Most of us believe in various signs, and this also applies to drivers. After all, driving on the road is a very stressful business, it requires care and caution. One of these signs is a knock on the wheels.
History
It turns out that such a sign as a knock on the wheel came to us from the field of freight transportation. In the old days, truck drivers used this way to check the wheels on their cars. By tapping on the wheel, they checked the tire pressure. Previously, wheel manufacturers installed an additional camera and solely by knocking on the wheels, it was possible to determine whether the wheel was flat or not, and whether it also needed to be pumped up.
Then car drivers adopted this habit. Today manufacturers no longer produce tires with tubes, but many drivers still tap the wheels with their feet before driving.
In most cases, people do not actually think about whether this is a common omen (superstition) or, perhaps, there is some sense in it. Perhaps this is just a senseless check of the technical condition of vehicles.
Is there any reason?
I wonder if there really is a point in tapping the tire with your foot? Is it possible to check the pressure in the wheel in this way? Currently, manufacturers of automobile wheels create tires such that in the event of a puncture on the road, normal pressure remains inside. Even with a punctured wheel, you can drive several tens of kilometers. And if you periodically pump up this wheel, then even more. A puncture can be detected with the naked eye, since under the weight of the car's own weight, the body will settle and it will be possible to diagnose which of the wheels has a puncture and replace it.
In the case of light vehicles, such diagnostics, in truth, does not make any sense, but on trucks that have twin wheels, it will be virtually impossible to establish whether a wheel is flat or not. It is possible to identify the problem only with the help of an old proven method, such as tapping the wheel with your foot, since the pressure of this type of tire is much higher than that of light vehicles. In this way, even the smallest deviation in the tire pressure reading can be checked with ease.
The undoubted, even the greatest advantage of this type of wheel check is the fact that when checking the driver it is necessary to completely bypass the vehicle. This will allow you to additionally inspect the vehicle and, if any deviations are detected, transport the car to a service station and inspect it on a lift.
Detection of backlash defects
Some experienced drivers say that by tapping on the wheel, the presence or absence of play in the wheel bearings can be detected. During the use of vehicles, bearings tend to break, which leads to backlash, that is, to vibration of the wheel. At high speed, a wheel can come off, resulting in a major traffic accident.
Naturally, if there is minimal backlash, then it will not work to check the wheel in this way. Especially if the vehicle is parked in a good, level place. But when the bearing is already badly broken, then even if the car is on an uneven place, it will be possible to easily diagnose that the wheel is "walking". Therefore, it is necessary to make a diagnosis. We draw your attention to the fact that it is impossible to operate vehicles with such a problem. If found, it is necessary to take the car to a service station using a tow truck and fix the problem there.
