Your tyres are not only the only part of your vehicle in contact with the ground, but they are responsible, to a large extent, for your comfort when driving or being driven. Tyres are a pricy investment, however, and it can be tempting to leave replacing them for as long as possible. But there are some signs that you should plan that purchase as soon as possible. This can be helpful if you are a frequent driver and need smooth tyres to roll on busy areas of the UK like London, Liverpool or even in areas like Buckinghamshire.
Let us take a look at just four of them.
You Start Suffering More Punctures
Have punctures started happening once every two weeks or so, and with no particular cause, such as a sharp object in the road or driving down a poorly maintained lane? This can be a sign that the structural integrity of your tyres has been compromised which can happen from regular wear and tear, previous damage catching up with the tyre, or simple old age. Tyre rubber dries out slowly over time and as it dries it loses flexibility and structural strength, until even minor bumps or scrapes are enough to deflate your tyre on you, usually at the most inconvenient moment!
You Have a Slow Leak
Slow leaks are similar to punctures but more insidious and no less serious. They are basically slow punctures during which your tyre will slowly lose air and pressure from barely noticeable to saggy over a period of long hours or even days. If you are in a good routine of checking and topping up your tyre inflation regularly (weekly or fortnightly is recommended) you will pick up a slow leak more readily: but the end result is the same – you will need to replace your tyres before the constant slow escape of air causes harm and damage to your tyres, wheels and axles, or before the slow leaks become frequent punctures as detailed above. You can also replace your old car tyres in Buckinghamshire with new ones from Broadway Autocentres.
Your Tyres Look… Weird
Every driver should get into the habit of checking out their tyres once a week or so, and every time before they take a long drive. If you already do this, you are more likely to spot changes in the appearance of your tyres, which can indicate signs of damage, whether incipient or already existing. These include:
- Dimples or Bulges in the Sidewall: Damage to the sidewall will cause bulges, or dents and dimples in the rubber surface which can clearly be seen as a distortion in the otherwise smooth plane of rubber. This is often a sign of internal damage inside the tyre, perhaps from running over or bumping into something hard and ungiving, or scraping up against the pavement, perhaps when trying to mount the pavement to park as so many drivers do. If you do see something like, act immediately, even if the dimple or bulge seems small: left unchecked the damage will worsen dramatically when the tyre is driven upon.
- Cracks or Missing Chunks: Obviously physical damage to the tyre with missing pieces of rubber are a problem. Tyres are designed to be round with a full contact area and any breaks in the surface are problematic because they will affect your car’s grip on the road, and also form a weak spot that can further breakdown with any use, even on good roads at low speeds.
- Fraying or Bald Patches on the Contact Surface: These are a sign that your tyres are wearing down, possibly to below legal limits. Your tread depth should be a minimum of 1.6mm over at least three-quarters of the contact surface, but it is dangerous and unofficially frowned upon to let them get all the way down to this point. Aim to have at least 3mm of tread depth over the entire contact surface in order to enjoy trouble-free driving.
Your Ride is Bumpy or Noisy
A final sign that your tyres might be past their best-by date is if your ride suddenly becomes bumpy or uncomfortable, or the tyres begin to make a lot of noise on the road, when they were fairly quiet beforehand. Do check on other causes, before you decide that it is your tyres, but once you are sure that it is not the axel or suspension, take steps to replace your tyres so you can go back to enjoying the UK’s roads.
