Make Sure Your Tyres Summer Trip Ready with These Tips
It’s been a bit of an eventful few weeks for Ash and I and while on the whole, I’ll talk about it more in the coming weeks, lets just start with my car, as one thing we thankfully still managed to do was get down to Basingstoke and see his parents over Mother’s Day weekend. I should probably mention I’m just “OK” when it comes to car maintenance, so I pleased when I notice my Dad checking over my front tyres.
You see I knew they would need changing at some point soon so having a second opinion on when the line has been crossed between legal and illegal is good. It didn’t help that a previous car problem had meant on the inner edge on each tyre had run down, the rest was all in a good condition.
If like me you aren’t so hot on keeping track of your tyre condition here are some tips to make sure you are looking after them as well as possible.
Tyre Rotation
If you are able to change your own tyres then tyre rotation may be an option. This involves moving the tyres from one position to another on the car to help to even wear. Hopefully allowing your tyres to have a longer life.
Check for Wear
One thing you should do routinely is check for wear and tear on your tyres. This, of course, means measuring the depth of the tread as well as looking for any visible signs of damage. Here’s the UK the legal limit is 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters across the width and around the entire circumference. Remember earlier I said about not being sure about my tyres? Well, that’s because it was only worn on the inner side of the two front tyres, meaning it probably was still legal, but we all thought it was better to have them changed.
Wheel Alignment
One other thing I had done before we headed away was have the wheel alignment (or tracking) of my tyres sorted. The fact this was off could have added to the additional wear of the inner part of the tyres. However, perhaps more importantly than they if your wheels aren’t aligned properly it can affect the handling of your car and impact on fuel consumption.
Tyre Pressure
Did you know you should check your tyre pressure once and month? While I try and make sure I am on top of checking my tyre pressure from month to month, I also always check it before heading off on a longer trip. After taking my car into the garage with a tyre pressure of 13.5 I now make sure to get the professionals to top up the air, rather than relying on a gauge at a petrol station. If you are unsure of the tyre pressures for your car, they should be listed in the manual.
Always remember as well that if you notice something off with your tyres it is worth getting the professionals to check them over and places like Tyre Plus can help you with tyre fitting no matter where you are, including having you chosen tyres fitted at home.
So there are some tips from me on looking after your tyres, are there any precautions you take that I have missed?
Pin It!
I must check my tyres more often. I usually leave it up to my dad when hes home! xxx
Haha I have to admit my Dad always double checks mine, I’ve caught him more than once when I’ve popped over.
It’s almost time for a change winter tyres but got postponed because of the snow. It keeps coming and hopefully for not too long. Thanks for the helpful tips.
It is crazy how long winter seems to have just kept on going this year!
These are all great tips! I need to make sure my tires are prepared.
I hope this has helped you with some things to check then 🙂
Thanks for the tips with tyres. Don’t have a car now but when i do these will be helpful
I hope they help you out in the future when you get a car 🙂
Isn’t it crazy that apart from driving it and operating the wipers and radio I know nothing about my car and often pull out the manual for everything. I too rely on my dad to check my car for everything. Thanks for this post
I have to admit I often look in the manual for different bits as well.
We do some research for purchasing the tires for our cars. We recently bought our tires from Costco, who includes free tire rotation every so many miles. Not only does it keep our tires in great shape, but they provide the service for free since we bought them through them. 🙂
Oh wow what an awesome thing for Costco to include when you buy tyres from them!
We love traveling. We spent atleast twice a week traveling and we always make sure that our car is always on a good condition.
Oh wow how fun is that! Good to hear you always check first.
We just got a new car so thank goodness we hopefully won’t have any tyre issues for a while. Prior to this it’s one thing I always forgot about doing and it’s the one thing you should check often before journeys. Great tips Sarah x
Eekk fingers crossed, nothing like getting a new car hey!
Great post! We have had way too many summer holidays sat on the hard shoulder with a blown tyre. It happened 3 consecutive years running!
Oh no what a nightmare for you! I hope you didn’t have to wait too long for help.
Even though I don’t drive, I know the importance of have a spare and functional tyres. Better to be ready than be sorry in case of emergencies.
Most definitely you never know what conditions you may run into.
These are some great tips we need to consider before we go on trip. It is really important to check our vehicles and have a car maintenance.
Having a mechanic in the house, I know my Tires are in tip top shape! He always makes sure to check them out for me because he knows I always drive with the kids.
Oh now that really is like having the best of it all haha!
I hope that everything is ok with you and Ash health wise? But I am glad that your dad was able to check your tyres to make sure that your tyres were in tip top shape!
We are getting there as they say haha!
Hey you came to our home town! Glad you made it safely as the snow has been a nightmare! We’ve just been making sure our tyres were winter ready and now will will look towards summer. Maintenance is key! Great tips x
We come down quite often as it’s Ash’s hometown as well, so it’s nice to get him back there from time to time.
It has its own micro climate at the moment!
I currently have to get new tires and brakes. I’m not looking forward to this at all, but tire maintenance is a must.
It’s hard isn’t it – but worth it to know you are safe on the road.
I have never seen anyone spell tire like tyre! How am I just now learning this?!
Haha it’s the UK English spelling 🙂
I just got my driving license but I do know how important it is to have the right tires for the season. I remember how all the cars were sliding in front of my building a couple of weeks ago, as none of them had winter tires for the snow.
It is scary when you see that isn’t it! Good luck with just having your license.
We are so ready to change tires already but we are still covered in snow. Thanks for the tips! This surely helps.
We had snow at the weekend again, I can’t believe it just keeps on coming!
Having our tires checked by pros is one of the things that we do before we leave for a road trip. It is a must and very important.
It is such a good idea to have it checked by pros from time to time for sure.
I don’t drive and know nothing about cars, I think my first thing I would do is check the wheels were still on my car haha! 🙂
Haha well worthing making sure they are still there 😉
My husband just got some new Mickey Thompsons and he loves them so I want to make sure we are taking good care of them. Thanks for the tips!
Oh wow nice! Definitely, need to make sure you keep them in good condition!
some good tips
Yes I do agree that checking the tyres is really important because road safety is not to be taken for granted. These are really nice tips.
Most definitely cars are dangerous, especially when not maintained.
Vital to never skim or leave til a later date – saves lives
Most definitely, you never know when having the best grip possible will come in handy.
Having good tyres is so important especially at the moment when the weather is so cold and wet x
It really is, it’s so changeable at the moment so you want to be ready.