TYRE MAINTENANCE
Driving habits are largely responsible for the state of your tyres. Every car has parts that need to be replaced constantly and the cost of replacing tyres can be very expensive. Proper tyre care can substantially prolong their average life and allow you to enjoy more comfortable and safe motoring. It is important to establish what caused a tyre fault. The condition of a tyre can be a valuable clue to tracking down a mechanical defect, or a pointer to bad driving habits. If unnoticed, more serious faults can develop.
Speed
High speed driving may overheat and soften the rubber of tyres not designed for high-speed operations. This may result in chunking, when pieces of tread are flung off the tyre carcass at speed. Bear in mind when choosing tyres the kind of job they will have to do. If the car is to be driven mainly at high speed, make sure that the tyres are suitable, and under no circumstances fit remolds.
Stop and Starts
Fierce acceleration and braking removes the thread rapidly. Heavy braking may cause flat/bald spots.
Road Surfaces
Unfortunately, road surfaces that give the wheels an excellent grip may also cause rapid tyre wear. This is also true of many roads that tend to appear smooth-surfaced. They too can be quite abrasive.
Lack of balance
Badly balanced wheels, brake-drum ovality, high spot on the discs can all cause extra wear at one spot on the tread. Badly adjusted brakes tend to cause extra wear in several places.
Inflation
Incorrect air pressure is one of the most common faults, yet one of the easiest to find and correct. Reducing air pressure does not increase road holding on wet, snowy or icy roads. In fact it makes the tyre less able to clear snow and water. Too much air reduces road contact and causes wear in the middle of the treads. There are times, however, when pressure should be increased.
Some basic aspects of tyre-care are:
- It is extremely important to ensure that your tyres always have the correct air-pressure recommended by the manufacturer. This small check itself will not only prolong the life of your tyre but also improve fuel consumption. The air-pressure should be ideally checked when tyres are cold, since tyres that have been driven for sometime build up heat inside, and will show incorrect pressure readings.
- Check for a specific pattern of wear-patches on your tyres. This indicates that the suspension may not be proper, and is hitting against the tires at specific points causing wear. Pulling of your car to either side means that either insufficient air-pressure or that the wheel-alignment of the car if faulty.
- Regularly check the tyres for small stones and metal pieces that may get lodged in the grooves.
