How Often should you Check your Tyres?

The little black bits that go round and round are arguably the most important part of your car. They are what keep you on the road or not …as the case may be! They are the only part of your car that is in contact with the road unless of course you are off roading or doing some gardening! A term often used for someone who decides the road isn’t good enough for them and they want to investigate the ditch. This is a frequent practise particularly with young and untrained drivers the World over.

Seriously, for tyres are a serious business, you just cannot afford to neglect your regular tyre (tire) care.

Like all other things on this planet with perhaps the exception of diamonds, tyres wear out. Tyres wear out very, very quickly if uncared for.

What are the repercussions of tyre (tire) neglect?

(1)   Worn tyres are unsafe. You do want to be safe don’t you?

(2)   Worn tyres do not give you the adhesion to stay safe on the road.

(3)   Worn tyres can be illegal. Penalty points here we come

(4)   Worn tyres will give you and your passengers a very uncomfortable ride.

(5)   Worn Tyres will increase your fuel consumption.

(6)   Worn tyres can lead to other dramatic problems with your car.

(7)   Worn tyres are a good clue to serious mechanical problems with steering and Tracking.

(8)   Worn tyres will pick up foreign objects more easily leading to punctures.

(9)   Worn tyres can burst  leading to serious accidents

(10)     Worn tyres can increase the possibility of a prosecution after an accident.

(11)    Worn tyres can cause you to fall out with your Insurance Company leading to increased premiums.

The list goes on … Let us look at what you need to do on a very regular basis.

(1)   Give a visual check before your journey. Once you get used to doing this you will learn to read the clues and save money by preventing problems.

(2)   Check the tread depth each week. Minimum Legal limit is currently 1.6mm.At this level your tyres are 80 per cent worn out!

(3)   Check the side wall of the tyres for cuts, splits and bulges.  Any one of these evident will require the tyre to be replaced.

(4)   Check the tyre pressures when the tyres are cold which means doing it at home and not driving to the Garage.

(5)   As a follow on to point no 4 you need to invest in a professional Tyre kit which will be about the cost of a full tank of fuel.

(6)   The tyre kit contains Tyre pressure gauge, Tread depth gauge, mini Compressor and crossover wheel brace. The wheel brace that comes with your car will invariably bend out of shape and be useless after a while since they tend to be too light.

(7)   A very useful and essential piece of kit for very wet autumn conditions will be a short plank of wood which will support the jack when you have to remove the wheel after a puncture.

(8)   If a tyre on checking appears to be around 5 or 6 psi below what it should be, then there is a good chance you have a nail in the tyre. A nail in the tyre will cause you to lose about 6psi per day so the tyre will be flat in five days or so and will be wearing rapidly if not dealt with; not to speak of the danger involved.

Get your self kitted out with your tyre servicing pack and you will not only be safe but will get much more mileage out of your tyres(tires).Remember tyres wear out very quickly if improperly inflated .

[[ Don’t rely on your local garage forecourt since most of the time their gear will be out of action. Sad but true