There are some DIY checks that you can do between scheduled services to help ensure your tyres are safe and last as long as they should. In particular, maintaining the correct pressure is the most basic part of tyre care you can do yourself - and it makes a huge contribution to getting the best performance, economy and safety from your tyres.
Additionally, your driving style can affect the life and condition of your tyres. Smooth, attentive driving helps optimise tyre efficiency and lifespan, whereas an aggressive driving style will wear your tyres out much faster, regardless of whether you're driving with correct tyre pressure or wheel alignment.
Check Your Tyre Pressure Regularly
- We recommend checking tyre pressure every week, while the tyres are cold - and don't forget the spare.
- Incorrect tyre pressure adversely affects grip on the road, ride comfort, fuel consumption and overall tyre performance.
- Different driving conditions require different pressures. For example, a higher pressure is usually recommended for high-speed driving or when carrying or towing a heavier than normal load.
- Under-inflated tyres, when used on hard roads (as opposed to sand or mud), can be unresponsive when steering and braking and lead to increased and uneven wear.
- Details relating to the correct pressure should be available from the tyre information placard on your vehicle.
Check Tyre Condition
- Tyres will wear with use and pre-maturely from poor alignment or erratic driving styles. To ensure safety, tyre tread depth must be at least 1.6mm or more to help ensure the tyre sticks to the road when braking, cornering and will help to avoid aquaplaning in wet conditions. Bald tyres (less than 1.6mm) are unsafe and need to be replaced immediately.
- In particular, tyre wear on front-wheel-drive vehicles is a little higher.
- Look for cracks and bulges in the side walls, and nails that may have pierced but not punctured the tyres.
Wheel Balance and Alignment
- During vehicle servicing, our technicians will check that all your wheels are precisely balanced, to ensure all sections of the tyre rotate evenly on the road, minimising undue wear.
- If required, we can check and realign your wheels, which is necessary when your vehicle tends to stray to the left or right when driving, or wanders about on a straight stretch of road.
- Correctly balanced and aligned wheels will ensure a Genuinely Better ride without vibrations. It will also aid in responsive steering and help you gain maximum mileage from your tyres.
- Wheel alignments can be necessary between scheduled servicing if you hit a curb or large pothole. Your wheel settings should be checked as soon as possible after such contact. Rough roads or aggressive driving can also be contributing factors.