Tyre Maintenance Guide

In the process of maintaining our cars, we forget to check the tyres and see what condition they are in. They are the most important part of the vehicle and the part that is subjected to a lot of friction. Tyres are the only component in your car that comes in contact with the road. So, whether it is braking, turning or handling, tyres play an important role in all these aspects. But sadly, tyres get badly overlooked. This is why there is a need to check their condition every now and then.

It doesn’t take a professional to inspect your tyres. If you know the signs and the basics then you check the condition of the car tyres yourself.The tread, the grip, and the outer-coating of the car tyre are the three aspects you need to check for mostly. Another important thing to check for is the right tyre pressure. Without the right tyre pressure, your car would be extremely unstable and you could subject yourself and your car to a lot of risks. Not to mention a very uncomfortable experience while driving or riding and the degradation of the car condition overall.

Studies have shown that a lot of fatal car accidents happen mainly due to improper maintenance of the car tyres. Since they are the part that is carrying the entire body or frame of the vehicle, the first thing you need to do is check your car tyre condition before you head out, once a week.

Indications of a worn out tyre

If you check the condition of your tyre occasionally and do what is needed,then you don’t have to change the tyres that often. Otherwise, if your tyre is extremely worn out, you will need to bring in a new set of tyres to get the best experience.

The tread wear indicators can be found installed in the tyres themselves. They are moulded into the tread grooves and at regular intervals. This indicates the safety limit of the tyres until they are not fit to be used. The minimum legal safety tread is 1.6 mm across the tread of the tyre. Once the safety limit has been reached or crossed, the safety bars or indicators will merge with the surface of the tyre and no longer be visible or distinguishable. One can check the car manual to know what their particular car suggests when it comes to the legal tread mark of tyres.

Checking the correct tyre pressure – A major factor

If driving dynamics of your car feel altered , then the first thing you need to do is check the tyre inflation or the tyre pressure. In most cases,the uneasy feeling comes due to the uneven balancing of the tyre pressures. Every car has a particular tyre pressure that the manufacturers suggest. This information can be found on a placard against the driver’s car door pillar. In some cases, it can be found in the car manual or handbook. If you want to ensure that your tyre is in the right condition then make sure that the tyre pressure is correct. Otherwise, the tyres will not last long.

Checking the tyre inflation should be done once every week. Also, check them before you are about to go on a long journey or off-road. It is best to keep a gauge with yourself to check the tyre pressure yourself because gas stations read-off the pressure by quite a substantial amount. Also, you will not need to visit a professional every time you want to check your tyre pressure.

Inspect to see if there are scratches or cuts

The wheels are exposed to friction when you are driving the car. Apart from that, stones, and other such debris can really impact the condition of your car tyres. It is advisable to check them for cuts and deep scratches. These cuts can diffuse the tension of the tyres and cause them to deflate.

This can lead to a lot of unfortunate accidents. The rims could come off too.Therefore, make sure you inspect the tyres properly to check for some serious wear and tear. If you spot any, then you should take your car to the nearest garage or service centre.

Methods of checking the condition of the tyres

There are certain methods using which you can easily check the conditions of the tyres. The following ways have proved really effective in helping people avoid frequent trips to the gas stations and car mechanics:

• Checking the car tread – The easiest way of checking if your car tyre has enough tread is by using a coin. Insert the coin in the tread groove, with Lion capital upside down. If the head of the lion disappears in the grooves of the car tyres, then your tyres have enough tread depth.
• Another way of measuring tread is by using a professional depth measuring tread. Recommended minimum tread depth is 1.6 mm.
• You can use a pressure mapping gauge or a pressure gauge to check the tyre pressure. Or you could visit your car mechanic and get it checked there.
• In your spare time, you can open the tyres from the car and check them for scars and tears so as to repair them. This can prevent you from buying new tyres every now and then.

These are a few of the ways in which you can check the condition of your car tyre so as to avoid having to purchase new ones frequently.