Expert advice on tyre maintenance 

Depending on how your mind works, you might find the subject of rubber very exciting. Or you might not. In the context of car tyres, you’re highly unlikely to find it even remotely interesting, but death and destruction can be fascinating subjects, and where sub-standard tyres are concerned, carnage is more than just a remote possibility.

Bearing this in mind, it’s amazing how many drivers put zero effort into checking their tyres, even occasionally. According to one Michelin survey, more than a third (36%) of UK drivers are motoring on dangerously under-inflated tyres. The tyre maker checked over 4500 cars during a single national roadshow and it found that just one-third of cars (34%) were sitting on correctly inflated tyres while more than one in 20 (6%) had a puncture.

Keeping your tyres properly inflated can make a big difference to how much fuel your car burns. According to Michelin, UK drivers waste around 250 million litres of fuel each year – around £285m worth – by driving on under-inflated tyres. Fail to inflate them properly and not only will they wear out faster, but the suspension, steering and brakes will also wear more quickly.

As if all this isn’t enough, get caught driving on defective tyres and you could be fined £2500 and given three points – and that’s for each sub-standard tyre. So maybe spending five minutes regularly checking your rubber might not be such a bad idea.

How to make sure your tyres are safe

You need to regularly check your tyres for damage as well as wear. Tyres can be damaged by picking up screws, nails or thorns; if they stick into the tread area it can usually be repaired for £10-£15 or so. But if it’s the sidewall that’s penetrated, the tyre will have to be replaced instead.

The thing is, even if you check your tyres in the morning, undertake a long journey and by the afternoon one of them could have picked up a screw. That’s why you need to check your tyres more frequently if you drive a lot of miles. Once a week is a good idea if you drive a lot; if you’re a low-mileage driver once a fortnight or even every month is probably fine.

Every time you check your tyres’ condition you also need to see how worn they are. A new tyre starts out with 8mm of tread but by the time this has reduced to 1.6mm it has to be replaced, because it’s no longer capable of dispersing surface water on the road. Drive with tyres below this 1.6mm minimum and you’re committing an offence – plus you’re much more likely to lose control if you have to brake or corner on a wet road.

When you’re doing your checks the third thing you have to look at is each tyre’s pressure, so invest in a decent gauge that will allow you to do the job in a couple of minutes. Armed with this, you can launch into checking all five of your tyres – don’t forget the spare, if your car has one.

Your tyres need to be cold when you check their pressures, so do the following checks on level ground  before you drive it anywhere:

• Check all round each tyre for cuts, bulges and nails or screws; enlisting a friend to slowly drive the car back and forth can help.

• Inspect the tread for wear. If a tyre is wearing unevenly it’s worth talking to a reputable tyre fitter, who can explain what the problem is. It may be that the car’s tracking is out because you’ve kerbed a wheel.

• Around the tyre are small blocks within the tread. When these have worn flush the tyre must be replaced as it’s at the legal limit; it’s best to replace tyres in pairs if you can.

• Finish by checking each tyre’s pressure. You can buy a decent gauge for a tenner or use the air machines at any garage. Somewhere on your car will be a sticker explaining what the pressures should be; look on the sun visor, inside the door shut or in the owner’s manual.
• And that’s it! Simple as that.

Green tyres

All new tyres sold in the EU come with an efficiency rating. Categorised A to F, tyres are rated on their eco credentials, their wet braking abilities and how much noise they generate. The most efficient (A grade) tyres are likely to be the most expensive, but any money you spend on more costly tyres should be recouped through better fuel economy. Not only that, but with shorter stopping distances you’ll be safer too; when braking from 50mph, your stopping distance could be slashed by as much as 20 metres.

Buying tyres

When buying tyres it’s essential that you shop around; prices vary wildly. Stick with new rubber from a reputable trader and be wary of ultra-budget brands as some of them wear out very quickly; you could end up paying three-quarters of the price of a good tyre, but getting less than half of the mileage before it’s worn out.

Also avoid used rubber. Tyre industry watchdog TyreSafe  regularly buys part-worn tyres and discovers they’re generally illegal. In one sting the group bought 50 part-worn tyres and 98% of them were illegal. One tyre contained a metal object penetrating 5cm through the tread – which was likely to result in sudden and total tyre failure had it been fitted to a vehicle.

* For more tips on tyre safety, log on to tyresafe.org or check out www.YouTube.com/user/TyreSafe

Richard Dredge

November 2015