It is important to keep on top of car maintenance, and looking after your tyres is an important part of your general car maintenance regime. It doesn’t matter if you travel hundreds of miles a week or just a few. Tyres are a huge part of your safety and driving comfort, which means you should take care of them. We have put together some tips on keeping your tyres in great shape.
Keep the correct pressure in your tyres
At least every month, you should check if your tyres are inflated at the correct level. This can easily be done when you are topping up your fuel at a petrol station, but you can do it at home if you own a tyre pressure gauge. You will have to check your vehicle’s handbook to see what the correct tyre pressure should be as if there is too much pressure in your tyres, they can burst. If the pressure is too low, you can increase wear and tear and increase friction on the road, which leads to burning more fuel. Another point is that manufacturers suggest adjusting your tyre pressure if you carry a heavy load.
Check for wear and tear
The minimum legal requirement for tread depth is 1.6mm, and you should regularly check that your tyres fit this requirement. Tyres that fall below this are more likely to skid on wet surfaces and are more likely to puncture. When checking the tread depth, you should also check your tyres for any signs of damage, such as cracking, slow punctures from screws and nails, or even bulges in the side walls, which can be dangerous to you and other road users.
Don’t overload the car
I’m sure many of you have done this at some point, but overloading your car can be dangerous. It can cause huge amounts of wear and tear on the tyres and even cause them to explode if they are not at the right pressure. For your safety, most tyres include a label on it which tells you their maximum carrying capacity, but if not, you could just search the internet for the information. Most tyre manufacturers and retailers have online information to help keep you driving safely.
Avoid bad driving habits
It is very important that you maintain good driving habits, and try to eradicate bad habits. For example, excessive braking or accelerating, or continuously stopping and starting, can speed up the wear and tear of your tyres, which can be costly to you. By driving smoothly, avoiding speeding, making sure you slow down for speed bumps, and trying not to hit any potholes, you can keep your tyres in excellent condition for much longer.
Bonus fact!
Did you know that the front left tyre suffers from wear and tear for UK drivers the quickest? The front tyres work the hardest in front-wheel drive vehicles, especially on the front left. This is because we drive on the left-hand side of the road, and during right-hand turns, most of the car’s weight is transferred to the front left tyre. In other countries where they drive on the right-hand side, this is reversed, and the front right tyre suffers the most.
When checking your tyres, you should check them all. If the front left tyre is in great condition, then there is a good chance that the rest of the tyres are.