Driving safely in the rain with NTS
Check your tyre tread depth regularly
Weather patterns have changed abruptly, as of now, motorists should brace up for wet road conditions to avoid being caught off-guard. Motorists should exercise extreme caution as roads become slippery and this may cause cars to skid easily. One very important tip is to check your tyre tread depth regularly. Do your tyres have enough grip? A good standard is that the tread depth should not be less than 2mm. If you are still unsure about the condition of the tread depth, you can always bring it to NTS. Visit your nearest National Tyres Services branch for free tyre check and expert advice on the condition of your tyres.
The rain will definitely make driving a little bit more hazardous as compared to a fine and sunny weather. It is even more important to ensure that your tyre pressure is regularly checked. This can help protect you from skidding or loss of control over your vehicle on the slippery roads. Tyre pressure varies by type of vehicle, loading capacity and manufacturer’s specifications. You should know pressure specifications for your vehicle.
Visibility when driving is affected when it comes to heavy rains. You need to make sure your car wipers are in good working condition. Look out for squeaky sounds, jerky movements or even reduced efficiency of wipers. If you notice these signs, it is time for you to upgrade your wipers immediately. Driving in the rain with dysfunctional wipers can be dangerous to you and other roads users.
During the rainy season the roads are slippery, there is a higher chance of your brakes being affected. Rain water may cause your brake calipers to rust and make squeaky noises. Other than that, your brake pads also have to work extra hard when the roads are wet because of the reduced friction. In order to ensure your safety, it is important to check and maintain your brake condition.
Familiarise yourself with the air conditioning and heater settings on your car so you know how to demist the interior quickly. Find out how to demist your windscreen as fast as possible as it is for your safety. If it’s raining so heavily that you can’t see clearly or you can’t safely handle your vehicle, pull over to a safe spot and wait for the worst of the storm to pass.
After ensuring your car is in a good condition to face the weather, it is time to do your part. During heavy rains, it is important to keep two hands on the steering wheel to have a better control. Because of the reduced visibility and slippery roads, drive slowly to avoid any unnecessary mishaps. Watch your speed and leave plenty of room between you and the car in front. If someone’s driving close on your tail, let them pass. It’s better to have them in front of you than behind
Be conscious of spray from trucks and fast-moving vehicles. This could temporarily reduce your visibility, very risky. Equally, be considerate about your own spray and avoid driving fast through puddles close to pedestrians or cyclists. Pedestrians often run for cover because it’s raining but some do so unconsciously.
Visit National Tyre Services for free tyre checks
National Tyre Services has branches nationwide, visit your nearest NTS branch for free tyre check and expert advice. Now that you have read about the safety tips on how to drive during the rainy season, we wish that you will have safe journeys on the roads.
NTS The Retreading Home
In modern times, relugging and retreading tyres is perceived as twice ‘blessed activity’ it bestows economic benefits to consumers and an environmental bonus to our country. Retreads and relugs are safe just as new tyres permitting extended use of the investment made in expensive tyres. The quality and life cycle of retreaded and relugged tyres is improving daily. Better quality keeps coming on the horizon due to continuous effort from tread rubber manufacturers and technological innovations in processing of tyres. It is only natural that the retread patterns will closely follow new tyre patterns. To the casual looker many retreads are visually indistinguishable from new tyres. Vehicle maintaince costs can be reduced by using retreaded tyres as opposed to replacing every worn out tyre with a new one. In fact, commercial tyres are designed to have more than one life, therefore, retreaded tyres are safe and dependable. With our lengthy industry experience and the widest branch network in the country, we have grown to be a reliable retreading company using quality and more robust compounds to produce retreaded tyres that give you better mileage at lower costs. Retreadability depends on tyre maintenance programmes and application conditions. NTS designs and customizes these programmes to suit varying fleet compositions, types and sizes. We are proud of our experienced and trained workmanship and adopted modern technologies that have enhanced quality of retreads. Our retreading customers are assured of reduced turnaround time, reasonably priced retreading rates and suitable patterns for defined routes. NTS has two retreading plants, one in Harare and another in Bulawayo to cater for our different customer segments. National Tyre Services is the only tyre company in Zimbabwe with relugging factory. Relugging covers mainly agric and earthmoving tyres. Visit any of our 13 branches countrywide today, for retreading and relugging services, we have multiple tread designs and rubber that were tested in various environment and customer formulated for longevity and performance.
The NTS Promise
- NTS is a reputable and consistent retreading company that uses quality and application specific rubber and treads to produce retreaded tyres that give customers better mileage at lower costs.
- Wide branch network to ensure we are closer to you our customers, with standardized service offering, tyre fitment, professional computerized wheel alignment and wheel balancing services.
- A supplier of a wide range of tested quality new tyre brands and accessories.
- Offering unmatched customer service experience in our refreshing and friendly tyre retail stores.
- Leveraging on trained and experienced staff to ensure sustainable service delivery.
- NTS designs and customizes after sales and package of value services for its customers to manage fleets efficiently.