Getting the best from your tyres
WHILE buying new car tyres is a necessity in the interests of road safety, one can prolong the tyre’s life span and therefore, stretch your ringgit a little further by following some simple tips.
Proper wheel alignment and balancing
When the vehicle’s wheels are properly aligned, the car handles better and the tyres are less likely to face premature wear.
Making sure the wheels and tyres are properly balanced also reduces premature or irregular tyre wear, and prevents unpleasant steering wheel vibrations when driving at highway speeds.
Thus, the proper wheel alignment and tyre balancing will ensure that your tyres do not wear out too fast and result in you paying more often for a new set of tyres.
Wheel alignment should be done after every 5,000km or when the vehicle starts pulling to the left or right.
Regular tyre rotation
Tyres should be rotated regularly at 10,000km intervals to ensure even wear is attained between the front and rear tyres.
This is especially applicable to front-wheel driven cars where the front tyres are burdened with both pulling and directing the vehicle.
When tyres are rotated regularly, this can also improve ride comfort and stability as tyre wear is spread evenly, and there is consistent traction from less pattern wear.
Maintain proper inflation pressure
Always remember to check your tyre pressure once every three weeks and inflate the tyres at the recommended pressure if they are under inflated.
It is best to check tyre pressure when the tyres are cold to get a proper reading compared to after they’ve been driven around on, which heats them up.
The recommended tyre pressure for your car can be found in the car owner’s manual, or on a sticker on the driver’s door jam.
Maintaining the correct inflation pressure helps the tyres to last longer and give you better ride comfort and fuel economy.
Under inflated tyres are likely to suffer more road damage, higher tyre wear and also result in increased rolling resistance.
Over inflated tyres also result in less ride comfort, more car vibrations and damage due to road impact.
Careful driving habits
Tyres can be easily damaged by high impact driving, especially in situations where the driver is over-enthusiastic and the road has pot holes or very irregular surfacing.
High speed driving also result in increased heat build-up and rapid tyre wear, as well as excessive impact when running over speed bumps and other obstacles.
Also avoid hard cornering, fast turns on road curves, rapid acceleration and sudden braking as all these will also increase tyre wear.
It does pay to be a gentler and more civilised driver.
Check tyres for wear or damage
A simple visual check of your tyres for signs of damage, and foreign bodies such as stones or nails can save you an unplanned stop by the roadside and a costly tyre replacement.
Look for sidewall bumps or nails embedded in the tread, and removing these before they get embedded deeper into the tyre and cause more damage can prevent a possibly dangerous or stressful situation on the road.
Cuts in the tyre sidewall can result from kerb impact, and you should consult a trusted tyre service outlet for advice on possible repair if this happens.