The part of the tyre which is in contact with the ground is only the size of a man’s hand. Your safety and comfort depends upon that small surface. Tyre maintenance helps in reducing tyre wear outs and ensures tyre durability and your safety.
Facts about tyre maintenance
- Always buy tyres that are suited to your vehicle. You can check the owner’s handbook or the markings on the sidewall of your existing tyres to know its specifications. While buying tyres for your vehicle make sure that you stick to these specifications. Never buy tyres of different specifications. Even though you do not need to replace your tyres with same brand and make, you should never mix different sized tyres on the same axle.
- Do not replace a single tyre, unless you are using the spare wheel provided by the manufacturer. Also, if you are only replacing two tyres at a time, make sure that you put the new tyres on the rear axle.
- Be very careful when buying used or worn out tyres. Alhough they cost less, you should be cautious and make sure that they meet the legal safety requirements. This is not something that we recommend.
Tips on maintaining your vehicle’s tyres
- Remember to rotate all your tyres every 5,000 miles. This will help to wear out all the tyres at the same rate. This makes it easier for you to replace all the four tyres together. It is also a cheaper option and helps improve your vehicle’s performance.
- Tread depth is an important criterion in detecting wear or damage. A new tyre has about 8mm of tread depth, so make sure you replace your tyres once the tread depth level reaches 2mm. 1.6mm is the minimum level legally.
- Check your vehicle’s tyre pressure on a regular basis.. The vehicle’s handbook will provide details about the ideal pressure required. Always check the pressure when the tyres are cool. Underinflated tyres wear out fast and can decrease the vehicle handling capability. Overinflated tyres can also lead to dangerous situations. They pose a risk of a blow out. This can also affect the braking capability of the vehicle, reducing the grip and puts you at risk of an accident. A monthly inspection is an ideal waiting period when checking your tyre’s pressure. Consult an authorised technician in case you see any unusual signs.
- Regularly check the condition of your tyres. If you are going for a long trip, make sure that you check your tyres before and after the trip. If you see any unusual signs, consult a tyre specialist and get it diagonsed. After 5 years of usage, make sure that you get your tyres checked annually even if there are no signs of any problems.
- Make sure that your wheel alignment is correct. Incorrect alignment can make your tyres wear out quickly and irregularly.
- Unusual sounds or vibrations indicate an issue with tyre balance or wheel alignment. You should get these checked every 10,000 kilometres.