How to
increase the life of your vehicle’s tyres
Tyres
are an important element in a vehicle, as it is the only contact between the
road and your vehicle. It is the friction from the rubber tyres that offers the
grip between the vehicle and the road. In the following blogpost, I will be
discussing some of the aspects that are needed to be looked into.
Tips to get maximum Tyre life from your existing set of
tyres:
1.Wheel alignment & Balancing: To get the best out of your tyres , it is always necessary to
do the wheel alignment and wheel balancing regularly. Even “1” mm out of
alignment will wear out your tyres faster. Also, if there is any defect in your
suspension system, kindly replace the defective component before going for
alignment.
Misaligned
wheels will make the tyre wear out faster, plus the vehicle will not be able to
perform at its optimum level. It will also pull the vehicle to one side.
Unbalanced
wheels will give judder (vibrations) in the steering wheel for speeds above
80Km/hr.
Also
check for wheel shake and roughness from the wheel bearing. If you find any of
these defects, please replace the complete set of bearings on that respective
side.
2.Less maneuvering: Gone are the days when almost
all vehicle used to have manual steering boxes. Nowadays most of the cars /SUV’s
are equipped with power steering.
Advantage
It
is easy to steer the vehicle. It is also easy to park the vehicle and easy to
drive.
Disadvantages:
a.
Many of us tend to steer the vehicle unnecessarily. Especially while the
vehicle is standing, we keep turning the steering wheel, often without our
knowledge.
b. When you are crawling in the city traffic
we tend to look for gaps and tend to dart by moving either to the left or
right.
Such
kind of activities tends to wear out the tyres earlier than usual. It also
wears out the ball joints in your suspension. Hence we need to consciously control
our movements.It is best is to turn the wheel while moving and not turn while the
vehicle is standing.
3. Under inflation: This happens when your
tyres are under inflated or when people forget to regularly inflate their tyres.
In
both the cases, the tyres wear out faster. If you carefully notice the wear
pattern of such tyres (ones which are regularly run but under inflated), you
can see both of the outer edges of the tyres wearing out faster. The trick is
to inflate correctly at regular intervals- the ideal being weekly once.
4. Over Inflation:Some of us tend to over
inflate the tyres thinking they will get better mileage. Some overinflate for
the reason that they can overload their vehicles (This can be seen in some SUV
Taxi’s and Commercial vehicles). If you regularly overinflate the tyres you will
be clearly able to see the symptoms, where the centre of the tyre would be more
worn out than the edges. This causes the vehicle to have a hard ride when going
over bumps, potholes and the vehicle tends to be skittish when under braking
and cornering. So it is always better to stick to the manufacturers recommended
pressure.
5. Highway Driving: When you are travelling for long distances on
the highways and especially over broken patches of tarmac, it is good to
increase your tyre pressure by 2 to 3 psi, as this will give a little bit of
resistance towards acquiring punctures. Basically this trick makes the tyre
harder, so any sharp objects that come across get bounced. If the tyre is
softer it tends to attract sharper objects. On the plus side is also gives
better mileage.
Caution: Do not do this regularly
on a day to day basis, otherwise it will spoil the tyre.
6.Tube type tyres: Some cars /SUV’s still use Tube type
tyres even though majority of them have shifted to Tubeless tyres.
Butyl tubes: Many reputed manufacturers
make tubes which are of butyl type.It is always better to go for such tubes.(Look
for the butyl stamp on the side of the tubes). The advantage of such types of
tubes is that it will retain tyre pressure for a longer period. It is also
lighter in construction, hence less of balancing weights.
Natural tubes: Such tubes are made by
many small time manufacturers .The first thing that you will notice is that it
will be heavier than the Butyl tubes. Normally such type of tubes will start
losing air within air 2 to 3 days’ time. You will have to pump air every week.
Caution: Never buy this type tubes unless it
is an emergency situation.
7.Nitrogen: If possible always fill your tyres with nitrogen, instead of natural
air.
Advantage: Nitrogen helps in
retaining the tyre pressure for a longer time. It helps to run the tyre at a
cooler temperature, preventing the increase in tyre pressure when running long
distance (Normal air tends to expands due to heat buildup). This in turn avoids
blowouts on highways.
8. Avoid jerky movements: While driving always try
to drive smoothly. Avoid jerky movements like constant turning of steering
wheels, sudden braking and sudden acceleration. By avoiding all these it will
directly increase your tyre life.
Tips to be kept in mind
while replacing old tyres:
9. Age of
tyres: Sometimes the car/SUV would have
covered very less mileage (Kms) and still there will be lot
of tyre tread left in the tyre. But take time to notice carefully on the
sidewalls of the tyre if you can observe any tiny cracks or chip marks on the
tyre. This is usually found on tyres that are more than 3 years old. It is
better to replace such kind of tyres in the interest of safety and especially
if you travel a lot on the highways.
Caution: Always go for good brands
with available with warranty. A list of commonly available good brands in
India: 1.Goodyear 2.MRF 3. Bridgestone 5.Apollo 6.JK Tyres, etc. If possible, avoid
going for Chinese tyres without warranty and rebuilt tyres.
10.Upgradingyour
old tyres: When you replace your old tyre try to stick to manufacturer recommended
sizes .
Some people go for upsize tyres. Some manufacturers
recommend particular size of tyre for upgrade.
The
common mistake that most people make is to go for the fattest tyres possible and
lower sidewall height.
When you do so, please also check whether the width of
the car tyre is fouling with the body.
Caution: When you go for a lower
sidewall tyre (smaller side wall height), you will usually encounter a harsher
ride, especially, when you are going over bumps or potholes at a high speed. It
will cause damage to your tyre and also to your rims, especially if it is fitted
with alloy rims. Alloy rims will get chipped and metal one’s will get bent.
Lower side walls are preferable only for racing and
for good roads with no potholes. In India, we often encounter bad roads and so
it will be prudent to choose tyres with higher sidewall height.
Wish you a happy motoring experience !
