Tire Safety

Tires and Tire Safety

Text by Emily K. Alberts

With summer around the corner and vacation planning underway, there is a lot riding on your tires. Improper inflation pressure and out-of-spec alignment conditions can cause tires to wear out prematurely, so you want to be sure your tires are in good shape before logging any major miles this vacation season. “The general rule of thumb is to check your tires with every oil change, but nowadays, with more cars using synthetic oil, some folks can go 7,500-10,000 miles before needing an oil change,” says Kin Jennelle, production manager of Collision Plus in Blacksburg. “Your tires can’t wait that long. To extend the life of your tires, you should rotate them every 5,000 miles. If something feels off when you are driving, such as the car pulls to the left or right, you may want to check the alignment. Keep in mind that around here, the roads are crowned rather than flat, so there will be some natural pulling toward the edge.” Alignments are usually covered for three months, so if you run into some traffic trouble (and say, hit a curb or pothole) heading back in to check your alignment might be advisable. Jennelle also warns that if you drive a newer vehicle with driver assist technology, the radar will need to be recalibrated if the alignment is altered. These newer systems can detect how close vehicles are on all sides, and the car’s alignment will alter the detection sensitivity. On average, people drive between 12,000 and 15,000 miles a year, which means average, good quality, all-season tires should last somewhere between three and five years or 45,000 miles. Commonly, new tires come with a tread life or mileage warranty, meaning the manufacturer will replace the tires at a prorated value if they wear out (fail inspection) prior to their advertised lifespan.

Battle Strategy for Rats

Text by Jo Clark

News flash! Those may not be bats you’re hearing in your belfry, but instead…rats! Not even cute little mice, but big, ugly rats!

The Entry Point

Rushing to pack for a long trip, I noticed the broken dryer vent fins. I innocently asked my neighbor: “It’s not a big deal, right?” He shrugged: “It gives access to critters.” But it was more than a foot off the ground, and I didn’t give it another thought … until I came home and saw the tell-tale evidence of an invader. More annoyed than frightened, I made a note to buy a mouse trap. How dare a mouse move in!

As soon as the lights went out, the scurrying began. I shut my bedroom door and my eyes, but visions of that hole with a neon flashing “Vacancy” danced in my head.

The Battle

Friends suggested poison, but I wanted to know my intruder was going to be gone soon and for good. With a two-pack of plastic traps, a pocket for food and a fingerguard, I set peanut butter for the bait of choice. I wore gloves to prevent transference of my scent, baited and set out traps. I was then secure in the knowledge I’d be tossing out trap and trespasser in the morning’s light. Not so. Only empty traps. Off to the hardware store for more supplies, specifically a sticky pad that claimed the mouse would be “attracted by the scent and glued in place.” Once those traps were prepared, I settled in to watch a movie. As I passed through the kitchen on the way to bed, the creature and I startled each other—and I got my first look at something that was NOT a mouse! This was big—I mean B.I.G.! I called my next purchase “Jaws” and picked up a glue board guaranteed to hold down rats and snakes, with a warning it would also hold down small household pets. Morning three found a large rat in the new trap. I cheered and reset the trap “just in case” but felt sure I’d caught my intruder. That night, as soon as the lights went out, I heard the tell-tale scampering again. Rats, it seems, produce 75 or more “droppings” a day. Judging from my pantry floor, I had several. Rats give birth to about seven babies at a time, who mature in just seven weeks. Ding, ding, ding!! Mama rat moved in and had a family! Now that she was no longer providing meals, hungry adolescent rats ran wild in my house. Morning came, with empty traps and little feet prints across the glue board but no rat. I started thinking strategically. In my absence, these rats had devoured half a box of Ritz crackers (and we’re talking the huge Costco size), so clearly, they had discriminating taste. I added a bit of

cracker atop each trap’s peanut butter and awaited morning. Two catches! I bought two more snap traps, bringing my eradication arsenal total to $33. Maybe by Christmas, not a creature would be stirring! My breaking point came when one in a trap wasn’t “snapped”—running through the house with the trap firmly clamped on his head! A 5-gallon bucket and water were involved in his demise! By now, I needed reinforcements and dialed my pest control company. That Tuesday, I caught rat #8 the same day the experts came. Two hundred dollars later, I had four more traps, two poison stations in the house, one under the house, and a “heavyweight bait box” outside. They have returned to inspect the poison packets, and none has been touched. Rat #8 must have been the last soldier.

Pest Control

Brown Exterminating has been serving the New River Valley for almost 40 years. Owner Barry Ratcliff says his best advice if you have an infestation is: “Call somebody! The inspection is free, and you will learn a lot about problem prevention.” When my cousins came for a visit, I pointed out the big traps dripping with peanut butter. Over the next four days, I repeatedly cautioned: “Watch your toes! Stay away from the traps!” Their 4-day weekend was mishap-free. Two days later, what did I do? I stuck my toe in a *~^ trap!!

Jo Clark is a travel writer, who came home from an extended trip to find roof rats had taken up residence. She took it as a personal assault, and the battle was on. Follow her (usually) less exciting escapades on Instagram @JoGoesEverywhere or HaveGlassWillTravel.com.

Save yourself the headache:

• Plug any openings to the outside, around pipes and cracks, with stainless steel pads. A mouse can fit through a dimesized hole! Rats need only slightly larger openings. • Eliminate food or water left out in open areas. • Clean up. High grass and wood piles are open invitations. • Use glass, tin or plastic containers to store all food, even hush puppy mix or split peas. • Determine the size of the creature before purchasing traps. • Skip the glue boards. • Add whatever they have been eating to peanut butter. • Don’t delay. Rats and mice can quickly do tremendous damage, chewing through drywall, woodwork and wiring. And they reproduce. • Wear shoes during the battle.