How to Prevent Wear and Tear of Your Vehicle Tyres
Your vehicle tyres are one of the fundamental components of your vehicle. It’s the only part of your vehicle which is in direct contact with the road which makes it all the way more important than most other components of your vehicle.
Proper maintenance of vehicle tyres is integral to ensuring a smoother on-road performance. But how can you do that in the best possible way? This guide can come in handy for you.
How to recognize the signs of tread wear
Like I said before, your tyres are the only things that stay in direct contact with the road. As a result, wearing is bound to occur after a period of time.
Several other factors also play an important role in causing tyre wear that is not directly related to the road such as the alignment of wheels accompanied with worn out suspension parts and so on. Anyway, how can you recognize these symptoms before they result in actual trouble? These are:
1. Overinflation wear
This is obviously caused by excessive air pressure. You will be able to detect the wear mainly in the mid-section of the tyre that stays in contact with the road.
Over inflation of wear can mainly be found at the center of the tread. You won’t be able to find much wear at the edges which signifies uneven air pressure distribution. So keep a tab on this. Over inflation is a problem indeed.
2. Under inflation wear
Too little air pressure may result in underinflation tread wear which might affect the outer edges of the tyre as a result of its contact with the road.
Under inflation tyre wear can mainly be found on the edges of the tyre and not in the center. It also signifies uneven pressure; does it not?
3. Wear detected ONLY on a particular edge of the Tyre
This wear is caused primarily as a result of uneven alignment of treys. So keep an eye out.
Irregular wear
It may occur as a result of wheel imbalance. It may also occur as a result of the damage inflicted on suspension and shock absorbers. So pay attention to these issues as closely as possible.
Measuring winter tread wear: The classic penny test
This is a classic test that helps to measure winter tyre wear. Just insert a small penny into the tread of your tyre groove (exactly like the way depicted in the image above) with Lincoln’s head pointed upside down (again refer to the image).
If you are able to see all of Abraham Lincoln’s head during the process, the depth of the tread is less than 2/32th of an inch which can signify a problem. You might have to replace your tyres in such circumstances.
How to recognize the tread wear signs during the drive
Unusual vibration
Unusual vibration may indicate an unaligned tyre or a tyre that’s gone out of balance. If you feel your vehicle exhibiting signs of unusual vibration, you should take it to a professional for immediate maintenance.
Pulling to one side
Automatic pulling of the vehicle to a side might indicate a damaged tyre. This might occur as a result of a number of things ranging from brake issues to poor alignment of wheels. In case it happens, you need to go for a professional servicing ASAP.
How to maintain tyres in the best possible manner
Go for a monthly Tyre pressure checkup
Tyres can every well lose around one pound/square inch of air per month. Yours is no different either. So a monthly check up of tyre pressure is recommended more than anything to maintain your tyre in a good shape.
Professional inspection of treys before a LONG road trip is required more than anything
If you are going on a long road trip, you should make it a priority to check whether your car’s in flawless working condition or not. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. And pay special attention to the tyres.
DO NOT overload
Your vehicle should come with the information (can be found on the back door right above the number plate or it might come with the brochure) as to how much weight it can safely handle while it’s on the road. Overload is definitely not recommended and it can also result in a tyre failure.
So that’s it then. We hope you found this guide handy for your purpose. With that, we’ll bring this article to an end for now. Goodbye!
