A useful 10 point checklist to ensure your car passes its MOT first time:
1. Brakes
The car’s brakes are tested on a ‘roller brake tester’ to assess their condition, performance and efficiency. Brakes that ‘lock up’ when applied will fail. Other areas to watch out for are loose brake pedals and signs of leaking brake fluid.
2. Doors and Mirrors
Ensure the doors open and close correctly, from the inside and the outside of the vehicle. Car locks need to work adequately. Wing and rear view mirrors must be present and in good condition. A cracked wing mirror will result in a fail.
3. Exhaust System and Emissions
The car will need to pass specific exhaust emission requirements, depending on its age and fuel type. The exhaust system must not have holes or leaks, often caused by rust.
4. Car Bodywork
Excessive rust corrosion, damage or sharp edges on the car’s bodywork will result in a fail.
5. Wheels and Car Tyres
The tread depth on a car tyre must be a minimum of 1.6mm. The car tyre needs to be the correct type for the vehicle and have no signs of excessive wear or damage. It is recommended to consult a car tyres specialist to check this. Ensure all the wheel nuts are present as any missing will result in a fail. Spare tyres are not tested.
6. Windscreen, Wipers and Washer
The wiper blades need to be in good condition and the windscreen washer must contain fluid. The windscreen cannot have any large cracks and must have clear visibility.
7. Lights and Indicators
All lights and indicators need to work correctly, including the hazard lights. Check that the headlamps dip to the correct angle and are not loose.
8. Seats and seatbelts
Ensure all seats are secure in the upright position. It is compulsory for seatbelts to be fitted in the front and back of a car. They must be the correct type and in good, working condition.
9. Steering, suspension and horn
All three need to be in good condition and work correctly. Make sure the horn is the right type for the vehicle. Ensure the wheels are correctly aligned and the car tyre pressures are correct, as these can affect the vehicle’s steering.
10. Registration Plate and Vehicle Identification Number
The registration plate needs to be in the correct format, legible and in good condition. Every car used after the 1st August 1980 must have its vehicle identification number clearly displayed.
At Merityre.co.uk we have a '10% OFF your next MOT' voucher that can be downloaded from our website.
Friday, 20 March 2009
Best Car Tyres
Popular motoring magazine Auto Express have published their top 16 car tyres.
After a series of simple assessments in the wet and the dry the car tyres that came out on top were:
1. Goodyear Hydragrip
2. Vredestein Sportrac3
3. Continental Contipremium- Contact 2
4. Michelin Primacy HP
5. Bridgestone Turanza ER300
6. Uniroyal Rainsport 1
7. Toyo Proxes T1R
8. Dunlop Fastresponse
9. BFGoodrich G-Force Profiler
10. Maxxis Victra MA-Z1
11. Kumho Ecsta Sport KU31
12. Fulda Carat Progresso
13. Matador Aquila Evo
14. Hankook Ventus Prime K105
15. Yokohama C.Drive
16. Pirelli P7
For more advice about which car tyre is best for you then ask our experts at Merityre.co.uk.
After a series of simple assessments in the wet and the dry the car tyres that came out on top were:
1. Goodyear Hydragrip
2. Vredestein Sportrac3
3. Continental Contipremium- Contact 2
4. Michelin Primacy HP
5. Bridgestone Turanza ER300
6. Uniroyal Rainsport 1
7. Toyo Proxes T1R
8. Dunlop Fastresponse
9. BFGoodrich G-Force Profiler
10. Maxxis Victra MA-Z1
11. Kumho Ecsta Sport KU31
12. Fulda Carat Progresso
13. Matador Aquila Evo
14. Hankook Ventus Prime K105
15. Yokohama C.Drive
16. Pirelli P7
For more advice about which car tyre is best for you then ask our experts at Merityre.co.uk.
Basic Legal Requirements for Car Tyres
Check car tyres regularly for any signs of wear. This is important as they are the only point of contact between a car and the road. Any deterioration of the tread or damage to the sidewalls may be risking an accident.
