Tyres – the most important part of your car

When you next sit in your car driving somewhere please spare a thought for the often over-looked part of your car that actually touches the road surface.

I’m talking about your car’s tyres. Yet tyres often seem to be something that people think about more as an after thought after things like the engine and brakes. But without tyres it doesn’t matter what else you have to make up your car.

Tyres serve four main purposes in a car:

• Provide grip with the road, allowing you to safely accelerate and brake
• Enable you to steer the car in a controlled manner
• Support the weight of your car
• Work as a shock absorber to make the journey along a rough road surface easier

Tyres don’t last forever though and there are several points that you need to keep on top of as part of your regular car maintenance so that you know when they need replacing.

Tyre pressure

If your tyres are at an incorrect pressure then it can affect how the car handles on the road and therefore affect the safety of your journey. Your car’s performance is also optimised when your tyres are at the correct pressure meaning that it makes your car more economical to run. Tyre pressure can need topping up, but repeatedly having to do so may be a sign of a bigger problem.

Tyre tread

When you apply the brakes in your car it is the tread on your tyres that grips the road and helps your car come to a stop safely. As the tread decreases your stopping distance increases. It is recommended that tyres are replaced when the tread depth reaches 3mm in order to maintain optimum braking performance. There is also a legal minimum tread that you must have on your tyres in the UK of 1.6mm.

Tyre damage

There are many hazards out there on the road that can damage the tyres of even the most careful of drivers.Hitting a kerb when trying to park, or more commonly hitting a pot hole in a poorly maintained road can cause your tyre to succumb to some damage. It may that you can see lumps and bumps on the walls of your tyre, or maybe even a cut. Any of these may lead to a sudden tyre failure and that’s not something you want when doing 70 mph on a motorway. It’s definitely best to get anything like that checked out as soon as you can.

Equally, if you’ve had to perform a particularly hard emergency stop you can end up with a flat spot on your tyre – just like the F1 drivers do when they’ve been a bit too keen on the brakes. Again, this can lead to premature tyre failure, or just a very uneven drive on that tyre.

It is recommended that drivers take a look at their tyres at least once a month to check that they are in the best condition possible. If you do need new tyres Fife Autocentres provide you with a great deal of tyres in Dundee. Call them now to get a free quote.

Remember – your tyres are an essential part of your car. They are the only contact between your car and the road. And that contact area is no bigger than the palm of your hand on each tyre. Make sure they are in the best condition they can be to give you the safest journey possible.

Drive safely!

Photo by Imthaz Ahamed on Unsplash