Vehicle tyre maintenance! How many of you know about it and actually do it? For sure, not many. Vehicle tyre maintenance is something we all don’t pay much heed to. But then let us tell that maintenance of the tyre is as important as the maintenance of the vehicle. If you don’t pay attention to it you end up paying a great amount of money in the end. Maintenance is the single secret of making your vehicles run long. The common vehicle tyre maintenance mistakes that all of us do:
Not checking the tyre pressure: Checking the tyre pressure on a regular basis is probably the last thing people do. Until or unless the tyre absolutely goes flat, it doesn’t occur to mind to even look at it. A little low pressure doesn’t make a change in the look of the tyre. However, this deficiency of the pressure drastically reduces fuel economy and increases the risk of blowouts. So, it is important to not just see the tyre pressure but to get it checked properly at some garage once in every month.
For those who still feel lazy to get it checked, get TPMS installed. TPMS, tyre pressure monitoring system is a warning system that illuminates when the pressure in the tyres drop down below a safe limit. It is a very useful system to enhance your safety as well as to increase the life of tyres.
Not rotating the tyres or getting the wheel aligned: As the rotation of tyres and wheel alignment are not done so frequently, they are easily forgettable. But, then it is important to get them done timely. A misaligned wheel or unrotated tyre cause several issues like unbalanced drive, uneven tyre wear out and etc.
Driving at lower tread depth: Tread depth is something a common man cannot check. One has to visit an expert for it but how often you do that is a question to be raised. Make sure you neither forget nor ignore to get the tread depth checked. Driving at lower trade depth lowers the traction and thereby increases the chances of skit and accidents. The minimum tread depth that is widely accepted all around is 1.6 mm. Do visit the expert and ask for the legal tread depth as per your vehicle and listen to him when he says that the tyre needs to be changed.
Driving on winter tyres in summers: Winters are tougher as compare to summers and people who don’t have the idea, generally buy winter tyres thinking that if they can stand winters, they can easily run in summers too. But, WAIT! This is the most faulty thought. There are several reasons, why winter tyres are best in winters and summer tyres, are best in summers. Using any of these tyres all year round is a dangerous move. If you do so, what all you get is compromised handling and safety. So, either use all-weather tyres all around the year or use season tyres for specific seasons.
Ignoring the damages of tyres: The most common damages of tyres include punctures, cuts, cracks and bulges and irregular wear to the tread. If you suspect any such damage or wear out, do visit the nearest professional tyre service center. Don’t leave this task for tomorrow.
Always remember, tyre damage is not just risky for your vehicle but for your life too. If you constantly maintain it, you can avoid big expenditures and have better driving conditions.