The basic legal requirements for car tyres are:
a) Tread Depth must be a minimum of 1.6mm. This applies to the entire circumference of the tyre. A bald patch on a tyre, where the tread depth is below the minimum requirement, is against the law. Check a tyre after a skid or emergency braking as this is when bald patches can occur.
b) Tyres must be inflated to the correct pressure. Consult the vehicle manufacturer's handbook to find the recommended pressure. Not only is this a legal requirement, it improves the vehicle's handling and reduces fuel consumption.
c) All four car tyres must be compatible and in good condition. If a car tyre needs replacing it will need to be in the same condition as the others otherwise all four will need to be changed.
View are website at Merityre.co.uk for handy hints about car tyres.
The basic legal requirements for car tyres are:
a) Tread Depth must be a minimum of 1.6mm. This applies to the entire circumference of the tyre. A bald patch on a tyre, where the tread depth is below the minimum requirement, is against the law. Check a tyre after a skid or emergency braking as this is when bald patches can occur.
b) Tyres must be inflated to the correct pressure. Consult the vehicle manufacturer's handbook to find the recommended pressure. Not only is this a legal requirement, it improves the vehicle's handling and reduces fuel consumption.
c) All four car tyres must be compatible and in good condition. If a car tyre needs replacing it will need to be in the same condition as the others otherwise all four will need to be changed.
View are website at Merityre.co.uk for handy hints about car tyres.
7 Factors That Affect The Rate Of Car Tyre Wear
Factors that can affect the rate of car tyre wear include:
1. Make of Car Tyres
Every car tyre is designed differently to meet specific criteria. Long life tyres are made from a harder rubber compound. This can increase the noise when driving. A softer tyre compound will be quieter but will wear out faster. A car tyre specialist such as Merityre can offer advice on the different types of car tyre.
2. Position of Car Tyre
Front tyres wear out faster than back tyres, especially if the car is front wheel drive. The extra wear is caused by the movement through steering. On a four wheel drive vehicle the front car tyres should exceed 20,000 miles. This is half the expected life of the back tyres.
3. Weight of Vehicle
The heavier the vehicle the faster the car tyres wear.
4. Tyre Pressure
A car tyre that is inflated below its recommended pressure will wear faster because of its higher operating temperature and the extra flexing of the rubber. Over inflation can also increase wear due to the decreased size of the contact area between the tyre and the road.
5. Speed
Driving at high speeds increases the car tyre temperature and accelerates the wear.
6. Car Tyre Alignment
Incorrect alignment of car tyres causes uneven and increased wear.
7. Driving Style
Aggressive cornering, accelerating and braking excessively are all causes of car tyre wear.
One factor that is unavoidable is time. Tyres deteriorate naturally over time due to the effects of the weather. Car tyres on vehicles kept outside will degrade faster than those kept in a garage. Cracking due to sunlight exposure usually becomes evident on car tyres that are five years or older. When this happens, as with any signs of wear, replace the car tyre immediately.
Visit our Special Offers at Merityre.co.uk to see how much you can save off your next car tyres.
1. Make of Car Tyres
Every car tyre is designed differently to meet specific criteria. Long life tyres are made from a harder rubber compound. This can increase the noise when driving. A softer tyre compound will be quieter but will wear out faster. A car tyre specialist such as Merityre can offer advice on the different types of car tyre.
2. Position of Car Tyre
Front tyres wear out faster than back tyres, especially if the car is front wheel drive. The extra wear is caused by the movement through steering. On a four wheel drive vehicle the front car tyres should exceed 20,000 miles. This is half the expected life of the back tyres.
3. Weight of Vehicle
The heavier the vehicle the faster the car tyres wear.
4. Tyre Pressure
A car tyre that is inflated below its recommended pressure will wear faster because of its higher operating temperature and the extra flexing of the rubber. Over inflation can also increase wear due to the decreased size of the contact area between the tyre and the road.
5. Speed
Driving at high speeds increases the car tyre temperature and accelerates the wear.
6. Car Tyre Alignment
Incorrect alignment of car tyres causes uneven and increased wear.
