What You Need To Know About Tyre Replacement

Posted on: 6 October 2015

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Many drivers often remember to fix everything making clanking sounds under the hood of the car, but forget one crucial component: the tyres. Tyre replacement is also a crucial step in car maintenance. So vital is tyre replacement that it can make the difference between life and death. Many fatalities on roads are linked to tyre failures.

When do you know it's time to do tyre replacement?

The first sign that will point you towards tyre replacement is when you notice a decline in car performance. You will feel a difference in the way the car grips the road in poor weather conditions. If the car handles poorly, you need to do tyre replacement. Another sign is that it takes longer to bring the car to a halt.

Owing to the fact that wear and tear on tyres is gradual, it is quite difficult for the driver to notice a decline in performance. Therefore, it is imperative that a driver checks the tyres regularly to ensure that the treads are not worn out in order to minimize the risks associated with driving on worn out tyres.

Another fundamental aspect you can apply to know whether you need to do tyre replacement is to look at the tread pattern. Apart from treads, every tyre has tread wear bars too. These are small indentations that appear as small bridges in between the treads. They run across the tyre and in between the treads. When you notice the tread wear bars start to become flush with the treads, you should do tyre replacement.

Why do you have to do tyre replacement?

It is important to know that tyres don't wear out simply because of use or age. Many factors come into play, some of which you wouldn't notice unless you check regularly, such as over-inflating or under-inflating the tyres, emergency braking, and misalignment of the wheels.

Precautions when doing tyre replacement

It is better to replace all four tyres at once. This is because it is difficult to find tyres identical to the older ones, if you want to pair new tyres with old ones. Think of it as having one pair of tyres with excellent traction and the other pair with tacky traction.

Also, ensure that you buy tyres of the same make and model. This is because different tyres deliver different levels of traction. You can see why when doing tyre replacement you need to change all four if possible. On vehicles with a differential, variation in the tread of tyres can ruin the differential and drivetrain by overworking them.

Therefore, tyre replacement is an important aspect of car maintenance. Ensure you don't become another victim of road fatalities by simply doing tyre replacement.