You might not give it much thought — until the darn things blow out while you’re driving in the middle of nowhere and you step out only to discover there isn’t any signal for your phone. You can’t call a tow truck. And you forgot to buy a new spare tyre.
Unlike scratches on the hood or peeling paint, your car tyre’s might not get such quick attention, which is not something you want to do. Flat tyres are easy; it’s worn out treads and ageing tyres that have the potential to endanger your life, and those of others, on the road.
But your safety is not the only benefit to checking your tyres. How your car handles on certain driving situations, fuel efficiency, and its performance are all going to be affected by poorly maintained tyres.
Clearly, you want to pay close attention the condition of your tyres. Here are five telltale signs that indicate you need to change your tyres:
1. Visible signs of ageing.
Did you know that tyres age even when you aren’t using them? Tyre age is affected by a number of factors: temperature, storage, maintenance, load, speed, and driving style, among others. So while the manufacturer might say that your tyres, for instance, have over five years of good life, your frequent speed and driving style might put your tyre’s life span closer to three years.
Instead of waiting out the five or so years to check on your tyres, keep an eye on it for visible signs of ageing — including the spare. Look for cracking or deformation. Tyre manufacturers also recommend doing an extensive check after five years, even when your tyres don’t show signs of ageing.
2. Abnormalities in the patches, centre, and edges.
Uneven and abnormal tyre wear may be caused by incorrect wheel alignment. It could also occur when your tyres do not have sufficient pressure (which is dangerous when you drive because you could lose control of your car!) or that there is a problem with the transmission, suspension, or wheel balance.
3. Tyre wear is beyond the legal limit.
The minimum tread depth is at 1.6mm, across the central three quarters of the tyre. You’ll want to change your tyres before you hit this limit because your tyres might not be safe for use on the road.
4. It’s been punctured.
Other than some unscrupulous, vindictive person doing it on purpose, certain road conditions could puncture your tyres, too. Let a car mechanic check it thoroughly before doing any long-distance driving and if there are perforations, have them changed.
5. You’re using the wrong set of tyres for your car.
Finally, if for some reason you end up getting tyres that are not specified for the make and model of your car, wear and tear could set in sooner than you think. Not only that, your car’s performance will also be affected with the wrong set of tyres. If you’re buying a car that happens to have the wrong set of tyres, best to replace them with the manufacturer’s recommended tyres.