Tyre care bottom of maintenance list
SOME years ago I worked for one of the larger tyre outlets and, like any place of employment, it provided some occasional laughs.
The most frequent source of mirth came from husbands purchasing new tyres for their wives/partners’ cars. On perusing tyre prices, the most frequent response was something to the effect: “they’re just for the wife’s car - maybe something a bit cheaper?”
Those four small contact patches each about the size of your palm are probably the most important bits on your car besides other critical safety items, such as, good brakes and reliable steering.
Let’s paint a scenario for you. Assuming you check your tyre pressures, align and balance frequently and drive sensibly, most car owners will get 60 000 kilometres plus from a new set of tyres.
If four good tyres cost, say, R2 000 and cheapies cost R1 000 (in theory only), that translates to 0.033 cents per kilometre versus 0.017 cents per kilometre. In short, said clowns are saving 0.016 cents per kilometre for the sake of saving someone’s life, especially a loved one. Maybe the cheapies won’t even last that long anyway.
But this isn’t a costing exercise nor is it a lecture on morals. It’s about fitting the right tyres to your car and ensuring they deliver good mileage while at the same time and, most importantly, keep you intact.
So, when you purchase rubber again, think carefully and follow some basic rules.
Starting out, stick to the manufacturer’s specifications - maintain the recommended tyre size and ensure that replacements also match the speed and load ratings.
That’s the last three digits in the tyre’s description besides the dots etc - ie: 185/60R14 82H. Typically 82 indicates each tyre can carry a maximum load of 475kg while H tells us it can travel at a maximum of 210km/h.
Now that you’ve parted with your hard earned cash, alignment is next up. Given the state of our roads, we’d recommend doing an alignment check every six months, or so, as a large pothole can quite easily knock your alignment senseless. So, too, can a small error while parallel parking and bumping a kerb - even a soft impact will throw alignment out.
Tyre pressure is critical, too, so head off to a reputable spares outlet and buy a decent tyre pressure gauge. Use this each time you check pressures (at least once a week) and do this at your nearest service station in the morning when the tyres are cold. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines closely, especially when undertaking longer journeys with the family in tow. Slightly higher pressures are the norm here.
On the subject of pressure, remember that running low pressures is outright dangerous and you’ll not only experience excessive wear on the inner and outer areas of the tread but the sidewalls will heat up more, which, again will reduce the life of your tyre. In an emergency manoeuvre such as swerving you’re likely to come off second best as the contact patch won’t be making its required contact with the road. Excessive pressure will result in increased wear in the centre of the tyre.
Rotating your tyres is very important and this should be done every 10 -2 000 kilometres. Opinions vary, but a straight swap, front to rear etc is advised in most cases. If you have directional tyres, this is definitely the only option.
Tyres often get damaged by road debris and if the sidewall becomes damaged you’ll have to fork out and simply replace the tyre, as a damaged sidewall is like having a noose around your neck. If a tyre is punctured by a nail, or something similar, and the hole is small enough to be plugged go ahead and do so, but it’s advisable to use it as a spare, assuming your spare wheel is the same size as the others fitted to your car. I’ve seen plugged tyres perform faultlessly for the duration of their life, but for peace of mind, despatch it to the boot.
On that subject, when did you last check your spare and its condition? This obviously doesn’t have to be done regularly, but make a note of doing it every month or so. Make sure your jack is in place and you have the correct wheel spanner, along with the possible lock nut key. While you’re about it, also ensure your warning triangles are accessible as they, like proper tyre care, could save your life.