7. Driving Style
Aggressive cornering, accelerating and braking excessively are all causes of car tyre wear.
One factor that is unavoidable is time. Tyres deteriorate naturally over time due to the effects of the weather. Car tyres on vehicles kept outside will degrade faster than those kept in a garage. Cracking due to sunlight exposure usually becomes evident on car tyres that are five years or older. When this happens, as with any signs of wear, replace the car tyre immediately.
Visit our Special Offers at Merityre.co.uk to see how much you can save off your next car tyres.
Ten Creative Ideas for Reusing Old Car Tyres at Home
There are ways we can reuse car tyres at home rather than sending them to specialist disposal companies. Here are 10 great ideas:
1. Raised Beds
Car tyres are ideal for creating a raised bed for planting flowers, herbs or vegetables. A single tyre works well for lettuce and herbs. Use two or three tyres to grow potatoes.
Paint the car tyre bright colours to create a wonderful display when planting flowers.
2. Resoling Shoes
Use the rubber from the car tyre to resole shoes. It is very hard wearing.
Alternatively add a piece of leather and create a pair of sandals or flip flops.
3. Car Tyre Swing
Most people have memories of playing on a tyre swing when they were young.
Just use some strong rope and securely attach the car tyre to a sturdy tree branch for hours of fun.
4. Boat Bumper
Boat owners can attach the car tyres to the boat's sides, to act as protective bumpers. Very useful when docking a boat.
5. Children's Playground
Rather than spending a fortune on equipment from a garden centre, use a little imagination, some old wooden planks and a few car tyres to create a great adventure playground for the children.
6. Forcing Rhubarb
Forcing Rhubarb (growing rhubarb in dark conditions) has been practised since the early 19th century. It produces vibrant pink rhubarb that is far more delicate in flavour than the usual variety.
Place two or three car tyres around the plant just before it starts emerging from the ground. Cover the tyres with a piece of wood to create a warm, dark environment. From December to the end of March you will be enjoying succulent and sweet early rhubarb.
7. Sand Pits
Large tractor tyres are perfect for making a sandpit for the children. Just buy the special sand from a garden centre and fill the tyre.
8. Mini Greenhouse
Cover the car tyre with a piece of clear polythene to create a mini greenhouse or propagator. The thick rubber wall of the tyre is excellent insulation for creating a warm environment to germinate seeds.
9. Table
Place a flat piece of wood on top of two or three tyres for an easy to assemble table, suitable for the indoors or outside. Paint the tyres for a better effect.
10. Composter or Wormery
Three or four tyres stacked together create a simple composter. The warm environment created by the car tyres will make short work of composting kitchen waste and grass clipping. Access the compost by removing one tyre at a time from the top.
Car tyres maybe essential when driving a vehicle but they are also extremely useful around the home and garden.
Merityre.co.uk are a leading UK independent supplier of car tyres. Visit their website for free vouchers, including 10% off your next MOT, free wheel alignment check and free locking wheel nuts.
1. Raised Beds
Car tyres are ideal for creating a raised bed for planting flowers, herbs or vegetables. A single tyre works well for lettuce and herbs. Use two or three tyres to grow potatoes.
Paint the car tyre bright colours to create a wonderful display when planting flowers.
2. Resoling Shoes
Use the rubber from the car tyre to resole shoes. It is very hard wearing.
Alternatively add a piece of leather and create a pair of sandals or flip flops.
3. Car Tyre Swing
Most people have memories of playing on a tyre swing when they were young.
Just use some strong rope and securely attach the car tyre to a sturdy tree branch for hours of fun.
4. Boat Bumper
Boat owners can attach the car tyres to the boat's sides, to act as protective bumpers. Very useful when docking a boat.
5. Children's Playground
Rather than spending a fortune on equipment from a garden centre, use a little imagination, some old wooden planks and a few car tyres to create a great adventure playground for the children.
6. Forcing Rhubarb
Forcing Rhubarb (growing rhubarb in dark conditions) has been practised since the early 19th century. It produces vibrant pink rhubarb that is far more delicate in flavour than the usual variety.
