6 WAYS TO MAINTAIN CAR TYRES

Posted On 16 Mar 2022

Taking good care of your tyres is important to ensure they’re not only safe, but also last as long as possible. There are a number of factors that contribute to shortening the life of your tyres, which proper care can help to prevent.

Below is our guide to car tyre maintenance, and six ways to maintain your tyres.

1. Drive safely and sensibly

Safe driving will help prevent your tyres from wearing too quickly. By not speeding and leaving enough distance between your vehicle and the one in front, you’re not adding unnecessary pressure on your tyres, caused by additional heat and sudden braking.

2. Keep your tyres clean

It may seem obvious, but regularly cleaning your tyres is a great way to ensure they’re maintained.

Use warm soapy water and a wire brush, and give the tyres a good scrub. This not only removes dirt and stones from the treads, but also allows you to conduct a much more thorough visual inspection of the tyres than you could without cleaning them first.

3. Conduct a visual check

Every two weeks you should make time to inspect your tyres for signs of damage and wear.

Ensure legal tread depth

In order for your tyres to be road legal, they must have a tread depth of at least 1.6mm. If the tread is below this, you could face points on your license and a fine of up to £2,500 per tyre.

You can use a 20p coin to get a good idea as to whether your tread depth is road legal - if the tread is lower than the outside edge of the coin, then there’s a good chance that it’s illegal.

Regularly checking the treads on your tyres means you’ll be able to spot potential issues before they happen. It’s your responsibility to make sure you’re driving on tyres that have the correct tread depth.

Look out for bulges, cuts and cracks

When checking your tyres’ treads, keep a lookout for cracks that may have appeared. Cracks in the treads are rare, but are a sign of structural damage that will need to be inspected by a tyre specialist immediately.

Cracks, cuts, and bulges on the sidewall should also be looked at as soon as possible. If left they can weaken the tyre, which can potentially lead to a blowout.

Cracks are commonly caused by exposure to rapid changes in temperature, UV rays, and moisture. If you can, park your vehicle in a garage or shady spot if there’s a chance they’ll be exposed for long periods of time.

4. Check the air pressure

Along with conducting a visual inspection, you should also check each tyre’s air pressure. Your vehicle handbook will tell you what the PSI should be - this is usually different for front and rear - which you can check with your own pressure gauge, at a petrol station, or your local Just Tyres.

5. Rotate your tyres

Another way to increase the life of your tyres is by rotating them approximately once every six months (however, your vehicle’s handbook may recommend a different timeframe).

Rotating your tyres means they wear more evenly, which means the treads will remain above the legal minimum for longer and won’t need to be replaced as quickly.

Check out our guide to tyre rotation for more information.

6. Maintain your tyres when not in use

If tyres are fitted to a vehicle that isn’t often driven, the natural round shape of the tyres can flatten. To avoid this, you should try to drive the vehicle at least once per month. If this isn’t possible, you can remove and store your tyres,

Tyre maintenance isn’t exclusive to tyres fitted to your vehicle. For example, if you swap summer tyres for winter tyres (and vice versa), they can still suffer damage, so must be safely and securely prepared and stored to prevent this.

That includes properly cleaning and drying them, hanging or stacking them correctly, and not exposing them to UV rays, extreme temperatures, or harmful chemicals.

For more information, you can view our guide to correctly storing summer tyres.

It’s quick and easy to buy new tyres online

Proper tyre maintenance will help prolong the life of your tyres, but it’s important to replace them once they’re no longer road legal.

Just Tyres has a wide selection available, and you can use our quick and easy tool to enter your reg and bu

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