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?

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