The Rotation

Before the winter and my two driving trips to Kansas, I've got to make it to Discount Tires for a rotation! This is from June 30, 2011.

If you read my Wednesday post, you know I spent part of yesterday morning at Discount Tire getting my tires rotated. You also know that according to that fine establishment, and I mean the fine part in all seriousness, Steve Hawley as we know him does not exist. But, back to this evening's topic. When I arrived, one of the nice gentlemen checked the tread on all four of my tires, three of which are original to my Honda Fit and one of which was purchased at Discount Tire after a puncture. He told me it would would be good to rotate them and the one on the back left was the best in regards to tread. That was logical since as the replacement, it only has about 4,000 miles of wear. As our contractural agreement states, they rotated them for free and after filling up today, washing the Fit, and spraying Armor All both inside and out, I am ready to head to Arkansas for the Chesshir Family Reunion. Pray for me and all the millions taking to the highways for this holiday weekend.

I could not have told you yesterday I knew why tires need to be rotated. Truthfully, I am probably the least mechanical guy I know. (Wait- I forgot about my brother, Dave.) But automedia.com knows and informed me that front tires wear much more rapidly than rear tires for these reasons:
The front tires will carry over 60 percent of the car's weight. They are also responsible for putting the power of the engine to the road, and for all the steering. Finally, they are responsible for about 80 percent of the braking.
Now I know why. It makes perfect sense when it is explained to me in simple terms like that. The front tires bear the brunt and they logically wear out at a much faster pace. Without rotatation, a set of tires may become a risk to the driver and the family with the driver. That same risk extends to others on the road who might happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in the path of the car with the worn tires. Carelessness can lead to calamity and I know I've been careless before.

I wish I could find some parallel in my life to rotating my tires. I know some parts of life wear on me more than others and I can tell, even if the outside world can't. Without question, my being a creature of habit makes my life manageable but doesn't make for good balance. I'm not good at taking time off- I could start with that. The Lord gave the Sabbath to His chosen people to make their lives more tolerable, especially for the working class. To me, there is a correlation between rest and rotation. Undoubtedly, I would benefit from the shifting of my routines on occasion. Undoubtedly, so would those in my path. I'm starting in the morning at 5 AM- I HAVE to get on the road before everybody else. Well, maybe I'll start next week!

Applicable quote of the day:
"I may be a living legend but that sure don't help when I've got to change a flat tire."
Roy Orbison

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com