The tyres are the part of your car that comes in contact with the road which made them prone to regular wear and tear. The quality of your car tyres greatly affects your driving safety, handling and braking of your vehicle. To keep up your vehicle’s optimum performance, it is essential to check and maintain the tyres regularly.
Generally, it is recommended that you check your tyres monthly. However, if you go on longer drives regularly, drive on rough roads or you’re living in a place with cold climate, it is important that you perform a tyre check more often than the usual. Aside from keeping you and the passengers safe during the ride, discovering a problem earlier saves you in repair costs before it becomes a more expensive issue.
Here are some tyre safety and maintenance tips from experts to help you understand your vehicle’s tyres better.
Signs of Wear
Tyres are subject to regular wear especially when you drive out regularly on a daily basis. It’s easy to spot worn out tyres that need replacement. There are plenty of factors that contribute to tyre wear such as over or under inflation, improper wheel alignment, and worn out suspension parts. Be sure to check these regularly to lessen the strain on your vehicle’s tyres.
Aside from that, tyre problems can also be sensed as you drive. If you hear unusual thumping sound or vibration, it could be a sign of an out of balance tyre. Pulling to one side while driving is also a sign of tyre problems and could either be a damaged or underinflated tyre, improper wheel alignment, or brake problem. For moments when safety is paramount, contact your local tyre repair specialist and get a thorough inspection on your vehicle.
Maintenance
Regular visits to a tyre repair and maintenance specialist is essential in keeping your vehicle’s tyres in their optimum performance. Some tyre maintenance procedures require professional skills and special tools. However, it would be a great help if you know the basics so you can deal well and understand what the repair specialist must do.
- Tyre Balancing – Tyre balancing is important to extend their life and avoid uneven wear. Weights will be attached to the wheels to balance the movement of tyres as they turn and move around. Tyre balancing is usually done when there are unusual sounds or vibrations while driving or when a new tyre is installed.
- Tyre Rotation – Tyre rotation refers to the process of moving on tyre to another wheel to ensure a more even wear. This is usually done around 5,000 to 7,000 miles. However, there are cases when tyre rotation is not recommended like when different sizes are used on front and rear axles.
- Wheel Alignment – It is the process of adjusting the angles of the wheels and vehicle suspension parts to achieve optimum handling.
Maintaining your vehicle’s tyres is one step in maintaining road safety. Be sure to spend some time in inspecting the tyres to keep you and your passengers safe.