Place two or three car tyres around the plant just before it starts emerging from the ground. Cover the tyres with a piece of wood to create a warm, dark environment. From December to the end of March you will be enjoying succulent and sweet early rhubarb.
7. Sand Pits
Large tractor tyres are perfect for making a sandpit for the children. Just buy the special sand from a garden centre and fill the tyre.
8. Mini Greenhouse
Cover the car tyre with a piece of clear polythene to create a mini greenhouse or propagator. The thick rubber wall of the tyre is excellent insulation for creating a warm environment to germinate seeds.
9. Table
Place a flat piece of wood on top of two or three tyres for an easy to assemble table, suitable for the indoors or outside. Paint the tyres for a better effect.
10. Composter or Wormery
Three or four tyres stacked together create a simple composter. The warm environment created by the car tyres will make short work of composting kitchen waste and grass clipping. Access the compost by removing one tyre at a time from the top.
Car tyres maybe essential when driving a vehicle but they are also extremely useful around the home and garden.
Merityre.co.uk are a leading UK independent supplier of car tyres. Visit their website for free vouchers, including 10% off your next MOT, free wheel alignment check and free locking wheel nuts.
Check Tyre Pressures to Save Fuel
Car tyres inflated to their correct tyre pressure can save the motorists up to 10% on their fuel bill. But a survey by TyreSafe reveals many are ignoring this advice.
The survey coincides with the start of Tyre Safety Month; a campaign to highlight the dangers of driving without the correct tyre pressures.
Maintaining the car manufacturer's recommended tyre pressure can:
1) Increase safety by improving the vehicle's braking, steering and accelerating performance.
2) Prolongs the life of car tyres.
3) Save money by reducing fuel consumption. Under inflated tyres have a larger contact patch with the road surface, which increases drag and causes the car engine to work harder.
4) Have a positive environmental impact by reducing the number of tyres that need to be disposed of and reduce harmful gas emissions from the car engine.
TyreSafe's advice is to check air pressures at least once a month and always before a long journey. Motorists should use the manufacturer's recommended tyre pressure. This can be found in the vehicle's handbook or on a plate inside the fuel filler flap.
While checking air pressure conduct a visual inspection of the car tyre to ensure it is in good condition. Look for cracks or unusual bulges. Stones lodged in the tyre tread should be removed. If in any doubt about the tyre's condition consult a specialist such as Merityre for a free car tyre check.
It's a legal requirement to maintain a tread depth of a minimum 1.6mm in a continuous band throughout the central three-quarters of the tread width and over the whole circumference of the tyre. Most tyres have a tread wear indicator. Look for a horizontal bar of rubber located between the tread patterns, at a depth of 2mm. When the height of the tread wears down to the height of this bar it is time to replace the car tyres.
Other tips suggested by TyreSafe include:
1) Check the pressures when the car tyres are cold.
2) Adjust the car tyres pressure when travelling with increased weight from passengers or a heavy load. Towing a trailer or caravan will also require the pressures to be increased. The vehicle's handbook will advise on the correct tyre pressure required.
3) Don't forget to check the pressure of the spare tyre.
4) Ensure the pressure gauge used is reliable and accurate.
5) Always replace the dirt free valve cap.
Rob Beddis, TyreSafe chairman, says; 'By taking just a few minutes every month to check the pressure of each tyre and adjust it to the recommended level, significant improvements to road safety will be made and motorists could also save money through reducing fuel consumption.'
For more information about the TyreSafe campaign visit their website at http://www.tyresafe.org/.
The survey coincides with the start of Tyre Safety Month; a campaign to highlight the dangers of driving without the correct tyre pressures.
Maintaining the car manufacturer's recommended tyre pressure can:
1) Increase safety by improving the vehicle's braking, steering and accelerating performance.
2) Prolongs the life of car tyres.
3) Save money by reducing fuel consumption. Under inflated tyres have a larger contact patch with the road surface, which increases drag and causes the car engine to work harder.
4) Have a positive environmental impact by reducing the number of tyres that need to be disposed of and reduce harmful gas emissions from the car engine.
