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Advice on caring and maintenance of Car Tyres

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Advice on caring and maintenance of Car Tyres

 

To start with it is important to understand that proper tyre care and maintenance begins with fitting proper tyres at an accredited tyre fitment centre. If proper tyres are not fitted properly it can be hazardously and creates unsafe conditions for vehicle passengers.

In this article there are some tips on how to properly care and maintain the tyres on your car to ensure safety and get the optimum value for your money.

 

BALANCING: Properly balanced tyres and wheels spin with all their weight distributed equally. Unbalanced tyres can result in a vehicle's "shimming" (shaking from side to side) and "tramping" (hopping up and down). When your tyres are installed, balancing should be part of the installation procedure.

ALIGNMENT: Proper alignment ensures that all wheels on a vehicle are pointed in the optimum direction to the road and each other. Tyres on a misaligned vehicle degrade handling and don't wear equally, reducing their tread life. A qualified Alignment Technician can test your vehicle's alignment.

ROTATION: The purpose of regularly rotating tyres is to achieve more uniform wear on each tyre. If no period is specified in your owners manual, then the tyres should be rotated approximately after every 8,000 miles of driving.

CLEANING: This involves removing foreign substances from the surface of the tyre that can degrade the tyres. It is highly recommended by experts that tyres be cleaned about once a month using soap and water.

PUNCTURE AND TYRE REPAIR: If any tyre sustains a puncture, have it inspected internally at any creditable tyre service centre for possible damage that may have occurred. Tread area punctures in all passenger and light truck tyres can be repaired provided that the puncture hole is not more than 0.635mm (1/4 inch) in diameter, not more than one radial cable per casing ply is damaged, and the tyre has not been damaged further by the puncturing object or by running at under inflated pressure. Tyre punctures consistent with these guidelines can be repaired by following the recommended repair procedures. If damage exceeds these guidelines, the tyre must be replaced. Plug-only repairs done on-the-wheel are considered improper and therefore, not recommended. Such repairs are not reliable and may cause further damage to the tyre.

AIR PRESSURE: It is very important to check the tyre's pressure including the spare tyre at least once a month and always before undertaking a long trip. Make sure the pressure in the tyres comply with the manufacturer specification. It is important to check the pressure when they're "cold" i.e. about three hours after the vehicle last moved and before it has been driven for one mile (the air gets hot in about a mile of driving). Purchase an accurate pressure gauge as it's impossible to tell how much air is in the tyre by looking at it. Don't trust the gauges attached to the air hoses, as they may be inaccurate. It may be useful to know that driving with the correct pressure reduces fuel consumption and in turn produces less carbon emissions.

INSPECTIONS: Check your tyres regularly at least once a month for tread depth, uneven wear and if any foreign objects have wedged into the tread. If a tyre continually needs more air then take it to an accredited repairer to have it checked thoroughly.


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