you head out on your road trip, give these fluids a check:

Engine oil

Brake Fluid

Transmission Oil

Wiper fluid

If you can see that any of the above are a little low or you can easily tell that they have passed their use-by-date (so to speak), top up or replace them entirely. If you have a couple of minutes spare before your journey, consider giving your car a synthetic oil change in Salem, OR which can work to reduce your gas usage and boost your engine performance during the drive.

Click here to buy Signature Series 0W-20 Synthetic Motor Oil and keep your engine in good health! To find out more about the benefits of a synthetic oil change in Salem, OR or for help finding the right high-quality AMSOILproduct for the job, speak with a friendly expert at Synthetics Northwest by calling (888) 283-3580 (Toll-Free).

Do You Even Stop, Bra?

You hear it in the movies (well, not about stopping), but the sentiment is true. When it comes to driving, it’s just as important to pay attention to your stopping. Whether or not your brakes are up to the task for a road trip can be difficult to discern without looking at your brake pads. Why? Because when you drive around the city to complete your errands, you likely take your foot off the gas pedal early and then slowly coast to the red light before lightly touching your brake pedal to bring your car to a smooth stop. In an emergency while driving on the freeway at high speed, however, you need to know that your brakes are going to be there for you. For this reason, again, with your car in the sunlight, get down and look at the condition of your brake pads and the mechanisms which hold them in place and activate them. If you can see the indicator pin sticking through, a film of debris on the pads or stuck in the mechanisms, or it’s pretty clear that they will need to be replaced in the next week or two, before you drive is the best time to get them replaced.

Electric Blue

More song lyrics! And just as the song Electric Blue is about love, it’s time to give some time and love to the electrics of your car. Whether it’s a headlamp which is a little dim, an indicator light which if bilking fast and is about to blow, or you just aren’t sure that your fuel gauge is as accurate as it used to be, fix these problems before you leave. Something as simple as a blown headlamp can leave you and your passengers waiting on the side of the road during the night portion of your drive waiting for the sun to rise and allow you to continue your drive safely.

A Synthetic Oil Change in Salem, or Can Help Your Road Trip

A quick and easy synthetic oil change in Salem, OR is a great way to improve the health and performance of your engine before a road trip. To find out more, speak with an expert at Synthetics Northwest by calling (503) 371-7184 and trust in their experience and advice to get you the right product for your engine and help you to enjoy a smooth road trip adventure. Alternatively, check out the online store for information on the full range of products.