It’s not until you find yourself facing the prospect of replacing one, two or all four tyres that it really hits home how expensive these seemingly minor bits of rubber can be. Of course there are savings to be made by going for part-worn options, but with the majority of UK road users going the whole hog with brand new tyres, it’s often a case of shelling out hundreds and hundreds of pounds. And what’s more, it always seems to happen not only when you least expect it, but long before you’d ideally have liked to once again fork out for new tyres.
But here’s the thing – speak to the UK’s leading mobile tyre fitting experts and they’ll tell you than in about 90% of instances, motorists could have extended the life of their car’s tyres quite considerably had they only followed a few common sense habits. In fact, it’s possible to double or even triple the life of any car’s tyres by making simple changes not only to the way you drive, but to the way you approach tyre care in general.
So, with this in mind, here’s a quick overview of just some of the ways and means by which car tyre life can be extended in a big way:
1 – Gentler Acceleration
Let’s be honest here – if you’re the type that likes to wheel-spin just for the sake of it every time you pull away from stationary, of course you’re going to wear out your tyres prematurely. Generally speaking, hard acceleration will always put more stress and strain on the rubber of your tyres that would be the case if you took off nice and gently, heading toward your necessary speed at a more relaxed pace. You might not think it’s quite as fun, but your rubber will thank you.
2 – Slower Cornering
When your car is driving in a straight line on a smooth road, the amount of damage done to your tyres is minimal. However, hit a corner at any kind of speed and your front tyres will take a quite hideous battering the likes of which will see them robbed of their tread and generally heading for an earlier grave than necessary. In this instance, it’s also fair to say that speeding around any corners faster than necessary constitutes a pretty hazardous way of getting about, but at the same time could also be putting a dent in your pockets. Corner slower and your tyres will last much longer.
3 – Avoid Harsh Breaking
Chances are you’ll be noticing a pattern by now – one that links sensible and less-aggressive driving with longer tyre life. It’s obvious to say that locking your front wheels and screeching to a halt is going to be pure hell for your tyres every time, but at the same time it’s important not to overlook the damage done by harsh breaking in general. Even if you do have ABS, it’s still a good idea to avoid slamming on the anchors for the sake of your tyres.
4 – Get Your Wheels Aligned
If you’re the type that only gets your wheels aligned when having your tyres replaced, chances are you’ll spending more than necessary. The reason being that over time, every single car on the road will have its wheels bashed slightly out of place by the various bumps and holes encountered while going about normal business. And when this happens, it may look as if you’re travelling in a perfect straight line but one or more of your wheels may be being grinded away sideways at the same time. In the worst instances, poor wheel alignment could see a tyre with a three-year guarantee being worn away to nothing in less than a few months, which illustrates the importance of getting them checked out from time to time.
5 – Check Tyre Pressure
Last but not least, we’re always told to check out tyre pressures on a regular basis and it’s probably safe to say that about 80% don’t bother…at least not regularly. The trouble here is that while you might not be able to feel or see anything wrong with the tyre pressures at a glance, tyres that are even slightly too hard or too soft are 100% guaranteed to wear out faster than those kept at their ideal pressure levels. Not only this, but poor inflation in either direction represents a genuine road safety hazard as the driver has less control over the car. So for the sake of both your pocket and the health of every last person on the road, checking tyre pressures regularly really is of the utmost importance.
Nyla Sharon