When it comes to a new set of tyres, no one wants to spend more than they have – but equally, nor does anyone want to have those tyres wear out too quickly once they have made the purchase for the best possible price. Here are six effective methods to enhance your car tyres’ longevity, to save you both money and time in the long run!
Start As You Mean to Go On
Always buy the best quality tyres that you can afford. Premium tyres are designed for extreme conditions: road races, difficult roads, heavy vehicles and long commutes, for example. But even an easy commute will feel great with high-quality tyres; and premium quality tyres will last longer than budget alternatives – making the extra money spent a sensible proposition. But this is not to say that budget tyres are bad, or that they should be avoided: even the most reasonably priced budget tyres must adhere to certain safety standards, keeping you and other road users safe and sound while driving. Let’s suppose If you are someone living near Essex and require a pair of tyres; you can buy tyres in Billericay from Elite Direct.
Good Tyre Maintenance
Once you have purchased your new tyres, you should get into a good tyre maintenance routine right away. This means keeping an eye on your tyres, right from the start. Knowing what your tyres look like when they are in good condition, as when new, means that it will be easier for you to spot when problems begin to arise: is that a crack or just a manufacturing seam? Has that dark spot been there all the time or is it perhaps an early sign of a puncture? Keep your tyres clean too – it is hard to spot cracks, dimples, and other blemishes through a caked-on layer of mud!
Tyre Rotation
Practice tyre rotation every six months. Rotating your tyres means moving the pair on the front axle to the back; and swapping the left and right tyres too. This is because tyres wear more readily on the outside edges and front than they do at the back or on the inside edges due to the pressures of driving. By making these swaps, the worn areas are placed in a more protected position and the newer sides are allowed to wear down to match. By repeating this manoeuvre twice a year or so, you will ensure that the overall tyre surface wears evenly, giving you the maximum benefit.
Inflation
So important are inflation levels to modern tyres that it has been enshrined in law as of 2018 that your tyre inflation must meet the manufacturer’s recommendations. Your annual MOT test now checks your tyre inflation – and your MOT test is a check of the legal standards which your vehicle should always meet. In the very early days of motoring, drivers were advised to use their own initiative when it came to their tyres’ inflation levels – in fact, they were advised to reduce it to improve the car’s grip on the roads when it was wet or muddy. Today, tyres are carefully engineered to cope with most road conditions and they are designed to work best at optimal inflation levels.
Tread Depth
Looking after your tread depth is probably the best known must-do to keep your tyres in good condition for as long as possible. This means taking steps to ensure that you don’t wear your tyres down excessively fast. Stunt driving – ‘laying rubber’, performing donuts, and accelerating and decelerating unnecessarily – is a great way to literally burn through your tyres faster than expected. But even things like driving over rough patches of ground, not taking steps to avoid potholes, and frequently using poorly-maintained roads can all take its toll on your tread depth, shortening your tyres’ lifespan.
Drive Carefully
All of which leads to this final point: always drive carefully. Plan your journeys so you do not have to rush or take shortcuts, be mindful of your whole vehicle, not just the tyres, as wear and tear is the enemy of all moving parts – by employing a modicum of discretion, your tyres – your whole car – will last a long time, keeping you and your passengers safely commuting for years.