TyreSafe's advice is to check air pressures at least once a month and always before a long journey. Motorists should use the manufacturer's recommended tyre pressure. This can be found in the vehicle's handbook or on a plate inside the fuel filler flap.
While checking air pressure conduct a visual inspection of the car tyre to ensure it is in good condition. Look for cracks or unusual bulges. Stones lodged in the tyre tread should be removed. If in any doubt about the tyre's condition consult a specialist such as Merityre for a free car tyre check.
It's a legal requirement to maintain a tread depth of a minimum 1.6mm in a continuous band throughout the central three-quarters of the tread width and over the whole circumference of the tyre. Most tyres have a tread wear indicator. Look for a horizontal bar of rubber located between the tread patterns, at a depth of 2mm. When the height of the tread wears down to the height of this bar it is time to replace the car tyres.
Other tips suggested by TyreSafe include:
1) Check the pressures when the car tyres are cold.
2) Adjust the car tyres pressure when travelling with increased weight from passengers or a heavy load. Towing a trailer or caravan will also require the pressures to be increased. The vehicle's handbook will advise on the correct tyre pressure required.
3) Don't forget to check the pressure of the spare tyre.
4) Ensure the pressure gauge used is reliable and accurate.
5) Always replace the dirt free valve cap.
Rob Beddis, TyreSafe chairman, says; 'By taking just a few minutes every month to check the pressure of each tyre and adjust it to the recommended level, significant improvements to road safety will be made and motorists could also save money through reducing fuel consumption.'
For more information about the TyreSafe campaign visit their website at http://www.tyresafe.org/.
Five Facts About Car Tyres
- There are several different types of car tyres, not just budget or expensive. The type of tyre you choose depends on factors such as the vehicle's make, the desired performance, how you drive your car and the driving conditions.
Five different tyre classifications are:
a) All Weather
b) Wet Weather
c) All Terrain
d) Mud
e) Performance
A wet weather tyre will handle the harsher conditions of winter better than a performance tyre, which is suited to summer driving.
The tyre types differ in the rubber compound used (soft or hard) and the tread patterns. These can affect driving in terms of grip, performance, tyre noise and wear. For instance All Terrain tyres have large tread block patterns that are very noisy on normal roads but have great grip when driving off road.
If in doubt about which type of car tyre is best for you then contact us at Merityre for advice.
2. Over 40 million car tyres are disposed of by tyre retailers, garages and vehicle dismantlers every year. Responsible companies pay for the tyres to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly fashion.
A 2006 EU directive banned the disposal of almost all tyres in landfill sites. Many are re-used after having new tread applied. Others are shredded and used in carpet underlay or for road re-surfacing. An emerging market is energy recovery. It is hoped that tyres could partially replace coal as a fuel source for many industries.
Car tyres can be re-used at home in the garden. Ideas include as a raised bed for planting flowers or herbs, a basic composter, as part of a children's playground or the old favourite- a car tyre swing.
3. Car tyres inflated to the vehicle manufacturer's recommended pressure can improve fuel economy by 10%.
Under inflated tyres increase the rolling resistance on the road and if one tyre is a different pressure to the others an imbalance is created. It makes the car engine work harder, using more fuel.
4. The legal minimum tread depth for a car tyre is 1.6mm. This applies to the entire circumference of the tyre. Most tyres have a tread wear indicator built into them. It is a horizontal bar of rubber located between the tread patterns, at a depth of 2mm. When the height of the tread wears down to the height of this bar it is time to consider replacing your car tyres.
5. New car tyres need running in. A new car tyre is formed in a mould which is lined with a non stick coating. The coating is needed to be able to remove the tyre from the mould. It creates a wonderful shiny appearance on a new tyre but also reduces grip. It can take up to 500 miles to scrub the coating from the tyre. During this time it is advised to take extra care when driving fast, on corners or bends and driving in the wet.
Visit our website at Merityre.co.uk for free vouchers, including 10% off your next MOT, free wheel alignment check and free locking wheel nuts.
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