Does my driving style affect my tyres?

Across the span of human existence, one industry in particular has grown alongside us, now exerting a massive influence over our realm. The automotive industry forms the backbone for almost every activity that mankind carries out today, and we are at a stage where we can hardly do anything without cars, bikes or trucks.

At such a point, the most crucial need of the hour is safety on the roads. The livelihoods of billions are carried on the shoulders of the tyres that adorn their wheels. Therefore, maintaining your radials and ensuring that they are not affected in any way is vitally important. Keeping tyres safe from anything that could lead to deterioration is the most imperative element of driving with tyres, for this is in the end, our front-most safeguard on the roads.

One of the fundamental questions people have regarding tyre maintenance is whether tyres are affected by one's handling style.

So, are they?

One has to keep in mind that a lot of elements contribute to the way tyres are affected, and among them is the roughness encountered when driving. For instance, driving on a rougher surface leads to deterioration of the tyre, and faster wear of the tread material. If your tyres are forced to run on rough surfaces consistently, degradation of quality is inevitable. At the same time, if your radials are given a smooth run always, the tread wear is reduced, and quality is preserved.

With harder handling, the tyres are exposed to the same level of impact that they are when driving on rough surfaces. In other words, if you rush the car always, and if you undertake harsher cornering, then the tyres are made to carry the same force as they would if treading on a rough terrain.

Your radials bear the weight of the entire vehicle, and when driving, they also bear the opposing force that comes from the road surface driven upon. Both of these come together to establish a powerful burden that they are forced to carry. In addition to this, driving at higher speeds further adds burden to the tyres, for with higher speeds, cornering becomes harsher for them. The reason for this is, when driving at high speeds, more braking force is required, and the higher the braking force is, the more the tyre works to meet it and stop the vehicle.

Also, high speed cornering brings the harshest impact on the tyres. When turning, the tyres provide the grip to keep the car stable, and they withstand the strain brought from changing directions quickly. And as a result, with harsher turning and with high speed turning, the tyres are made to undergo a far greater level of strain to pull the turn off. Therefore, the deterioration of tyres is increased with rougher cornering, and with regular meanderings at high speeds. This is the reason harsher driving yields a greater wear for the tyres.

Rough driving exerts an amplified force on the tyres when road conditions are harsher. For instance, take conditions where the streets are spread with potholes and other ailments. Such tough roads already reserve a problem for those driving on them, and leave a heavy wear on the tyres. In such conditions, driving faster and rougher raises the level of strain that the tyre undergoes. A greater toll is taken on the material wearing the radial as it battles the harsh terrain. Therefore, a rough driving style poses a particular problem for harsher terrain, where lower speeds are always recommended.

The last and the most lethal danger that rough driving can bear on your tyres is, of course, a puncture. A rough driving style may invoke damage on the tyre through heavier wear. However, this is on the softer range of the possible defects that you could face. The more dangerous one is a flat out tyre. The risks of an extreme and rough driving style always include tyre punctures, especially with poor road conditions such as those in Indian cities. Therefore, the uglier side effects of an intense and rough driving is a flat tyre.

It is always safer to be well informed on the risks that one has with the manner in which a person handles his/her vehicle. In extreme road conditions, and poorly formed roads such as those of some cities in our country, driving with caution in mind is always welcome. In the end, tyres are a basic necessity in all of our lives, and they serve us on a daily basis, allowing our livelihoods to function smoothly. In return, we need to take steps to ensure that care and protection is delivered to preserve them for the long run.