When you drive out for the first time on a brand new set of car tyres, you’ll probably be experiencing one of two feelings. You may have a sense of pride in the knowledge that you’ve had your tyres replaced after getting the full life from the previous set. On the other hand, you may feel frustration. Why? Because you misused or neglected your old tyres, making the new set into what retailers call a ‘distress purchase’. You had to replace your car tyres early, when a little car tyre care would have put off the evil day.
It would be naïve to expect a set of car tyres to last indefinitely – they are consumables after all. However, bad driving habits, poor road conditions and mechanical faults can limit the lifespan of car tyres. Let’s look at some of the more common causes of premature tyre breakdown.
Much as your continuing health can depend on your car tyres, the health – and lifespan – of your car tyres largely depends on you. Yes, you can drive on the limit, squeaking your rubber on the Queen’s highway at every opportunity. Alternatively, you can drive more, well, let’s say soberly, and increase your car tyres’ longevity.
Though you can’t choose the road surfaces on which you drive, you can drive according to the road surface. We’re not quite at Third World status in this country but the combination of heavy traffic, severe winters and saving money on repairing the damage these do; means we encounter some bad roads. Car tyres are of necessity tough but they aren’t indestructible. When you find yourself driving on a particularly poor road surface, slow down. This gives your tyres an easier life and gives you time to steer round potholes.
There are also road ‘surfaces’ that can be detrimental to tyre life. Traffic-calming measures (some call them ‘traffic-harming measures’) such as speed bumps and speed pads can damage your car’s tyres, steering and suspension.
These devices are designed to make you slow down. The sad truth is that if they don’t do this sooner, they probably will later, to your cost. Rule one is to never straddle a speed bump. Your car tyres and suspension are not really designed to take a load that effectively pushes them outwards forcibly. Straddling speed bumps can lead to increased tyre and suspension wear, and misalignment. Instead, drive so that the wheels on one side of your car pass over the speed bump. Hint: if driving alone, let the passenger side wheels take the strain.
You can’t avoid full width speed bumps and speed pads, even for your car tyres’ sake. You could, of course, press on regardless but even big, butch 4x4s can suffer damage from excessive speed over speed bumps.
The other car tyre killer isn’t so much a road surface as a piece of street furniture. Kerbs have their rightful place in the scheme of things. Your car tyres have no right to be traversing or hitting kerbs. Yes, your car tyres have a cushioning effect, so you can lightly touch a kerb if it confirms your position during parking. However, with low-profile tyres and alloy wheels being so common, raked rims are all too evident. Look at a few parked cars and you’ll see the results of car wheel to kerb contact. Just bear this in mind: if the wheel rim is gouged, chipped or cracked, what’s going on in the tyre?
Such damage and the effect of speed bumps can put your car’s wheels out of alignment. This in turn causes the car tyres to wear unevenly, even if you don’t feel its effect at the steering wheel. Having wheel alignment checked isn’t too expensive, and is far less costly than new tyres. Have your car’s shock absorbers checked too, and remember that over- or underinflated car tyres cost, the latter in terms of fuel consumption as well as wear.
Looking after your car tyres and its suspension and steering pays dividends in terms of economy, longevity and performance. Should these not be enough of an incentive, there’s that small matter of personal safety too.
Article Resource
Merityre.co.uk are one of the leading UK independent suppliers of car tyres. Why not visit their website for an online tyre quote or contact your nearest fitting centre.
Friday 12 October 2012
The Right Stuff. Which Car Tyres Are The Ones For You?
Car tyres? Pretty much of a muchness, aren’t they? The one-word answer is ‘no’. There are many different kinds of tyre and here are six types used with road cars.
The most commonly-fitted type of car tyre is known as a standard, or all-season tyre. Such tyres are essentially a compromise. They work well enough in both wet and dry conditions, last for a fairly long time and aren’t too noisy on normal road surfaces. A jack of all trades and therefore a master of none? You may think so but in practice, standard car tyres work well for a lot of customers. There are some sub-divisions within this classification. Some car tyres are claimed to give better fuel economy, for example. These nevertheless remain under the ‘standard tyre’ banner.
So, when might you need non-standard tyres? Winter is a good example. Winter tyres come into their own when there’s snow and ice to be tackled. These car tyres have coarse tread patterns, the better to keep the treads clear of snow and ice. Less obviously, they contain rubber compounds and structures that remain flexible at lower temperatures, which enhances performance and roadholding. On the downside, they are noisy and, in normal conditions, wear out faster than standard tyres. For this reason, some people have a set of winter wheels to go with their winter tyres.
