Tyres are not only the most important components of your car,
but it is the one that takes the most wear and tear. Tyres are
the ultimate control points for braking, steering and speed
of your vehicle, yet only a very small percentage of the tyre's
overall area is in contact with the road surface at any one
time. The importance of tyres to our safety when traveling cannot
be underestimated. Therefore, it would be unwise to compromise
that safety by driving cars with substandard tyres. Here are
some tyre tips that will ensure safe travel in your vehicle.
Watch the pressure:
Although cars are manufactured to give trouble free motoring
over long distances, the tyres should still be checked weekly.
Tyres expand when they heat up, and this happens when you start
driving, so the best time to check your tyre pressures is first
thing in the morning before you leave home. If you do check
the pressures during a journey, and they read higher than the
normal recommended pressure, do not reduce the pressure. It
is less dangerous to drive with overinflated tyres than it is
to do so with under inflated ones. However, the best solution
is regular checking to establish the correct pressure at all
times.
Over inflated tyres:
If the front tyres on a front wheel drive vehicle are overinflated,
the tyre becomes hard, and the area of tyre in contact with
the road is reduced. This then means that the grip of the tyre
is also reduced. In bad weather, the steering becomes less positive,
and the tyre will wear more in the centre, because of the overinflation.
The same applies on the rear tyres of a rear wheel drive vehicle.
Under inflated tyres:
It is actually more dangerous to drive a car with underinflated
tyres. The main reason for this is that underinflation causes
the tyre to become less rigid, and consequently offers inferior
control to the steering functions, and ironically can cause
less of the tyre to be in contact with the road surface. It
is equally dangerous to both front and rear tyres to have them
underinflated. Continued use under these circumstances increases
the likelihood of the tyre casing breaking, as the internal
heat of the tyre will increase due to the lack of sufficient
air inside the tyre. Besides, underinflated tyres lead to increased
fuel consumption.
Check your handbook:
Every manufacturer's handbook recommends the size and type of
tyre which should be fitted to that particular vehicle. The
handbook will also contain information about the correct tyre
pressures for driving under differing conditions - normal use,
vehicle fully loaded/at speed and when towing. Keep your car
handbook available at all times, to make sure that you are maintaining
the tyre operating pressures at the levels specified by the
manufacturers for the conditions you are driving in.
Steering and suspension system:
Taking care of your steering and suspension system will also
help to care for your tyres. Tyres that are not balanced properly
can result in additional and unnecessary wear. One of the major
causes of this wear is when one or more of the balance weights
on the wheel rim has fallen off. The easiest way to tell if
your tyres need balancing is when you feel a vibration in the
steering wheel whilst you are driving.
Don't mix tyres:
Never put two different types of tyres on the same axle. Indeed,
fitting a radial and a cross ply tyre on the same axle is illegal.
It is possible to have radials on the rear and cross ply on
the front axles, but not the other way round, and is not recommended.
The only exception to this is in the case of temporary use spare
tyres.
Check your tyre tread depth:
This tread depth must be maintained over three quarters of the
total tread width of your tyre. It must also be maintained over
the whole circumference of the tyre. Although these are the
minimum levels, they do not necessarily mean that the grip of
your tyre is automatically guaranteed over these levels.
Edges of the tyre:
Regularly check the inner and outer edges of your tyres for
cuts and damage to the tyre walls.
Spare tyre:
If you are going on a long journey, check the spare tyre,
as well as the main ones. Make sure that the tread depth is
legal, and check your jack to make sure that is working properly.
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