If you look after your tyres properly, they will serve you well for many years. Here are some very simple tyre maintenance procedures that you can carry out regularly to extend the life of your tyres: check the tyre pressure, check the tyre tread depth, keep your wheels aligned, maintain good driving habits, do not overload your car, rotate your tyres, and use seasonal tyres if the climate dictates. If you notice that your car handles poorly, or brakes unevenly, you may need to take a closer look at your tyres and follow some of these maintenance tips.
Tyre Pressure Maintenance.
You should check your tyre pressure regularly. Tyres naturally lose pressure with time, so to prevent damage from under-inflation, keep an eye on air pressure levels and top up when needed. Under-inflation increases your fuel costs, makes tyres wear on the outside edges, and can lead to a greater risk of accidents. Tyres can also suffer from over-inflation, causing the tread to wear faster in the centre. This puts your tyres at greater risk of failure. Over-inflation also reduces grip due to the reduction in tread touching the road. You can check your tyre pressure easily at any garage.
What pressure should your tyres be?
You can find this information in your vehicle handbook. If you are carrying very heavy loads or transporting a car full of passengers, you may need to adjust your tyre pressure to compensate. If a tyre loses air quickly and needs re-inflating regularly, there may be a puncture or an issue with the rim, or valve. You can always visit OTR Tyre Maintenance in Perth, WA to check and resolve any tyre issues that you discover.
Checking Tyre Treads.
Tyre tread is what gives your car grip and traction. You need to check your tyre tread every month, and before and after long trips. When your tyres have around 4mm of depth, it is a good idea to change them. You can check your tyre tread depth with the tread wear bars on your tyres or with a tread depth gauge, it’s very easy.
Other Tread Wear Checks You Should Carry Out.
There are a few other things you ought to look out for when you check your tyre tread. Are there any visible tread wear bars? Is there any tread wear on the centre, or outside edge of the tyre? Are there any objects stuck in the tread, like small stones from roadworks? Can you see any saw-toothed patterns on your tyre edges? All of these things suggest that there are issues with your tyres, and you should get them checked by a specialist before they cause an accident.
Keep Your Wheels Aligned.
Poorly aligned wheels give you uneven tread wear and compromise tyre performance, increase fuel consumption and ultimately make your tyres more prone to damage. Your wheel alignment can be affected if you clip a curb, drive over a pothole in the road or even when you go over a speed bump. Here are some common indications that your wheels are misaligned: Your car is pulling to one side as you drive. Your steering wheel sits off-centre when you are driving straight. Your steering wheel vibrates while you are driving. Your steering wheel doesn’t centralise after having made a turn. You have generally loose handling. You notice uneven tyre wear. You hear a squealing noise from your tyres. Furthermore, if you haven’t had your wheels aligned for a while, it may be worth asking your local garage to check the alignment for you.
Maintain Good Driving Habits.
You will exacerbate tyre wear by heavy braking, over acceleration, continuous stopping and starting, and dragging your brakes when driving downhill. You should adhere to the following good driving habits: Drive smoothly and consistently. Try not to accelerate very quickly. Avoid driving on uneven surfaces, and over potholes wherever possible. Slow down for speed bumps. Don’t stop and start too much, especially when you’re stuck in traffic.
Do Not Overload Your Car.
Regularly overloading your car damages your tyres, weakens the sidewalls and makes them more liable to fail, especially if you fail to maintain the correct tyre pressures. Carrying lots of weight will also compromise your handling and lead to tyre tread wearing out more quickly. You can check how much weight you can carry in your vehicle by looking at your tyre sidewalls. The load index number printed on the sidewall corresponds to the maximum weight within your car.
Rotate Your Tyres.
Rotating tyres means changing the position of the tyres on your vehicle, often by swapping front and rear tyres. Front tyres usually wear out faster than rear tyres, so by rotating them, you will help to extend their lifespan. Normally, tyres should be rotated after 10000 kms for cars and around 6000 kms for 4x4s, unless the manufacturer states otherwise. Obviously, tyre rotation is only recommended for vehicles where the tyres are all the same size and are not directional.
Using Seasonal Tyres.
A good way to look after your tyres is to use the correct tyres for the seasonal conditions. Summer tyres are designed to work well throughout the summer in both wet and dry conditions. But when the temperature drops below 7°C, summer tyres become stiff and more liable to damage and faster tread wear. At that point, you need to switch to winter tyres. Winter tyres are not just designed for snowy and icy conditions. They contain a higher percentage of rubber and so remain elastic at 7°C or less so as to maximise grip. This gives you better handling and traction during the colder months of the year. Just as summer tyres suffer in temperatures below 7°C, the opposite is true for winter tyres. So, you mustn’t use winter tyres all year round. Switch back to summer tyres when the temperatures start to rise again in the spring. If you’d prefer not to have to change your tyres twice a year, you can fit all season tyres instead. They incorporate the best of summer and winter tyres into one package.
