Car Tips #128: Common Car Myths That Are False – Pt 2 By Frank-Ling / Oct 15, 2015 share Facebook Twitter Google + LinkedIn Pinterest Email Share... In part one of this series we learned about several car myths that sound true but are in fact, false; such as convertibles not being as safe as hardtops; how leather seats are better than cloth; that it is safe to sit in the car while you fill up at the gas station, and how SUVs are safer than passenger cars.There are other popular car myths that persist, even though the evidence proves them inaccurate or wrong. One is that it is against the law to put film on your car windows. This is a half-truth. In many states, tinting your windshields is illegal, but if you put a clear, transparent film on them this is perfectly OK to do.Car Brakes Are Weaker than the EngineIt sounds right. After all, if you have 350 ponies under the hood, the brakes can’t possibly be stronger in stopping power. Or can they? If your brakes are up to specs and in good working condition, brakes have much more stopping power than what the engine puts out.If you doubt this, consider racers who “burn rubber” by jamming on the brakes and spinning the rear wheels to create smoke. If the brakes were not strong enough, there is no way that this would be possible. Physics class dismissed. Read chapter 8 by next week...No-Name Gas Isn’t Safe to UseYou have been avoiding the “El Cheapo” gas station because you fear the gas is of low quality and could end up gumming up your engine. According to industry experts, this is not true. Any gasoline sold to the public, as long as the gas station is legitimate, must pass government standards for quality and engine additives.If it is for sale, it is safe. The major oil companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising to convince you that their gas is better because of their additives, but in the end, it may not be really worth it.If You Drive In Snow, Trucks Are Better than CarsIt sounds right if you logic it out. Because a truck weights a heck of a lot more than a passenger car, this extra weight equals better traction in snow, right? Actually, no. Although a truck is heavier than a car, what is important is how the weight is distributed.In a typical car, the weight is spread out somewhat evenly on all four wheels. But with a pickup truck the rear wheels have much less weight on them. This is why some truck fans recommend placing sandbags in the pickup to increase the weight over the wheels when driving in snow.Run Flat Tires Don’t Need to be InflatedA relatively new tire invention is “run flat” tires. The idea is that if the tire starts to run down on air due to a leak or puncture, the stiff walls of the tire will allow them to continue to roll (at less than 50 mph) until reaching a service stations.But just because someone has run flat tires doesn’t mean that they aren’t flat. They could be seriously under-inflated, and if they aren’t checked regularly for proper tire pressure, this could lead to dangerous circumstances.So short answer: Yes, you do need to inflate them.Source: Supercompressor