Importance Of Tyre Safety – Tips And Advice

Tyres are one of the crucial features of a vehicle that help in improving its overall performance besides giving a comfort ride. This is the only component, which makes direct contact with the road. So, it is quite essential to preserve its quality as well as performance, which in turn ensures safety. There are a number of benefits associated with a good set of tyres. These help in improving handling, acceleration as well as the braking ability of your vehicle. Moreover, high quality tyres maintain better stability and offer a strong grip on roads. But, if these are worn out, it will not only affect the car’s performance but also endangers your life. Hence, it is utmost important for you to ensure proper care and maintenance of these components. There are a lot of simple but vital tips that help you in taking good care of your tyres.

Simple Tips For Tyre Safety:

The following are some of the steps that you can follow to keep your tyres road-safe and reliable as well. It is necessary to check their pressure on a regular basis as they are more likely to lose air over time. For this purpose, you can make use of a tyre pressure gauge and examine them once a month, especially before undertaking long trips. You can go through the manufacturer’s manual to find the right pressure of your tyres. Another thing to remember is that the pressure should be checked only when the tyres are cold as the friction while driving generates heat, increases pressure and hence alters the readings on the gauge.

• An immediate step should be taken if you find your tyres are under inflated. This will increase their rolling resistance, fuel consumption and generate a lot of heat besides deteriorating them rapidly.

• It is not considered safe when the tread depth goes down below 1.6 mm, which is the minimum legal depth. Tread depth has a very significant role to play in terms of braking, mainly during adverse weather and road conditions. So, a tyre with an insufficient tread depth definitely increases risks and to avoid this, you have to replace it with new ones. You can consult a technician or check a tyre's depth yourself through a penny test.

• The condition of tyres also indicates whether they are safe to use. Generally, it is their external quality that notifies about the wear. A vehicle is run on different kinds of roads and so, there is a possibility for nails or any other sharp objects to penetrate the tyre. If so, remove them and also look for other damages like cuts, bulges or cracks. Damage to the sidewall renders the tyre unsafe to be used.

• It is advisable to check the tyre's pressure regularly or at least once a month so that  the risk of losing vehicle’s control is minimized. Then again, it has to be done only when these are cold. Many factors contribute for the loss of air like leaking valve systems, nails or sharp objects in the tread etc. Regular examination will aid in improving the tyre's life, its performance and reduce any sort of risk.

• It is always suggested that you fit the least worn or a new set of tyres to the front wheels of a vehicle. This is because these tyres are connected with the steering wheel, hence provide for better control of the vehicle, especially on wet surface.

• Ensure that the wheels and axles of the vehicle are always properly aligned. If not, then it causes problem in handling, braking as well as the vehicle's overall performance. Misaligned tyres also wear out relatively soon.

• Another key point to remember is that tyres should not be stored in stacks for a prolonged time. They should be placed in a dry and ventilated area, away from heat sources, chemicals and such objects that can penetrate the rubber compound.

The above mentioned tips can turn out to be useful in improving your tyre's life and its performance irrespective of the road conditions.