There’s no car without its tyres, for sure. One of the most important parts of our vehicle, our car tyres take a lot of beating every day. Bumpy roads and blistering heat make them undergo extensive wear and tear, and just like our cars, the tyres too demand regular care and maintenance. In fact, keeping tyres in good condition is among the most essential aspects of car care.
But, unfortunately, we never realize the importance of tyre care until they go flat on the road and we are left stranded in the middle of nowhere. Performing some quick, regular checks can not only help you to increase the life of your tyres, they also help ensure proper grip, traction, braking as well as enhanced fuel economy. So, here’s a regular tyre care routine that you must follow to keep your car road-ready at all times.
1. Maintain a Proper Inflation Pressure in Your Tyres
Driving with under-inflated tyres causes irreparable damage to your them; it also decreases your vehicle handling powers, fuel economy and put you and your family at an increased risk for tyre-related crashes. To stay safe, it is important to check the tyre pressure regularly, preferably every time you stop your vehicle at the re-fuelling station.
All you need to do is to take the air pump and fill up your tyres to the recommended air pressure (usually between 30 and 35). However, if you are not comfortable doing it on your own, you can seek help from car service and maintenance experts and ask them to check and inflate your tyres every time you take your vehicle for oil change or other routine service.
2. Check for Tread Depth
Running a tyre that’s bald or one that’s with low tread depth is extremely dangerous. It can make your car unresponsive to steering and braking, causing frequent skidding, punctures and road accidents. To stay safe, always remove your tyres from service once they’ve reached 1.6 mm tread depth. You can either ask your car service experts to measure the tyre tread or follow the old-fashioned “penny test” to gauge the depth of your tyres. For this:
- Place a small Emirati dirham coin into tread grooves of the tyre.
- If the tread covers at least one-third of the coin, your tyre is in good condition. However, if you can see almost the entire coin, immediately make way for a new set of tyres.
3. Do Not Spin Your Tyres Excessively
In UAE, it’s possible for your vehicle to get stuck in sand. However, even in such situations, avoid spinning your tyres excessively to free your vehicle. This may cause the overheating of tyres and may lead to irreparable damage. Instead, simply follow a gentle back and forward rocking motion to help your vehicle get going.
4. Regularly Check Your Tyres for Wear and Damage
Periodic inspection of your tyres is highly recommended, especially during hot weather conditions or when you are headed on to a long road trip. Thoroughly check your car tyres for any signs of damage. Cracks, knots, bulges, air loss or tread separating from the rubber are all tell-tale signs that your car tyres need an expert inspection and/or quick replacement. If your tyres show uneven wear, consult Vehpal experts to check for all possible misalignments, imbalances or other mechanical problems that may be reducing the life of your tyres.
5. Make Sure Your Car Tyres are of the Right Size
Like clothes, even with tyres “one size does not fit all.” That’s why, while going for a tyre replacement, it’s important to choose tyres that are of the right size and correct load-carrying capacity. Though big tyres may enhance the look and appeal of your vehicle, making it look sportier, bigger tyres often leads to more vibrations, excessive fuel consumption and definitely a less comfortable ride.
So while choosing new tyres for your car, make sure they are made to properly fit to your car model and have the right load carrying capacity.
6. Keep Rotating Your Tyres
Tyres never wear evenly. That’s why, another good way to increase the lifespan of your tyres is by regularly rotating or shifting your tyres from front to back or from side to side after every 10,000 km, or as advised by your car manufacturer. An important element of routine tyre care, rotation allows the wear to spread evenly across all four tyres, helps keep the traction consistent and prevents uneven withering of tyres for enhanced driving safety.
7. Never Overload Your Vehicle
Remember, you are driving a car, not a truck. So, never overload your vehicle. It puts excessive stress on your tyres, causing increased fuel consumption and permanent tyre damage. Always check your car’s manual to determine its maximum load carrying capacity. Also, try to evenly distribute the load on all four tyres, especially during long runs.
8. Maintain Vehicle Suspension, Wheel Alignment and Balance
Your tyre’s suspension, wheel alignment and balance are three other parameters that may either increase or decrease the longevity of your tyres. Therefore, it is imperative to timely get the withered suspension parts replaced and schedule period wheel balancing and alignment to help keep your tyres in the best of their shape.
9. Check the Age of Your Tyres
Tyres lose their integrity with age. After all, they are made to run only up to a certain thousand mi./km. So, for maximum benefits, it is always recommended to replace your old tyres once they have reached their maximum running limit. Also, while replacing your tyres, don’t forget to change the spare one too. While we often try to save some bucks by using the same spare, it is always advised to buy a new one and keep rotating it with other tyres to maintain the speed, traction and aesthetics of your car.
10. Never Install Mismatched Tyres
Another thumb of the rule, never install mismatched tyres – they’ll do more harm than good to your vehicle. Mismatched tyres impact the handling of your car and put unnecessary pressure on the rest of your tyres, causing unusual wear and tear. So, whenever you have to change tyres, replace at least two tyres together and put them at the rear of the car. The front tyres provide additional support to your car and prevent spin-out.
11. Schedule a Regular Car Service and Maintenance
To avoid problems with your tyres and to keep your car at its best, it is important to schedule a regular service and maintenance for your car. Only trained professionals can thoroughly examine your car and inspect every element of your vehicle, including tyres, to ensure your car is well balanced and properly aligned to run under the existing weather conditions.
For a seamless and hassle-free car service experience, book a service appointment at Vehpal – UAE’s first online automobile service portal that offers the best repair and service solutions for your car, at most economical rates. Our certified service experts can thoroughly evaluate the health of your car to score out as well as resolve issues that may dampen its functioning and performance. We also evaluate the condition of your tyres and ensure their proper balancing and alignment to keep you safe on the road.
