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Troubleshooting Some Common Problems With Your Tyres

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Like any other part of your car, tyres need to be replaced on a regular basis. They get worn down and may develop small holes that cause them to lose pressure, or the rubber gets dry and brittle and starts to crack. Even before your tyres are ready to be replaced due to normal wear and tear, you may notice a problem with one or all of them or a problem with the car that actually originates from the tyres themselves. Note how to troubleshoot a few common problems with car tyres.

1. Pulling to one side

When your car pulls to one side, you may immediately check the wear and tread on the tyres. If a tyre is unevenly worn, then more of its surface is dragging on the road, and the car will pull in that direction.

However, if the wear and the tread look fine, it could be a defect of the tyre itself. Inside the tyre there are belts that keep the rubber in place and supported. If these belts are not perfectly aligned, this can cause a tyre to drag, and in turn your car begins to pull. Misaligned belts are more common with poor-quality tyres, so if you have a very cheap tyre on your car and it pulls to that side, you might replace it with a quality tyre and note if that fixes the problem.

Tyres that are not the same size may also cause pulling. Note the numbers on the outside of your tyres and if you see any differences, have the mismatched tyre replaced.

2. Vibrations

Vibrations can be caused by a steering problem in the car, but this is also a common problem with poor-quality tyres. One reason is when a tyre is not perfectly rounded. It may then vibrate as it reaches the highest and lowest points when on the road.

You can jack up your car and then hold a piece of chalk in one spot on the ground so that it just touches the outside of the tyre. Slowly spin the tyre and note if you get a solid line all the way around your tyre. If the tyre presses against the chalk or doesn't touch it at all in one spot, this means it's not rounded and may be causing those vibrations.

Have a repairperson check this as it may be something that can be fixed; the rubber may be softer in some areas and may need adjusting to make the tyre rounded again. If not, you may simply need a new tyre altogether.


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