MamasHealth.com Home Summer Health Tips Child Safety Heat Stroke Fireworks Safety Spring Break Summer Break Summer Hair Care Summer Driving Tips Summer Health Tips The Perfect Sunscreen Links Email Mama Bee stings Flea bites Ticks and Mosquitoes	Summer Driving Tips 1. Prevent Overheating During the summer months, one of the most common causes of car breakdowns is overheating. Your car's cooling system should be completely flushed and refilled as recommended in your owner's manual. The level, condition, and concentration of your car's coolant should be checked periodically. If your car overheats never remove the radiator cap until the engine has completely cooled! Have a professional should the tightness and condition of drive belts, clamps, and hoses. 3. Avoid revving or idling engine over 30 seconds. For every two minutes a car is idling, it uses about the same amount of fuel it takes to go about one mile. 4. Fill gas tank during cooler evening. Filling your gas take during evening hours will to cut down on evaporation. 5. Take care of your tires Tire care is especially critical in warm weather because long trips, heavy loads, high speeds and higher temperatures all put additional stress on your tires. Check your tires regularly to be sure there are no visible signs of wear or damage. Be sure your tires are properly inflated. Check your tire pressure often with a gauge, especially on long trips. You can find the recommended inflation pressure in your owner's manual, on a label frequently found in the glove box, near the door latch on the driver's side, or other locations on your vehicle. Serious injury can result from tire failure because of under inflation or overloading. Never overload your vehicle. Your car and tires are designed to operate safely only up to their load limits. These limits are shown in your owner's manual and on the certification plate on the edge of the driver's door. Make sure there is enough tread on the tire to operate safely, and make sure the tires are wearing normally. All grooves should be visible and deep enough to at least touch the top of Lincoln's head on a penny inserted head first in the tread. If some spots on the tire seem to be wearing faster than others, see your service station or mechanic. You could have misaligned wheels, worn shock absorbers, or other potential problems. Don't drive at a high rate of speed for a long time, particularly in hot weather. Lower speeds mean better gas mileage.	Featured Book Advertise on MamasHealth.com Sponsor a contest on MamasHealth.com
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