A flat or burst tyre, among others, is one of the most inconvenient situations that you can experience while driving. This situation is even worse in winter as you may have to spend hours next to the road in wet and freezing weather and this can even put your passengers in danger.
Good tyre tread is needed to maintain grip on wet roads and in extreme weather conditions. Tyres are mostly overlooked by drivers and the results of wear and tear are usually only noticed when it is too late. Below are a few tyre maintenance tips to keep you safe on the roads this winter.
Wear and tear: Always keep a lookout for the wear and tear on your tyres and make sure to take note and understand the patterns. If wheel alignment is poor it can cause excessive wear and tear on the inner and outer edges, over inflation can cause wear and tear on the central areas of the tyre. If the vehicles suspension is bent or faulty there could be diagonal balding or scalloping. Make an appointment with a mechanic as soon as possible when wear and tear on your tyres start to show.
Keep an eye on the tread: When tread wears down it can be extremely dangerous and even more so in wet conditions. So needless to say, it is extremely important to keep an eye on your tyre tread to ensure that you a minimum depth of 1mm is maintained.
Tyre pressure: Contact with the road is what a tyre is made for, by reducing contact with the road due to incorrect inflation the lifespan of the tyre will be shorter. Always make sure that your tyres are pumped up to the correct level the information of what it should be is usually at the bottom of the driver door of the car or in the fuel cap.
Gaps, tears and bulges: Regular inspection for any irregularities on tyres is a must. Remember to also look for missing valve caps as this can result in loss of air pressure.
Remember that each tyre needs to be checked on its own as they operate on their own. Their can be fault with just one tyre which can be dangerous. If you notice a puncture or if the tyre is deflating, you can save money by fixing the problem instead of buying an entirely new tyre.
