How To Take Care of Your Tyres
13/10/2017 - Big Tyres
Tyres need to be checked regularly, not only for pressure and wear but also for signs of damage and other issues. Here are our top tips for looking after your tyres to improve performance and safety.
Tyre Pressure
Using the correct tyre pressure is very important, but this is often not straight-forward as the correct pressure can change depending on the speed and load of your vehicle. The owner's manual for the vehicle should have the best guidelines for tyre pressure: you should ideally check any new tyre purchases against this to ensure that they will be suitable. Using your vehicle at higher speeds or higher loads will often require higher pressure to avoid the symptoms of under-inflation. Even a good tyre will lose pressure extremely slowly over time, so regular checks are always important.
Under-Inflation
Tyres which are under-inflated will be too slack and will bulge at the bottom. This increases the risk of damage to the tyre, especially on the sidewall. If your tyre tread is wearing down faster on the edges of the tyre then you might have a problem with under-inflation.
Over-Inflation
Tyres which are over-inflated will be too rigid and will have a smaller contact area with the ground. This puts a lot of pressure on the middle of the tyre, wearing it down faster and making braking and handling much worse.
This graphic shows the shape of under- and over-inflated tyres compared to a tyre at the correct pressure. Car tyres are used in this example, but it also applies to other applications including tractor tyres, truck tyres, turf tyres and quad bike tyres.
Tread Wear
For any vehicle that needs to pass an MOT there are very strict requirements for the minimum legal tread depth. To avoid trouble it is recommended to keep a close eye on car tyres once they reach 3mm, and to replace at 2mm remaining tread. If the tyre is not wearing down evenly then it could indicate that there is a problem:
- Tyres wearing on just one side might not be properly balanced or aligned, and should be inspected.
- Tyres wearing on just the centre might be over-inflated, and should be inspected.
- Tyres wearing on just the shoulders might be under-inflated, and should be inspected.
- Tyres wearing in horizontal bars might not be properly balanced, or might be damaged or defective, and should be inspected immediately or replaced.
For agricultural vehicles which are not used on the road there is no legal minimum tread depth, but badly worn tyres will perform poorly and are more vulnerable to punctures.