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Tyre Safety
Tyres affect the steering, braking and acceleration of your vehicle. Faulty
tyres don't work as efficiently and they don't last as long. They could
even result in you getting a fine and penalty points on your licence.
Tyre
Law
An illegal tyre could cost you £2500 plus 3 points on your
licence per tyre.
It's against the law to have:
- Car tyres with tread worn to below 1.6mm
- A mix of radial and cross ply tyres
- Over or under-inflated tyres
- Tyres with cuts, lumps, bulges or tears
- The wrong sort of tyre fitted to
a vehicle or trailer
Safety
Standards
- All new tyres must meet European standards for load/speed performance.
This is shown by an 'E' or 'e' mark on the sidewall.
- All retread tyres supplied
in the UK must comply with the British Standard AU144e. They must be marked
with this number as this proves they have been
thoroughly tested and meet the same performance standards as new tyres.
- You should only buy second-hand tyres if they are marked 'part-worn' next
to
the E or BS mark. This shows they have been thoroughly checked for faults.
Proper
Care and Maintenance of Tyres
Look after your tyres properly and your car will be safer and more comfortable.
It will also hold the road better and save you money.
Tyre Care
Air is the essential ingredient for keeping tyres in good condition. Air ensures
tyres operate well and it is air that carries the weight of the vehicle and
its load, not the rubber or the casing material.
Tyres should be checked regularly
either at home or when visiting a garage or petrol station.
A Simple 10-point Tyre Maintenance Programme
Tyre maintenance only takes a few minutes if it is done regularly. Here's
what you should do:
- Check the pressure of your tyres. They should match those given in
the manufacturer's recommendations in the vehicle Handbook. Make sure your
tyres are cold when you check them. Click here for more information on
tyre
pressures.
- If your tyre pressures are different from those in your handbook, adjust
them as necessary. Click here for more information on tyre pressures.
- Clean dirt from valves and fit valve caps all round. Replace any missing
valve caps.
- Check for leakage at the valves (especially when you've just inflated
the tyres).
- Remove stones and other foreign objects from treads.
- Have the steering alignment checked if front tyres show signs of excessive
or uneven wear.
- If tyres show signs of wear through wheel locking, examine the brakes
and check the wheel alignment and balance.
- Have front wheels and tyres balanced if there are signs of vibration,
wheel wobble or patchy tyre wear.
- Check tread depth. You can purchase a small tool which is specially
designed to check remaining tread depth. Click here for more information
on minimum
tread depth.
- Look out for cuts in the tread or sidewalls and bulges in the sidewalls
and treat as necessary.
Looking
After Your Tyres When You're Driving
The way you drive your car can cause tyre wear and damage.
Help to protect your
tyres by doing the following:
- Adjust the pressures of your tyres when your vehicle is fully laden
or due to be driven at high speeds.
- When going on a long journey, especially one which involves motorway driving,
examine the tyres both before and during the journey (but remember not
to check the pressures while the tyres are warm).
- Avoid harsh braking, fierce acceleration and fast cornering.
- Do not
turn the steering wheel of cars with power-steering when they are stationary.
- Avoid
driving over or rubbing against kerb edgings or other raised obstructions.
- Try
not to drive over rough, uneven, unmade ground or ground littered with
debris but if you have to, check the tyres soon afterwards to
ensure nothing
has become trapped in the tread patterns. Also examine the sidewalls
for cuts or bulges.
Tyre
Pressure
Having the wrong tyre pressures can cost you a lot of money.
Rapid and uneven
tread wear can mean that your front tyres last you only half as long as they
should do. What's more, you could use up to 10% more
fuel if your tyres and wheels are not running in the best possible position.
If
your tyres are misaligned for a long period of time, it can cause excessive wear
to your suspension system and shock absorbers.
You can buy a pencil-type, pocket
tyre pressure gauge for just a few pounds. This will enable you to check pressures
regularly and reliably as unfortunately
the gauges at some garage forecourts can be vandalised which means they don't
give an accurate reading.
Checking Tyre Pressure
You should check the pressure at least every two weeks. To find out the recommended
pressures for your vehicle, look in your handbook or consult your garage or
tyre dealer. Always remember that if your tyres are warm the pressure reading
won't be accurate. Even a short trip to the local garage will warm up
the tyre and raise the pressure so make sure you wait until the tyres are completely
cold.
Minimum
Tread Depth
Tyres on car and vans of 3,500kg gross weight or less and light trailers must
have a tread depth of at least 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the
breadth of tread and in a continuous band around the entire circumference of
the tyre. Breadth of tread means how wide the part of the tyre is that is in
contact with the road surface under normal conditions
The minimum tread depth
for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes gross weight is 1mm (along with other requirements).
Checking Tread Depth
Most tyres have tread wear indicators which are usually six or more small
ribs across the bottom of the main tread grooves. If the tread surface becomes
level with these ribs it means the tyre needs to be replaced.
Avoiding
Tyre Problems
There are many things which cause problems with tyres. However, the three
things which cause the most problems and cost you the most are under-inflation,
overloading and speeding.
Under Inflation
Under inflated tyres are one of the main causes of rapid shoulder wear, uneven
tread wear and premature tyre failure Surveys by tyre service engineers show
that at least 25 per cent of all tyres examined are under-inflated by more
than 10 per cent. However, please note that over-inflation may also cause similar
problems.
Overloading
It isn't only illegal to load cars, light vans and lightweight trailers
with a heavier weight than they are designed to carry, it is also likely to
cause problems with the tyres. The problems can include rapid wear, an increased
risk of impact damage and premature failure. If you do have to load your vehicle
to maximum capacity make sure you increase the pressure in your tyres - your
vehicle handbook will tell you what the pressures should be.
Speeding
Travelling a long way at high speed on motorways and driving above the speed
limits can cause problems with your tyres.
Tyres which are correctly inflated
and in good condition are designed to withstand the heat build-up at their
maximum rated speeds. However, if tyres are under-inflated
excessive heat will be generated which will cause premature wear and increased
deflection. The result can be fatal.
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