A car tyre that performs well in cold weather is totally different from a performance tyre. These, sometimes called ‘summer tyres’, are made of softer compounds, to offer superior grip. As well as having impressive marked speed ratings, such car tyres can cope with the demands of more powerful, faster cars. To do this, they trade wear rate for performance – they don’t last as long as lesser rubberware, and they abhor cold conditions.
As their name implies, run-flat tyres can be used even after suffering a puncture. Such car tyres achieve this with the imposition of a specific distance and speed up to which they can safely be used. Space-saver tyres are a cousin of run-flat tyres. The take up less space in the car but when fitted, must be used with similar restrictions on speed and distance.
What about the still less friendly conditions we might encounter? Enter the all-terrain tyre. For use on such surfaces as gravel and sand, these are particularly tough customers with very bold tread patterns. They have stiffer sidewalls, and the kind of structure that can handle potholes and debris on the road. The car tyre for all seasons? Not really. Sturdy? Yes. Long-lived? Yes? Quiet? Definitely not!
Similarly, mud tyres have an extremely large tread block pattern and are suitable for use only in muddy conditions. Car tyres of this kind are often used on those four-wheel drive vehicles that are actually taken on rough roads; this includes 4×4s that specifically go off-road regularly. The ‘Chelsea Tractor’ that does the school run doesn’t need them.
As should be obvious, the type of tyres you choose depends entirely on the use to which they will be put. Your local Merityre staff will happily give you a professional opinion on what type will be best for your needs.
Article Resource
Merityre.co.uk are one of the leading UK independent suppliers of car tyres. Why not visit their website for an online tyre quote or contact your nearest fitting centre.
The most commonly-fitted type of car tyre is known as a standard, or all-season tyre. Such tyres are essentially a compromise. They work well enough in both wet and dry conditions, last for a fairly long time and aren’t too noisy on normal road surfaces. A jack of all trades and therefore a master of none? You may think so but in practice, standard car tyres work well for a lot of customers. There are some sub-divisions within this classification. Some car tyres are claimed to give better fuel economy, for example. These nevertheless remain under the ‘standard tyre’ banner.
So, when might you need non-standard tyres? Winter is a good example. Winter tyres come into their own when there’s snow and ice to be tackled. These car tyres have coarse tread patterns, the better to keep the treads clear of snow and ice. Less obviously, they contain rubber compounds and structures that remain flexible at lower temperatures, which enhances performance and roadholding. On the downside, they are noisy and, in normal conditions, wear out faster than standard tyres. For this reason, some people have a set of winter wheels to go with their winter tyres.
A car tyre that performs well in cold weather is totally different from a performance tyre. These, sometimes called ‘summer tyres’, are made of softer compounds, to offer superior grip. As well as having impressive marked speed ratings, such car tyres can cope with the demands of more powerful, faster cars. To do this, they trade wear rate for performance – they don’t last as long as lesser rubberware, and they abhor cold conditions.
As their name implies, run-flat tyres can be used even after suffering a puncture. Such car tyres achieve this with the imposition of a specific distance and speed up to which they can safely be used. Space-saver tyres are a cousin of run-flat tyres. The take up less space in the car but when fitted, must be used with similar restrictions on speed and distance.
What about the still less friendly conditions we might encounter? Enter the all-terrain tyre. For use on such surfaces as gravel and sand, these are particularly tough customers with very bold tread patterns. They have stiffer sidewalls, and the kind of structure that can handle potholes and debris on the road. The car tyre for all seasons? Not really. Sturdy? Yes. Long-lived? Yes? Quiet? Definitely not!
Similarly, mud tyres have an extremely large tread block pattern and are suitable for use only in muddy conditions. Car tyres of this kind are often used on those four-wheel drive vehicles that are actually taken on rough roads; this includes 4×4s that specifically go off-road regularly. The ‘Chelsea Tractor’ that does the school run doesn’t need them.
As should be obvious, the type of tyres you choose depends entirely on the use to which they will be put. Your local Merityre staff will happily give you a professional opinion on what type will be best for your needs.
Article Resource
Merityre.co.uk are one of the leading UK independent suppliers of car tyres. Why not visit their website for an online tyre quote or contact your nearest fitting centre.
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