Running a car is expensive business nowadays. The relatively high cost of petrol has met with rising costs elsewhere, and, alongside conventional running costs like insurance, has made owning a vehicle more of a luxury than it once was. Maintaining your car is easily the most expensive part, particularly when parts are destined for failure. As an example, you can expect to get up to 10 years or 20,000 miles out of your tyres, whichever comes first.
In these penny-pinching times, every little helps – particularly with avoiding unnecessary trips to the local garage. Engine failures are rare, but tyre wear is inevitable – as is replacing them. Of course, buying a new set of tyres online is not only a necessity at some point, but also an affordable way to keep your car safe and road-legal. Still, in the interests of both cutting costs and cutting waste, you should be doing everything in your power to make your tyres go as long as they can. What are some ideal ways to do this?
Check Your Tread
Your tyre treads are often the leading factor in precipitating a tyre change. In order for your tyres to be road legal, their treads must measure a depth of at least 1.6mm. But checking your treads can be much more useful than simply telling the legality of your tyres.
The pattern of wear can indicate how ‘true’ your wheels are. Uneven wear could indicate poor tyre alignment, or differences in air pressure. Simply put, your treads are a powerful diagnostic tool for identifying potential tyre issues and rectifying them.
Keep Your Car Shaded
Tyres are made from complex rubber compounds, that provide grip and structural stability in one. Their composition, though, leaves them susceptible to UV rays – which can denature the rubber in the tyres and weaken your tyre overall.
Keeping your car in the shade when parked can reduce the amount of UV your tyres are exposed to, ensuring they remain supple and firm throughout their life span. Tyre jackets could be used where garage or other shaded parking is not a possibility.
Swap Your Tyres
As mentioned earlier, wheel alignment or even just the distribution of weight in your car can lead to a difference in the rate of wear. Wheel alignment is the real long-term solution for this, but the short-term solution for making your tyres last as long as possible would be to swap them around. This way, tyres get worn evenly over time, without any one tyre failing first.
Drive Carefully
The most effective way to make your tyres last is to ensure you do not test them with your driving. Taking potholes at speed is bound to damage your tyres, as are careless parking maneouvres. Pushing high speeds can weaken tyre walls, particularly in non-sports-optimised sets, while braking hard and late can increase wear significantly.
