Tyre Maintenance Tips

Tyres aren’t just an integral part of car maintenance but also important from a safety view point. The tyres are the only contact point of your car with the road. So if you go wrong with your tyre maintenance you may end up going nowhere. It isn’t just about performance, but also about your safety.

Today, tyres are amongst the most neglected spares of a car. Hence, we at CarDekho take up this initiative and bring to you a guide on how to maintain your tyres.

Maintaining Correct Tyre Pressure

Correct tyre pressure is very important for proper grip and better fuel economy. You can get your tyre pressure checked once which will take about 5 minutes of your time. These 5 minutes will probably convert to some cash savings, as you get better fuel economy when inflating the tyres to the suggested tyre pressure. Under or over inflated tyres reduce the tyre life and cause them to wear prematurely. You should also check the tyre pressure of the spare wheel from time to time. The tyre pressure should also be checked if your car has not run for a few days. Generally the recommended tyre pressure is mentioned on the side of your door or on your fuel tank lid. Remember that the tyre pressure mentioned on the tyre is not the recommended pressure but rather the maximum tyre inflation pressure.

Tyre Rotation

Tyres should be rotated every 5000-8000kms as this will help the tyres to wear uniformly at different positions. During rotation, your front tyres are interchanged with the rear tyres. Generally the tyre rotation is carried out for two wheel drive car in which power is either transmitted to the front or the rear. This ensures even and balanced wear and tear of all four tyres. Wheel balancing is required to be done after the rotation is carried out.

Check Rolling Direction

Generally an arrow is marked on the side of the tyre, which indicates the direction in which the tyre should be mounted. One needs to ensure that the tyre is mounted in the designated direction only.

Checking Tyre Wear and Depth

Always check the tyre tread depth. Carry out the simple one Rupee test. Insert the old one Rupee coin between the tread and if the Rupaiya in Hindi is hidden, then your tread is deep enough. If not, then it is time to replace your tyres.

Wheel Balancing

Wheel balancing should be done whenever you replace the tyres or buy a new set. Balancing helps in eliminating vibration of the car. Whenever you feel vibration on your steering wheel, then there is a good possibility of the improper balancing. In such a case, get your tyres aligned and balanced if required.

Wheel Alignment

Wheel alignment is a very important aspect for your tyre life. Always get your car aligned, when you give your car for servicing. Whenever your car hits any solid objects such as a pothole or the curb your wheels may lose their alignment. If your wheels are not properly aligned, then your tyre will wear more quickly and unevenly and it will also prevent your car from running/braking in a straight line.

Smooth Driving

The driver should drive the car smoothly; avoid high speed driving and unnecessary hard braking, as this reduces tyre life.

Uniform Tread Pattern

All four tyres of car should have a uniform tread pattern and one should not mix radial tyres with other tyres. It is highly inadvisable to use different types of tyre brands on the same car.

Checking the tyre rim

You should regularly get the tyre rim checked to keep it clean from dust and rust. The tyre valve should also be regularly checked so that it maintains its air tight seal and doesn’t allow any passage for air.

Weekly inspection of tyre

Visual inspection of the tyres is very important. Check your tyre visually and ensure that all the tyres are equally inflated. Is there any kind of unusual crack or bulge out on tyres? Also check if there are any stones or nails on the tyre which could later result in a puncture.

Shelf Life

Remember that tyres do not just have a life of 40,000km but it also has a shelf life of maximum of four to five years. If your tyres are older than this, then you will have to immediate replace them.

Photography By - Sitaram Swami