One of the biggest concern to drivers is having a flat tyre or having a blow out while driving which generally occur at the most inconvenient time or in a remote location. Ensuring your tyres are in good condition and extending the life of your tyres depends on several factors, and there are many things drivers can do to keep their tyres longer and be safe on the roads.
Historically a typical tyre lasted about 20,000 miles however today, many long-lasting tyres are able to stay on the road for up to 80,000 miles.
We all want to ensure our vehicles are performing at optimum levels, a tyre’s tread directly impacts how it grips the road, you should “regularly visually inspect the tread on your tyres to make sure they can grip the road in all weather conditions”. Below are some tips that are very cost effective and keep your tyres at maximum efficiency:
- You should check your tyre pressure at least every 2,500 miles or before going on long trips to make sure that it’s at the correct level. Incorrect air pressure can cause several problems including uneven or accelerated tyre wear, tyre failure and lower miles per gallon. Keeping your tyres at the correct pressure can actually save you money on fuel, correct tyre pressures can increase fuel efficiency by up to 3 percent.
- Make sure that when you inflate your tyres they are cool and that you inflate your tyres to the manufacturers recommendations as found it the vehicles owners handbook.
- For even wear, rotate your tyres every 5,000 – 7,000 miles this will help to keep tread wear even.
- Have your wheel alignment checked if you feel the wheel is pulling or as suggested in the owners handbook. If your front or rear wheels are misaligned, it can cause uneven tyre wear. By making sure your wheels are aligned is an easy way to extend the life of your tyres.
- Visually check the tyres to make sure there are no irregularities in tread wear, cracks or bubbles, which could be signs of a potential blow-out in the future.
- Make sure that treads are not too worn. The legal limit for minimum depth of the tread on your tyres is 1.6 millimetres, across the central ¾ of the tread around the complete circumference of the tyre.
For safety reasons it is recommended that you replace your tyres before the legal limit is reached. Many vehicle manufacturers recommend replacing at 3 millimetres. At 1.6 millimetres in wet weather it takes an extra two car lengths (8 metres) to stop at 50 mph than if your tread was 3 millimetres.