I learned so much about tire and car seat safety during my recent trip to South Carolina with Michelin and Graco. As a mom, I thought I knew a lot about car safety long before this trip. I have spent endless hours educating myself and researching so much over the years. I have researched what the safest cars are and which car seats would be safest for my children. And even though I thought about my tires and knew to have the right about of air in them and to get them rotated twice a year, I never really gave it much thought about how safe they could keep me and my kids on the road. I also didn’t think about the quality of the tire. Obviously I knew there were different brands of tires and figured the most expensive ones are the best, but I didn’t know why. How different could they really be? A tire is a tire, right? Wrong, I was so wrong! I learned that not all tires are created equal and that brakes on my car will stop my wheels, but its the tires that stop my car. I also learned that there is a big difference in how tires perform over time. And I learned that tires make all the difference and every stop counts!
Before I was invited on this New Parent Experience Tour, I already owned Michelin tires on my car. In fact, I also already owned two convertible Graco car seats and a Graco booster seat, too! I bought all of these products on my own as a consumer – trying to purchase the best products for me and my children. That’s one of the reasons I was so excited to be a part of this campaign. I already loved both brands and their products. It felt like a natural fit. And I was excited I would be able to share what I was about to learn with other parents as well.
After fueling up with breakfast at the hotel, we hit the road for an hour long drive through South Carolina before getting to our next destination.
When we first arrived at the Michelin’s Laurens Proving Grounds (aka: the test track), we met up with Bib, The Michelin Man, again before going into the conference room where we were educated by employees of both brands about the safety of their products. They really wanted us to know the research and the facts about the safety features before we actually went on the road to test their theories in a real life situation.
We then had the unique opportunity to drive in a car on the test track on both Michelin worn tires and a competitor’s worn tires to see firsthand what we experienced with each tire. Michelin has been testing tires since 1976 and the grounds consists of 12 tracks and is on over 3,500 acres!
The first two test drives were done in a F150 and the other two in a Camry. We were asked to get our speed up to 45 mph on a wet road and then slam on our breaks to see how quickly the car would stop. This was called wet braking.
I was so scared at first! I was first scared I’d hit the cones and then I was scared to slam on the breaks, since this is something we try and hope not to do in real life. Plus, 45 mph felt really fast knowing I was going to halt to a stop just a short distance away! But it was also a little thrilling to be in this position and I was excited to see the difference in the tires myself, so I pushed through and it turned out to be really fun – and eye opening!
What I found was that the Michelin tires stopped about 19 feet before the competitor’s tires – which means a little over one car length! And I couldn’t believe it. If this was a real life situation, I would have hit a car in front of me and could be in a serious accident – just because my tires were too worn and not of the best quality.
But luckily the MICHELIN® Premier® A/S tire is built to maintain wet braking performance and handling — even when worn. And when these tires come to a complete stop, some competitor’s tires can still be traveling at 15 mph. And that alone, as a parent and consumer, that drives me and my children around all day long, made me feel a little safer.
Once we finished at the wet track, we drove over to another test track to drive an obstacle course. This part of the experience was called wet handling. Instead of driving in a straight road like the last challenge, this time, we had to wear helmets and drive on a longer curvy wet test track to see how the tires felt when turning corners. I was so excited and nervous at the same time! And I was really excited about my personalized helmet I couldn’t wait to wear it during my turn! Like I mentioned in Part I of this blog, every detail about this trip was well thought out and executed more so than I have ever seen in my career!
This part of the experience was so scary but exhilarating at the same time! The person riding in the car with me kept telling me to go faster (apparently I drive like a safety conscious mom now) and I felt like if I went any faster the car would tip over around the corners! This time we were to drive 45-55 mph but were NOT to touch the brakes around the cones and curves. It was really hard because every instinct I had was to slow down! But what I learned was that the Michelin tires felt so much differently on the test track than the competitor’s tires. And no, I am not just saying that because I partnered with Michelin on this event, it was true. I felt safer in the Michelin tires and felt like I didn’t have as much control as I was sliding more in the competitor’s tires.
After we were done on the test track, we went back to the conference room for a delicious lunch and to debrief what we just experienced. But before leaving to head back to the airport, we had one final test drive around another obstacle course. This time we worked in teams and competed against other teams to see who could complete the obstacle course in the shortest amount of time – while also following all of the ground rules set forth. And although my team didn’t win, we had a really fun time!
Luckily I already have Michelin tires on my car (long before I went on this trip) but since I bought my car used, I honestly had no idea how long the tires had been on the car before I purchased it and if they would still be safe on the road. I now trust Michelin tires more than ever, but how do you know if your tires are safe?
Here are some tire safety tips:
- Check your Tire Pressure: Tires have been known to lose up to 1psi (pounds per square inch) every month, so check all tires, including your spare, once a month (or before a long trip). Low pressure can lead to tire damage so make sure to test your tires cold by using a tire gauge. Compare the measured psi to the psi found on the sticker inside the driver’s door of your vehicle or in owner’s manual and make sure the numbers match.
- Get Your Tires Rotated: Regular rotation helps extend the life of your tires and improve performance and rotating your tires regularly will not only save you money and help you get the most out of your tires, but also keep you safer on the road! Tires should be rotated every six months or 6,000 to 8,000 miles.
