let’s review How does heat affect the mechanics of your car?what effects it can have and how to combat them.
tire changes
In summer (or in any situation of high temperatures), the tires can suffer premature wear due to the high temperatures recorded on these hot days. Asphalt can reach 70 ºC. It is therefore important to check the tread so that it does not drop below the recommended level. The legal limit is 1.6 millimeters deep, but we should have at least 2 millimeters to go in conditions of guarantee and road safety and reduce the risk of accidents.
Also, don’t forget check pressure of the tires. It is possible that the tires increase their pressure with high temperatures, but you cannot drive with tires with low pressure either, since this increases the probability of a blowout by 60%. The pressure will have to be that indicated by the manufacturer, and at most have an excess of 0.3 bar in case of extreme heat.
Loss of power and increased consumption
One of the signs that we can notice the most in the performance of our vehicle is the loss of power, which many simply associate with having the air conditioning on (which can effectively reduce it). The reason for this heat-related power loss has to do with the fact that the combustion engine needs air to burn fuel. The hotter it is, the less oxygen the air has and the fuel doesn’t burn as easily and engine performance drops.
This is seen above all in turbo or air compressor engines -especially if they do not have an intercooler-, since lose up to 15 hp because these engines need more air to work, so the lack of oxygen affects them more. Each degree more than the temperature of your car reduces its performance on the road, and can have power losses of up to 15%. If the air filter is also dirty, this situation worsens.
In addition to a loss of engine power, all of this that we have indicated will translate into a greater amount of fuel consumed precisely because the mixture does not mix so easily. The heat causes an increase in the consumption of gasoline or diesel by an average of one more liter every 100 kilometers.
Check the air conditioning and cooling system. Any leak can cause the engine to heat up and cause a breakdown. A coolant leak through the cap or a hose or clamp are common and easy to fix. The point is prevent the engine from continuing to run without sufficient coolant since there is a risk that it ends up burning.
Break system
It is convenient to take a look at the state of the brakes to avoid a scare or something else. Normally, the braking system is normally subjected to a high friction that generates heat. By increasing this temperature in summer with the heat by a considerable number of degrees, the brake discs can become deformed in extreme cases and the brake fluid lasts less due to evaporation.
Help car maintenance using short marches to slow down the vehicle and avoid using the brakes on long descents from highways and highways.
