When it comes to owning a car, there are a few maintenance functions that you will need to carry out throughout the duration of owning it, in order to ensure that not only is it safe to drive in, but also to help cut down your emissions. One of the biggest maintenance issues that you will need to check is your tyres. From wear and tear, to how inflated they are, there are a number of reasons why you should check you tyres more often than you probably do. It is important that you always purchase you tyres from a reputable car tyre dealer, whether you’re looking for car tyres in Essex, or in another part of the country. Here, we’ve put together some reasons as to why you should check your tyres more often.
Under Inflated Tyres
Under inflated tyres are generally prone to overheating, which can cause a number of serious problems. In fact, it is reported that 6% of fatal accidents on UK roads are caused by under inflated tyres failing. Not only willensuring your tyres are inflated help you when it comes to your health and safety, it can also help to protect your bank balance, as you can be fined up to £2500 per tyre if they are found to be un-roadworthy. However, over-inflated tyres are also dangerous, as they can cause problems when it comes to steering and driving on the road. There are a number of signs that you can look to when it comes to checking your tyres, but simply checking the pressure using the various machines located in petrol stations and garages can really help to ensure that your tyres are safe and roadworthy. Your vehicle user manual will have all of the information that you need if you’re looking for the exact pressures the wheel should be.
Tread Depth
One of the other issues that many people will come across is driving on tyres with next to no grip. The legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm, and while natural deterioration is a factor in the depreciation of tread depth, the way you drive can also be a contributing factor. There are a number of problems that can come about if your car has very little grip, including not being able to handle wet, icy or poor weather conditions as well as they should, or taking longer to stop when you apply the brakes which can be dangerous. Using the 20p trick against the tyre can be an easy way to tell whether your tyres are in need of changing. You may also discover that there are other problems with your car when checking tread depth. For example, if your tyres are worn on one side only, then your wheels may be poorly aligned or your car’s balancing and/or tracking may be out.
When Should You Check Your Tyres
It is important that you check your tyres often, and particularly before you set off on long drives. It is also important to know that you should always check your tyres when they are cold. Under driving conditions, the tyres can quickly warm up, and this can give you a false reading on the tread depth and inflation of your tyre. If you’ve driven over a mile, you should wait at least an hour for the tyres to cool down before getting a reading.