Table of Contents
You’ve just paid out what felt like a small fortune for a new set of tyres and really do not want to repeat that experience any time soon. Tyre wear can occur more often in cases where motorists are regularly driving their vehicle in busy UK areas like Buckinghamshire or for that matter Yorkshire which requires lots of braking and accelerating.
The best way to make sure your tyres last a long time is to reduce tyre wear as much as possible: but is it possible, how effective can it be, and how much of a longer life can it give your tyres? The short answer is: yes, it is, it can be very effective, and following tyre wear reduction tips can give your tyres’ life an extra 20 or 30% – a not inconsiderable amount! Let us take a look at how this can be achieved.
Tips for Improving Tyre Wear
1. Correct Inflation
In the early days of driving, car owners could play fast and loose with their vehicles, underinflating their tyres to gai friction and overinflating them to drive through sticky mud. This is no longer the case. Tyre manufacturing company has used advanced technology and transformed them from mere sacks of air into marvels of engineering, and, as such, they are designed to work excellently within a fairly narrow inflation range, and not so well outside of that range.
Your annual MOT test has, for the last few years, included correct inflation as one of the items on the checklist because this is so important to the correct operation of your tyre. The fact that correct inflation also reduces wear on your tyres is only an advantage.
2. Alignment
The Wheel alignment refers to the way they fit on the axles. The front tyres share one axle and the back another: and they should sit at right angles to the axles when viewed in cross-section from above.
A misalignment of even a millimeter or two is enough to cause car issues: from unwanted noise, to extra friction, to increased pressure and torque on the axle – all of which can weaken the integrity of the tyre, causing it to wear out earlier than it otherwise would.
3. Tyre Rotation
Tyre rotation is one important reason why buying tyres in sets of four has the edge over the more economical practice of replacing them in twos. In most cars, the front two tyres and the outside edges of tyres wear faster than the back tyres and the inside edges – this is quite natural and is down to the forces exerted on the car as you drive along and go around corners.
Rotating your tyres every five to six thousand miles means that this slight difference in wear is mitigated: by moving the lightly worn back tyres to the front and switching the left and right tyres to move the pristine inside to the outside, you are ensuring that levels of wear will be even, and the whole tyre will wear uniformly, giving you a smooth ride from the moment of purchase right up until you finally have to replace the tyres. You can also buy tyres in Buckinghamshire at Broadway Autocentres (phone: 01494 680 914) once your tyres have expanded their useful life.
4. Reduce Weighty Clutter
The more weight your car has to carry, the faster the tyres will wear out. Not only that, but you will use more fuel, struggle to control the car in the event of an emergency, and the whole vehicle, not just the tyres, will suffer from excess wear and tear.
So if you have a large toolbox in the boot, bags of items waiting to be dropped off at a charity shop or the dump, or anything that adds weight to the car without being necessary for that journey, you could be literally costing yourself money with every drive. Keep what you do need: the spare tyre, tools to perform basic repairs and tyres changes, and basic survival supplies – but strip out everything else and see how much more enjoyable your drive becomes!
5. Buy the Best
Always buy the best quality and right branded tyre that you can afford. Premium tyres are much more than just a brand name: they enjoy all the benefits of the latest advances in tyre technology, they are made from the finest quality sustainable rubber, and they are likely to be recently manufactured.
Budget tyres are adequate for short-term car ownership, and they are safe enough to use as they must all comply with industry regulations – but for a smooth ride and long lasting tyres, invest a little extra in an excellent set of tyres, and reap all the advantages therein. Which actually include being longer-lasting – so they save money in the long run!