Hurricane prep for "Old Betsy"

This time of year we are inundated with advice on how to be better prepared for the inevitable hurricane. A lot of good information is available through the local media, emergency management centers, and online. The one area that seems to be overlooked is our car. What should we do to prepare our vehicles for the storm that will surely come sooner or later?

The Automotive Service Association of Houston has a few suggestions that may help us make it through the next great exodus.

It all begins with good basic maintenance according to the ASA. When we take care of our cars by insuring that the service is up to date, that the tires are safe and that we have no fluid leaks we greatly reduce the chance of unexpected breakdowns. Breaking down during an evacuation could be more than just an inconvenience.

In addition to the normal care any responsible car owner does they recommend a "storm box" ready to slip into the trunk before the storm hits. A well stocked "Storm box" would include:

• Duct Tape, even astronauts don't take off without this universal patch.
• Heavy duty plastic trash bags, these large commercial strength bags make good ground cover it needed while you change a tire, or have a picnic. They also work as temporary cover to protect the seats or seal up a broken window.
• An inertia style flashlight that you shake or crank to produce voltage in order to operate the light has the advantage of eliminating battery drainage and leakage.
• Carrying drinkable water will cover the emergency radiator refill, or provide drinking water. Anti freeze or coolant will only work in the radiator. They recommend at least one gallon for each person in the car, or a minimum of 2 gallons.
• Pack personal hygiene products, a spare tooth brush, toothpaste, deodorant and other items you may need in a zip lock bag.
• Many sporting stores sell light, easily stored pants and shirts that will roll into a small bundle and fit into another zip lock bag. After a day on the road we may want to change clothes.
• Do not store spare gas in the trunk of your car. We have enough time to fill the spare gas cans when the storm enters the gulf. Until it is actually time to leave home the gas needs to be stored in a sealed, approved container, and a safe place, away from open flame. When you do move it to the truck pay attention for gas odor, if you smell gas you need a better can. Do not operate the car if you smell gas!
• A phone contact list of all the important numbers you may need such as insurance agent, pharmacy, doctors, and family members you may need to contact. They may be in your cell phone, but that may get damaged or lost.
  Also in the car should be a battery charger for each cell phone.
• A good map that shows the smaller roads may save hours in traffic.
• Digital pictures of home, take pictures of your house, furnishings and other valuables once a year and copy them to a disc. You can store this someplace safe, like your safety deposit box, but it may be helpful to have a copy with you for insurance purposes after the storm leaves, especially if you can't make it to the bank, or the bank is closed due to damage.
• Include a battery operated weather radio. You may drive outside normal broadcast areas, or have car trouble that puts your car radio out of service.

Pack it all in a sealable plastic box that will fit into your trunk when needed, and then hope that we don't need it for many years to come.

One last hint from the car pros, use text messaging to communicate whenever possible after the storm. Often phone lines will be tied up and a text message will go through where a phone call might not.

Question:
I have a 1997 Chevy Silverado with an A/C problem. I've had it since it was new. When I turn the temperature control to MAX the fan speed doesn't increase. It really hasn't worked since the truck was new. It will eventually cool the truck but it takes a long time.

Answer:
Most automotive a/c units will drop the temperature of the air about 20 degrees in one pass through the unit. That means that if you run outside air into the system it will drop the 90 degree outside air to about 70 degrees. That may sound cool but when dispersed inside the vehicle it will not keep you comfortable. By running the system in “MAX” you will re-circulate already cooled air back through the unit and cool it again. “MAX” should produce a discharge air temp at the vents of about 40 to 45 degrees. That will keep you nice and cool.

“MAX” does not increase the work load of the air conditioner, if anything it lessens it on late model cars as the compressor load is lowered.

If you cannot achieve a vent temperature of 50 degrees you may need to have the air conditioner serviced.

Wet Roads Take a Quarter's Worth of Tires to Stop.

The long accepted standard for tire tread minimum depth is 2/32nds of an inch. The quick test for that was to take a penny and insert it into the tread with Lincoln's head down; if you could see the top of our 16th President's head the tire was worn out. Recent testing by one of the largest tire retailers in this country may make you wonder about the wisdom of the Lincoln test.

Testing a full size import sedan on a wet brake test pad they found that with new tires the stopping distance at 70 mph was 195 feet in 3.7 seconds. Retesting the same tires with only 4/32 of tread the distance increased to 290 feet in 4.7 seconds. Finally with the old standard of 2/32 tread left on the tire the distance increased to 378 feet, almost twice the new tire distance, and 5.9 seconds. The car was still moving at 45 mph when it passed the point where it had come to a full stop on the new tires.

The test was repeated with a domestic pickup truck. On new tires the truck stopped in 255 feet and 4.8 seconds. Stopping the truck with 4/32 of tread the distance increased to 377 feet in 6.0 seconds and when the 2/32 of tread depth was tested the distance jumped to 499 feet and 7.5 seconds. When the truck passed the new tire stopping point it was still moving at 58 mph.

Often even an inch can make the difference between having an accident or a close call. We have to accept some deterioration in braking performance as our tires wear, however, we also have to use good sense and balance the cost of tires against the potential injury and damage worn tires can cause.

The down side of replacing tires at 4/32 of tread wear is higher maintenance costs, increased disposal problems and a slight decrease in fuel economy as new tires have a higher rolling resistance than old, worn ones.

The top of George Washington's head on a Quarter is 4/32 of an inch from the edge. It may be time that we accept inflation in our traditional tire wear indicator and replace our old penny with a shiny new Quarter.

John Miller
Host of The Car Counselor Show
Past-President:
Automotive Service Association, Houston