How to Avoid Unexpected Tyre Failure
There's nothing worse than having a tyre fail on you unexpectedly. It can ruin your whole day, throw off your schedule, and even lead to a fatal accident if the timing is especially bad. Luckily, tyre failure doesn't have to be an inevitable part of motoring life. Here are two of the most effective ways to prevent it from happening altogether.
Check Air Pressure Regularly
The tyres of your car will naturally deflate through simple daily use. If left untreated, this phenomenon has a variety of negative consequences both for your comfort and control as a driver, and also for the life-expectancy of your tyres.
Luckily, routine deflation can be easily remedied long before it becomes an issue. All that you need to do is frequently check and regulate the air pressure in your tyres. Once a month is generally considered to be ideal.
When checking your tyre pressure, it's important to use properly calibrated equipment and to only check the pressure when your car's tyres are cold. When your tyres are warm (as they will be after even the shortest drive), the air inside expands. This can lead to a false reading, which in turn can cause you to under-inflate or over-inflate your tyres.
Over-inflated tyres are bad because they are much more susceptible to being damaged by rough terrain or foreign objects in the road. They will also cause the car to feel more "bumpy" during a ride.
Under-inflated tyres are bad because they increase the amount of friction between the tyre and the road, which means that they will undergo regular wear and tear at a vastly accelerated rate.
Make Sure Your Wheels Are Always Aligned
Wheel alignment is serious business even though it's often completely overlooked by the layman. Mechanics, on the other hand, take wheel alignment very seriously and have a whole host of laser-precision measuring instruments at hand to make sure that any deviation from the standard is spotted immediately and dealt with.
The simple fact is that improperly aligned wheels cause a variety of serious issues, such as rapid deterioration of your tyres and serious damage to your vehicle's steering system and fine instruments.
Fortunately, there are ways for the average motorist to check his car for serious wheel alignment issues, without having to rely on professional tools. The simplest method is to stand in front of the car (when checking front wheels), or behind the car (when checking rear wheels) and to look very carefully for any signs that some of the wheels may be leaning towards or away from the vehicle at an angle. This deviation is also known as "camber".
If your wheels are tilted towards the vehicle, the inside of your tyre will wear away at a rapidly accelerated rate. If they tilt away from the vehicle, the outside of your tyre will likewise wear away rapidly. If you notice any deviation, you need to get your car down to a mechanic like Bridgestone Select immediately.
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