- Test Your Tires: How often should you change out your tires? When is the tread too low? Michelin suggests checking your tires once every month, or before a long road trip, to check your tires for wear and damage problems. You need to measure tread depth and you can do this by using a penny! You’ll want to take the coin and place head first into the tire groove. If part of the head is covered by the tread, you are safe for the time being, however, if this isn’t the case, your car’s ability to grip the road in adverse conditions is greatly reduced and you need to go get your tires replaced.
- Getting A New Tire: If for some reason you need one or two new tires, but not all four, get your new tires installed in the back of your car. It is recommended that all four tires be replaced at the same time, but if this is unavoidable, get the tires installed in the back for better handling, wet grip, and evacuate water, thereby helping to avoid oversteer and loss of vehicle stability on wet surfaces.
Now let’s shift gears and talk about car seat safety. As a mom, I have done my due diligence on researching the safest car seats available and Graco car seats are the ones I chose for my children (out of my own pocket years ago before this event). I picked these car seats based on safety features among other perks like easy installation, cost, etc. The Graco car seats I have for both of my children are the 4Ever® Extend2Fit® Platinum 4-in-1 Car Seat. And besides safety being my number one reason, here’s why:
- The Graco® EZ Tight™ LATCH provides a secure and simple installation in 3 easy steps
- 4-in-1 seat grows with your child, so you can enjoy 10 years of use, from 4 – 120 lb
- Extend2Fit® 4-position extension panel provides 5″ additional leg room
- Up to 50 lb rear-facing allowing your child to safely ride rear-facing longer
Here are my top reasons I love Graco:
- They own and operate their very own crash test facility in Atlanta, Georgia. I would love to visit there and see how crash testing works firsthand.
- Every technician is trained in child passenger safety by Safe Kids Worldwide
- They have a team of over 90+ certified passenger safety technicians specifically dedicated educating communities on the correct selection, installation, and use of car seats, booster seats, and vehicle seat belts
- They have multiple installation tutorial videos on their website.
- Their car seats are tested for front impact, side impact, rear impact, roll safe, and structural integrity when the seat has been exposed to extreme cold and hot temperatures.
And here are my car seat safety tips!
- Have your child rear-facing as long as possible! The AAP recommends that all infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car seat as long as possible, until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car seat. Most convertible seats have limits that will permit children to ride rear-facing for 2 years or more. Graco offers a line of car seats that help your child safely ride rear-facing longer, until they reach 50 lb. Once your child is forward-facing, use the built in 5-point harness system for as long as possible until your child reaches the maximum height or weight of the car seat. Your child can switch to a belt-positioning booster – typically from 4-12 years old, 43-57″, 40-120 lbs. Your child can then typically graduate to a seat belt only when they are 4 feet 9 inches and between the age of 8-12.
- Make sure your car seat is properly installed! For your child’s utmost safety, it is imperative that you install a car seat properly or have it professionally installed for you. You can get your child’s car seat checked for proper installation at any police station, highway patrol location, or other privately owned location that have trained personnel to inspect that your car seat is installed properly. You can go to this link and check your local car seat inspection stations by state. There is even a car seat check app available for $1.99! When installing, make sure you only secure the car seat using the seatbelt or the LATCH, but not both! You want to make sure you install your car seat at level ground and once installed, the seat should not move more than 1 inch at the belt path when you move it in all directions.
- Make sure to get your car seat replaced if it’s been in an accident! Most insurance companies will automatically replace your car seat after an accident since there may be damage to the inside of the carseat that you can’t see. It should be covered through your insurance so don’t hesitate to ask!
- Make sure to only install the car seat in the back seat of your car (unless you don’t have a back seat)! When you install, make sure the level indicator is in the correct spot. To find our how to properly use your level indicator, please refer to your car seat manual. The level indicator requirements vary by car seat model and child’s height and weight, and your manual will provide guidance around how to correctly use the indicator. If you still have questions, please feel free to call the Graco care team at 1-800-345-4109.
- Make sure your car seat is not expired! You can quickly check the side or the back of your car seat to find the expiration. Graco stamps an expiration date into the bottom of each car seat so you know when it is time to replace it. Expiration dates can range anywhere from 6-10 years or more depending on the car seat, so it’s important to check yours.
- Make sure your car seat fits your child! When rear facing, the harness should be at or below the child’s shoulders. When forward-facing, the harness should be at or above your child’s shoulders. The chest clip should be at armpit level and the straps should be tightened enough so you can’t pinch the straps at the child’s shoulder.
- Make sure the car seat fits the child’s age and weight! See the graph below for a quick glance at when your child is appropriately sized for their car seat and when they can move to the next level of comfort and safety!
| Age | Height | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rear-Facing Infant Car Seats | Up to at least 1 Yr | Up to 35″* | 4 – 40 lb* |
| Convertible Car Seat | Up to 4 Yrs | Up to 49″ | 4-65lb |
| All-in-One Car Seat | Up to 12 Yrs | Up to 57″ | 4 – 120 lb*** |
| Forward-Facing Harness Booster | At least 1 Yr to 12 Yrs** | Up to 57″ | 40 – 120 lb*** |
| Forward-Facing Belt Positioning Booster | 4 – 12 Yrs | 43 – 57″ | 40 – 120 lb*** |
This was such a memorable, fun, and educational trip. One of my favorite parts of the trip was meeting other moms that will be friends for a long time to come! I can’t thank Michelin and Graco enough for inviting me and for having the opportunity to share with you what I experienced.
#MyMichelinExperience #EveryStopCounts #GracoLove
This post is sponsored by Michelin and Graco, but all photos, experiences, and opinions are my own.
Leave a Reply