7 tips from Bridgestone to keep your tyres rolling longer
Dinesh Ā· Oct 31, 2023 05:46 PM
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Aside from a breakdown or a fender bender, getting saddled with a flat tyre can be one of the most frustrating parts of motoring. Not only will it delay your journey, depending on where or when it happens, swapping out to the spare could be a dangerous task as well.
While thereās no magic spell to prevent a puncture, just like the mechanical bits of your car, proper maintenance of your tyres can go a long way in preventing a puncture or failure while on the road.
Therefore, Bridgestone would like to share some tyre care tips to reduce the chances of a puncture. After all, prevention is better than a cure.
Keeping a tyre gauge in the car is a quick way to determine if your tyres aren't properly inflated.
Sure, giving in to peer pressure is never a good thing but when it comes to your carās tyres, pressure is everythingā¦ air pressure that is. Driving on improperly inflated tyres is dangerous and can lead to irregular wear or in a worst-case scenario, blow out while driving. The latter could lead to an accident if it happens at highway speeds.
Every car will have a decal on one of the door jambs with the manufacturer recommended tyre pressure. In most cases, the front and read will have different pressure settings. Itās always good to carry a simple tyre pressure gauge in the car as well.
You'll find the recommended tyre pressure decal on one of the door jambs.
Additionally, remember to check the tyre pressure when the tyres are cold, meaning youāve not driven for more than 3 hours or less than 1.5 km. Therefore, the best time would be in the morning once the carās been parked overnight.
A quick visual inspection could also reveal uneven wear, this is another indication of an improperly inflated tyre. Tyres that arenāt inflated to the right pressure could affect the vehicle's ride, handling and fuel economy.
2. Keep aligned with your destination
Yes, you should always be headed towards your endgame but itās equally important for your tyres to be pointed in the right direction as well. Potholes, bumpy surfaces and any imperfections on the road can cause your carās alignment to deviate from the right settings.
Misaligned wheels will lead to excessive and irregular wear on the tyres, not to mention vibrations. Itās recommended that you have your tyres professionally aligned at a Bridgestone Tyre Centre every 10,000 km.
While you're getting the alignment done, might as well carry out tyre calancing as well.
While youāre at it, be sure to check the balancing too. Improperly balanced wheels can lead to vibrations as well, increasing wear and reducing ride comfort.
3. Rotate before rolling out
Tyre rotation also depends on if the tyres are symmetrical or asymmetrical.
Together with that professional alignment, ensure the Bridgestone Tyre Centre has your tyres rotated every 10,000 km. To simplify things, remember to have the tyres rotated at the same time you do an alignment and balancing.
Having your tyres rotated at the right interval promotes even treadwear and ensures the tyres perform as designed.
4. Drive with sense and sensibility
Let's keep the hard braking and accelerating for off-the-road motorsports use.
Apart from meaning driving safely, always practice gradual braking and acceleration. This helps to prevent premature wear. By braking slowly from a safe distance, you reduce the pressure on the tyres, simultaneously, by accelerating slowly, you also donāt cause excessive heat build-up in the tyre that leads to wear.
The tyre load index chart for your reference.
Sensibility also means donāt overload your car. Tyres have a maximum weight rating, or load index. Donāt exceed this or youāll risk the handling with the worst outcome being the tyre blowing out.
5. Exercise those knees
Here, you can see the tyre still has plenty of tread left.
Nothing beats a visual inspection of the tyres and you can do that on your own. Get on your knees and take a close look at the tyre. The first thing to check is the treadwear depth. Anything below a depth of 1.6 mm means itās time to replace the tyres. You can use a 20 cent coin to check, as the picture below demonstrates.
While youāre at it, keep an eye out for cuts, cracks, splits or bulges on the surface. Any of these on the tread or sidewall indicates structural damage and could lead to a blowout. Be sure to head to your nearest Bridgestone Tyre Centre to have it looked at if you notice the signs.
If you don't get down and dirty, you might miss cracks or bulges on the tyre.
Rapid changes in temperature are the primary cause of cracks, along with UV rays and moisture. If possible, park your car in a shaded area to reduce exposure and prolong the tyreās lifespan.
6. Age is an important number
The manufacturing date of the tyre can be found on the sidewall.
Well, in the case of tyres at least. Itās recommended any tyre above the 10 year mark be replaced immediately, even if thereās plenty of tread left. At that age, exposure to UV rays and the elements will cause the rubber to oxidise and harden.
The strength of the rubberās bond will weaken, leading to cracks in the structure. When driven, these cracks can cause the the steel belts in the tread to separate from the rest of the tyre carcass and blow out.
To identify the age of your tyre, you can refer to the picture below. Find the 4-digit number in the oval on the sidewall of the tyre. The first 2 digits indicate the week of the year the tyre was manufactured while the last 2 digits are the year.
7. Spare us the excuses
Never neglect your spare tyre when inspecting the ones on the car.
While youāre busy checking the tyres fitted on your car, donāt forget to do the same for the spare. While newer cars tend to ditch the spare for run-flats, those that still carry a spare should have them inspected periodically.
The last thing you want is to have a flat and find out that the spare isnāt inflated properly or canāt hold air.
āBetter late than never.ā Some despise it, others begrudgingly agree with it but he swears by itā¦ much to the chagrin of everyone around him. That unfortunately stems from all of his project cars not running most of the time, which in turn is testament to his questionable decision-making skills in life. A culmination of many wrongs fortunately making a right; much like his project cars on the rare occasions they run, heās still trying to figure out if another project car is the way to go.
