Tyre Check

It may be obvious, but your car tyre’s are the only things keeping your car on the road.

I always suggest to my customers that they tyre check regularly. In fact, most vehicle manuals recommend you tyre check every week, but every 2-4 weeks should be more than adequate. Oh…and while you’re at it don’t forget to tyre check the spare. 

Checking Tyre Tread 

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Tyre Check

A top priority is in making sure that you tyre check the treads, so that the depth of the tread is sufficient for your car to be driven in any condition.

If you’ve ever watched Formula One (F1) you may of seen in action, or heard of something called Hydroplaning. It’s basically when the car’s tyre tread has the inability to cut through water to touch the road, causing the car to “float” across the road surface.

Is it dangerous? Yes, and even more so if you haven’t tyre check your car for the correct tyre tread and depth. 

Simply… the more tread on your tires, the less likely your car will hydroplane, and the less likely you are to crash or cause an accident, the same principles also applies for driving in the snow.

Tyre Depth 

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Tyre Check

In the UK the minimum legal tyre depth is 1.6mm, which is over ¾ of the central width of the tyre around the whole circumference.

Fortunately most tyre’s, have tyre tread depth indicator blocks to show when your tyre depth is down to 1.6mm limit. If on inspection, you tyre check and you notice that these indicator blocks are level with the depth of your tyre tread, then it’s a sign that you need to replace your tyre’s.

For those of you that have tyre checked and can’t find, or don’t have tyre indicator blocks, you can try the “10p tyre test”. It’s an old school tyre check test, but still one of the quickest and cheapest ways to tyre check the condition of your tires.

To tyre check the depth, simply place the 10p into the tyre tread, and if the tread covers the ring of dots on the 10p, then your tyre’s are legal.

Tyre Pressure

Although tyre tread is important, it equally essential to tyre check and ensure your tyre’s are correctly inflated to the right pressure.

Apart from giving your car less grip on the road, under inflated tyres will wear at the edges, and over inflated tyres will wear in the centers.

Tyre check for damage, bulges on the tyre are clear indicator that something is not quite as it should be. Also as a heads up, keep an eye out for any objects that may have punctured the tyre. But if you’re in doubt, and you need helping hand feel free to get in touch, we’d love to help.

To your vehicle health

By Philip Xavier