Published on : 15 August 20195 min reading time
We will never tire of saying that tires are one of the fundamental elements of a car. The only one in direct contact with the ground, one of the members (we would even say the most important) of the safety triangle. That’s why they should be in good condition; because your safety and that of yours (even if it sounds like a cliché) is at stake.
In spite of this, the DGT warns us every time an Operation Departure or Return touches, whatever the date, that four out of ten vehicles circulate on the road without having carried out a minimum inspection of their tires.
Already well beyond the wear (with the tread below 3 millimeters, which would be recommended and even a high percentage below the legal minimum of 1.6). There are other car problems that can greatly reduce the useful life of the tire as they cause irregular wear on its tread.
The state of the drawing affects the braking capacity, the maneuverability of the vehicle, the ability to evacuate water if you drive in the rain and also the ability to detach from sand or pebbles, issues especially valued over long distances.
These five errors lead to tire defects. Keep an eye on them:
Inadequate pressure
Wearing tires at the right pressure helps to ensure safety, not spending more fuel than you should… and also not wasting money changing tires more often than usual. It may happen that:
Excessive pressure: The tread of an over-inflated tire wears out much faster in the center and is more vulnerable if it travels on a bad road.
Low pressure: Damages the ends (shoulders of the cover).
This damage can also occur when an unsuitable rim is fitted. Don’t choose tires that are too narrow or too wide or you’ll be throwing money at tires.
Misalignment
However, due to different factors, it is normal for wear to be uneven between the four tires of each vehicle. This is why it is advisable to align the tires (they can become misaligned when driving on very irregular surfaces, catching a deep pothole or even hitting the kerb) and it is also advisable to rotate them.
You will see that it is necessary to make adjustments in the alignment or parallelism between the axles when the damage is located only on one side of the tread. If you don’t monitor the pressure and alignment of the axles, the life of the wheels is reduced by up to 20%, and an error of only 2.5 when adjusting an axle can increase fuel consumption by 16%.
Experts point out that it is common to detect abnormally fast wear when driving with crossed tires when the steering is open or closed, which acts as a sandpaper on the wear. Sometimes they do not exceed 4,000 / 6,000 kilometers total.
Failure of the brake system
It is vital to know how to detect brake problems because a car has to stop correctly to be safe. In addition to this obviousness, make sure that the drawing is not eroded in an irregular way. If so, your car may not step correctly, due to brake lock or suspension failure. If what you see is staggered or saw-tooth wears, you know that your car has a problem that will cause it to wear many more rubbers.
Pressure not adapted to the load
A common problem is not adapting the pressure to the vehicle load. This has to be taken into account when travelling with a loaded luggage compartment or when transporting bulky objects on an occasional basis.
When the car is going to carry much more load than usual, to minimize the risk of damage to the tread, it is advisable to raise the pressure of the covers to the maximum recommended, even a little above, and once downloaded readjust the initial values.
Choosing the wrong tire
In the same way that you don’t wear the same footwear to a wedding or hiking trip, you have to choose pneumonia according to the habitual use of the vehicle, its load and the type of surfaces it is going to cover. How many kilometers are you going to last? That depends a lot on the driving style (smooth, aggressive, intensive or fast), which will also influence the type of tire you choose.
Depending on the terrain you’re riding on, you should choose specific tires to avoid rubber tearing off the tread. In SUVs used on roads, for example, M+S tires can be interesting… and for greater adventures it is advisable to choose specific tires for off-road.
Also, depending on where you live, it may be advisable to fit All Season tires that help you ride with maximum safety in any season of the year and in all weather conditions.