Tires

If it has eight wheels, it probably has eight tires and tires can be a problem times eight.

My May 2008 New Mobility article is on tires and their importance when dealing with a modified vehicle.

Fortunately, the problems we used to encounter with tires on wheelchair vans have eased somewhat. I don't know how many times I drove vans that had tires worn lopsided, or square as I call it, despite my best efforts to have tires rotated and maintained. All of that stopped when I got my first UVL (under vehicle lift). We upgraded the suspension on my 1998 E150 Ford Club Wagon, stabilizing the vehicle, raising it, and making it a better van. Adding the larger springs stopped all the goofy tire wear problems.

Only years later did Ford recognize that their vehicles were too wimpy. In the 2007 model year they upgraded the suspension and made the E150 van as heavy duty as the older E250 one ton vans.

Road hazards still remain a problem. I wish I had a dollar for every piece of debris I hit. Fortunately, most of my tire repairs have been done in the shop, not on a busy highway.

When I was in college and living at home, my father used to borrow my pick up truck---actually it was his---to haul trash from the farm to the dump. This of course led to tire problems because of all the nails and stuff in the local landfill. One fine Spring day I came out of my class in college to find a flat tire on my truck. I called my mother to bring me the spare, which had been left at home, while I jacked up the truck.

By the time she got there I was sitting on the ground, waiting, with the damaged tire and my wheelchair sitting next to me and a small crowd of students and professors wondering what they could do to help. It was a picture she never forgot and always made her smile.

My hope is that if you ever have a flat tire, it can be as pleasant a memory as this one is for me.

KWB