Tyres are one of the most important and the only parts of a vehicle that makes contact with the road. So, it is essential for every owner of a vehicle to take proper care and monitor them on a regular basis. These are the expensive and perishable components, which not only give an attractive look to your vehicle but also give you a comfort ride. Moreover, not just comfort, but aspects like handling, steering as well as braking performance are also dependent on them. As a result, any damage to radials will show a direct effect on the ride quality and safety. Hence, it is mandatory for drivers to keep them in healthy state.
One of the major but most common problems observed in tyres is them being worn out. A vehicle runs on different types of roads and it is obvious that its tread wears out. On the other hand, bad road conditions are not the sole cause for this problem. There are quite a number of factors that contributes to it like over or under inflation, improper alignment of wheels and so on. No matter what the cause is, it is necessary for you to identify the problem and fix it immediately.
Methods to reduce tyre wear and increase tread life:
The following are some of the useful methods that not just help in reducing tyre wear but also aids in increasing the life of a tread. Some of the key steps are mentioned below.
1) Proper inflation of radials:
One of the finest ways that can help minimize wear is tyre inflation. Each and every radial comes with a recommended air pressure. If you have no idea about the right pressure level, you can check the manual or ask an experienced technician. Once you are aware of the correct pressure, it becomes easy for you to regularly monitor it. There are several factors that can cause the tyre pressure to change and hence, it is necessary that you check them more often.
2) Tyre rotation:
Rotating tyres is one of the methods that can help in minimizing wear to a great extent. It ensures uniform wear across all your vehicle's radials including the spare tyre as well. Damage of tyres is very common but not all of them wear in the same place. So this method helps in normalizing the problem and further aids in increasing the tread life. Changing the front radials to the rear and vice-versa promotes uniform wear and makes them last longer. Hence, these components should be rotated every 5000 to 8000 kilometers even if there is no irregular wear.To do so, each tyres needs to be removed and refitted at a different position. This helps to ensure that each tyre wears evenly and lasts longer.For each driving method, there is a correct way to rotate your tyres. You want to ensure that you rotate the tyres to the correct position for your vehicle.
3) Balancing of Tyres:
Wheel or tyre balancing is achieved when the weight of a radial and wheel are even around the axle. This method lets the tyres spin smoothly without any vibration and helps in preventing it from uneven wear.
4) Wheel alignment:
Wheel alignment is one of most common safety measures you need to take in order to take care of your tyres. It is basically the measurement of complex suspension angles and the adjustment of the various suspensions parts. In this process, the various angles of the wheels are adjusted properly ensuring that they are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground surface.Alignment of wheels is another important step that guarantees safe handling besides safeguarding it from excessive wear. Misalignment of wheels not just causes uneven wear, but also affects the overall performance of a vehicle. Therefore, it is necessary that you have your wheels aligned especially, when you replace the old radials with new ones. It is essential that you check your car's wheels every few months so as to make sure that they are properly aligned.
5) Avoid driving at high speeds:
Whenever you are driving your vehicle at a higher speed, the tyres tend to generate more heat and are more likely to be worn out. In order to protect your radials, you have to reduce the speed limit and this further, helps in increasing the fuel efficiency.
6) Good driving habits:
Driving habits certainly show a great impact on the overall performance of a vehicle. It not just ensures safe driving but also helps in increasing the life of a tyre. One must try to avoid sudden or emergency braking as this would cause a tyre to worn out. In addition to this, hard cornering and driving on bad roads further contributes to the problem. Hence, by practicing effective driving, the damage to a radial can be reduced to a large extent.
Also see: Driving habits and their effect on tyre wear
7) Replacing tyres:
There comes a time when you actually need to replace the existing radials with new ones. In such case, it is quite necessary that you opt for those tyres that matches with the present ones. Using the same kind of tyres, will help in promoting uniform wear and performance as well.
Therefore, by following the above listed methods, you can certainly protect your vehicle's tyres from irregular wear and can also increase their life span.
