As temperatures rise, one of the leading online tyre retailers has offered UK motorists valuable advice on how to take good care of their cars’ tyres as warmer days, and longer, more frequent car journeys, approach.
Mytyres.co.uk pointed out that cold and icy weather is not the only time of the year when tyres should be checked. This is why the organisation gave UK motorists a number of road safety tips related to tyre maintenance:
Despite the UK law currently requiring a minimum of 1.6mm of tread on all running tyres, Mytyres.co.uk recommends that drivers should have at least 3.0mm of tread depth for greater safety.
In order to help drivers to check their tread depth easily, even when they don’t have a tread depth gauge handy, Mytyres.co.uk recommends drivers look for the three letters Tread Wear Indicators (as well as the arrow), which normally appears in the tyre’s sidewall. Adjacent to those letters, there are raised areas set at 1.6mm at the base of the tread grooves. This is a visual warning of when the tyre is approaching the minimum legal limit.
Another essential check is to make sure that the tyre pressure is right according to the guidelines set out in manufacturer’s handbook.Having the wrong tyre pressure not only increases the wear of the tyre but also makes the car less fuel efficient.
Making sure the car’s wheels are properly aligned is also fundamental as wheels out of alignment could end up hitting a kerb or a pothole in the road.
Likewise, it is also important to pay particular attention to the front tyres. Those should be checked for balance, especially if the driver feels vibration, wheel wobble or discovers adverse signs of wear.
Last but not least, it is important to make sure the tyres are clean. Permanent dirty tyres can easily hide potential damage for motorists and end up causing further driving problems.
