Keeping tyres in their best condition is essential, although it is not always easy to take care of them, especially without the right knowledge. A vehicle with tyres in bad condition, can ruin the suspension and in a worst case scenario even crack the chassis. Do you know that you can be fined by the police if your tyres are found to be in bad shape or bulging? If you want your vehicle to be as safe as possible, you need to take care of the tyres as a priority. So why risk damaging your vehicle or being fined if, thanks to these 5 recommendations, you can make sure that your car is safe?
1) Check the pressure regularly
The pressure of the tyres is critical in preserving excellent maneuverability, in fact low pressure can make your steering harder, compromising the stability of the vehicle. Furthermore, low pressures can be the reason for an ineffective braking system making your car unsafe in the event of an emergency brake. In contrast, if the tyre pressure is too high the fuel consumption will be increased and so will be worse for the environment, and the life of your tyres will be shortened meaning you need to change your tyres more frequently. Tyre pressures are straightforward to check and maintain. Every petrol station provides the right tools for a quick check, or alternatively, you can purchase a pressure gauge which will help you to check your tyres at home. To guarantee an accurate examination, always remember to make sure that the tyres are cold, otherwise the result won’t be reliable.
2) Check for damage
An accurate physical check of your tyre is essential especially before every trip, in fact, cracks or bulges are quite easy to miss if you don’t check regularly. They can cause tyres to burst with a consequent loss of control of the vehicle at speed which can result in an accident and damage to yourself and passengers. If you find any signs of damage, a cut or bulges on your tyres, never start any journey and take your car to a mechanic, then replace it if necessary. If you happen to burst a tyre whilst driving on a motorway for example, keep your hand firmly on the steering wheel and gently brake until you can stop safely on the hard shoulder. Replace the tyre with the spare one and go to the closest garage to check that there isn’t further damage.
3) Check the tread
Tyre tread can influence not only your vehicle performance but even general safety, in fact tyres with not enough tread are likely to slip more. Bear in mind that the minimum legal requirement for tread is at least 1.6mm, so it is always essential to check that there is enough tread for your journey. Driving without sufficient tread is against the law and the car will fail its MOT test. Having the right tread is essential to keep control of the vehicle and maximise safety for you and your passenger.
4) Don’t overload your car
This sounds obvious, but sometimes we don’t pay enough attention to this critical aspect, which can compromise the vehicle stability and cause a large tear on your tyre which will be more likely to burst, resulting in an accident. Nowadays, most of the tyres have a load index marked on them, so we can easily understand what the limit is.
5) Drive safely and respect the rules
Bad habits are the main reason for poor tyres conditions, so it is essential to maintain good driving in order to ensure that your tyres stay in excellent condition. Constant stopping or braking hard in traffic can result in a shortened life for your tyre; always try to drive as smoothly as you can in order to have a longer life for your tyre and do your best to avoid bad surfaces or potholes. Furthermore, always slow down in proximity of speed bumps, these can cause a tyre to deform or burst.
These are just a few recommendations aimed at keeping your tyres in the best condition possible, in order to maximise the safety and the performance of your vehicle. Don’t forget that you can make the difference when it comes to tyres; the safety of your car is so important, especially when you are driving with friends or relatives.
This article was written by Roundtriptyres.co.uk, suppliers of leading brands such as Uniroyal Tyres and Continental Tyres.
Nick is a content writer and very much interested in new findings in the automobile industry.
