How do I know if my car needs new tires?
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We need to take better care of our car tires. Our life depends on it.
Tires are often the most neglected thing in our cars, but we need to take better care of them because our lives depend on them.
What does a protector do?
In an ideal world, such as a perfectly dry road, the tread actually reduces the performance of the car because it reduces the area of the contact patch, and the forces that can be transmitted through the contact patch are reduced accordingly.
But in a not-so-ideal wet world, tread is vital.
The tread is designed to disperse water from the contact patch, thereby helping the tire to grip the road.
Without a tread, the tire's ability to grip on wet roads is severely limited, making it virtually impossible to stop, turn, accelerate, and turn.
What is a contact patch?
The contact patch is the area of the tire that is actually in contact with the road.
This is a small palm-sized area through which the forces of turning, steering, braking and acceleration are transmitted.
When does a tire wear out?
Tread wear indicators are molded into tread grooves at regular intervals around the tire to indicate when the tire is worn to the safety limit.
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The minimum permitted tread depth is 1.5 mm across the tread width.
When the tire is worn to the legal limit, the pins will be flush with the tread surface.
While this is a legal requirement, some car manufacturers recommend replacing tires before they wear to this extent.
Check your owner's manual to see what your automaker recommends.
Setting the inflation pressure
Maintaining the correct tire pressure is one of the most important things you can do to take care of your tires.
A properly inflated tire should wear evenly across the tread, while an improperly inflated tire will wear unevenly.
An under-inflated tire will wear more on the outer shoulders, while an over-inflated tire will wear more in the center of the tread.
The inflation pressure should only be set when the tire is cold. The pressure increases as the vehicle is driven, so setting it after driving a certain distance will result in incorrect pressure.
Correct pressure
The recommended inflation pressure is indicated on a plate affixed to the body, usually on the driver's door pillar, and also in the owner's manual.
Tire pressures are based on normal driving and the maximum number of passengers and luggage that the vehicle is legally allowed to carry.
When should I check inflation pressure?
Tires should be checked regularly, at least once every two weeks.
They should also be checked before going on a long journey or before towing when it may be necessary to set them higher.
Don't forget to check your spare too.
Tire swap
Swapping your tires can also help you get the most out of them.
Tires wear at different rates depending on their position on the vehicle. In a rear-wheel drive car, the rear tires wear faster than the front; on a front-wheel drive car, the front tires wear out the fastest.
Rotating the tires around the car can even out the wear on all tires. So they all need to be replaced at the same time.
If you change tires, do it regularly, at intervals of 5000 km, to minimize the difference between those that wear faster and those that wear slower.
When changing tires, you can also include a spare tire.
When should the spare tire be replaced?
The spare tire is almost always forgotten, left lying in the dark in the trunk of our car until it is needed in an emergency.
Spare tires older than six years should only be used in an emergency.
A tire that is 10 years old should be replaced.
Do my tires really need replacing?
Some mechanics and tire makers will tell you that your tires need replacing just by looking at them and saying they are worn out.
Don't take their word for it, check it out for yourself. Visually inspect them for wear and damage and check the depth of the grooves.
Driving style
To maximize tire life, avoid wheel slip when accelerating or locking when braking.
Maintenance of your vehicle
Keeping your car in top shape can help prolong the life of your tires, and regular camber checks are a good idea.
Do you check your tires regularly? Let us know your tips in the comments below.
