It’s all well and good having a shiny set of alloy wheels on your car, but what about the tyres on them? Your car tyres are the last thing between your car and the road; ensure that they’re in good condition often, and take basic steps to maintain and look after them where possible.
Checking over your tyres takes a matter of seconds. Each time you’re cleaning your alloy wheels you can perform a few quick checks, in order to ensure that your tyres are safe to use.
Here are the things that you need to pay particular attention to on your tyres:
The tyre pressure
By checking the tyre pressure you’ll be helping to save yourself a lot of money. Correctly inflated tyres use less petrol than tyres that aren’t inflated properly, they’re also less prone to uneven wear. The life of your tyre can be dramatically reduced if the tyre pressure is not checked and maintained regularly. Save yourself some money on fuel and new tyres by checking your tyre pressures frequently. Often petrol station forecourts have tyres pumps with built-in pressure checkers, or you can get a tyre pressure gauge and a compressor from a hardware shop.
Tyre walls & tread
You should visually inspect your tyres on a regular basis – look out for uneven wear, or damage to the tyre wall. Uneven wear can be caused by incorrect tyre pressure, and damage to the wall of your tyres may mean they’re unsafe to use. Upon discovering any visual defects with your tyres ensure that you seek professional advice, and where possible a replacement.
Tyre wear indicator
As tyres are used they gradually wear down. The more they wear down the less effective they are, your breaking distance will significantly increase. Most tyres come with wear indicators on them, so you know when they need changing. Ensure you monitor these wear indicators and have your tyres changed when necessary. Remember, driving with low tyre tread isn’t just extremely dangerous, it’s also illegal if your tread dips below 1.6mm. This can mean your car will fail an MOT test, or if stopped by the Police you can be liable for prosecution, a fine and even points on your license.
Spare your tyres a though next time you’re shining your alloys. Your tyres may not be as shiny or as interesting as your alloy wheels, but they’re certainly just as important. Keep your tyres in tiptop condition by frequently checking them.
