CELEBRATE VICTORIA DAY WITH THE QUEEN
BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE ENCOURAGES PENNY
TEST TO CHECK TIRE TREAD
Mississauga, Ontario, May 16, 2003 Before
heading out on the road to your Victoria Day
long weekend celebrations,
Bridgestone/Firestone Canada is asking you to
first think of Queen Elizabeth II and this
practical reminder. While some people are
aware that Victoria Day observes Queen
Elizabeth II, or the current Sovereign's
birthday; less people are aware of her
contribution to 21st century automotive
maintenance.
That's right, Queen Elizabeth II has made a
significant contribution to car care. The
penny test has become a tried-and-true method
of determining when it's time to get new
tires. The procedure is as simple as placing a
penny in the tread and use the tip of Queen
Elizabeth II's Crown as your guide.
***Here's the three-step "penny test:"
1. Take a penny and pinch between your thumb
and forefinger.
2. Put Queen Elizabeth II's Crown into one of
the grooves on the tread. Select a point on
your tire where tread appears the lowest.
3. If you can see the top of Queen Elizabeth
II's Crown, the treads are worn and need
replacing.
Why worry about tread depth? If your tread
gets below 1.5mm, your car's ability to grip
the road in adverse conditions is greatly
reduced. Furthermore, insufficient tread is
not only dangerous; it's illegal in Canada
(legal tread depth is 1.5mm or 2/32 of an
inch). So, no matter how you plan to spend
Canada Day, take a few minutes to celebrate
with Bridgestone/Firestone and Queen Elizabeth
with this simple test.
In addition to tread depth, three other
factors will affect your tire's safety and
performance, and can best be remembered with
three key words inflate, rotate and evaluate.
Inflation pressure should be checked monthly
and should always be kept at the automobile
manufacturer's recommended pressure. For
maximum mileage, tires should be rotated every
5,000 miles. Also, frequent visual checks can
alert car owners to obvious signs of wear or
damage.
For more information on quick and easy ways
to ensure proper tire maintenance, visit the
Bridgestone/Firestone tire safety Web site at
www.tiresafety.com. The site is available
in English, Spanish and French.
Mississauga based Bridgestone/Firestone
Canada Inc. (BFCA) is an affiliate of
Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC
(BFNT). BFCA and Nashville-based BFNT are
subsidiaries of Bridgestone Americas Holding,
Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone
Corporation, is the world's largest tire and
rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures
and markets Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton and
associate and private brand tires. The company
is focused on wholesale and original equipment
markets, supplying passenger, light truck,
commercial vehicle, off-road, agriculture and
other tires to its customers in the Americas.
*** For our American friends - If you can
see Abraham Lincoln's hair and part of his
forehead when you do your tread test - time
for new tires!
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