Factors impacting tyre life and how to extend tyre life

Tyre Life

Easy operation of your vehicle and care of its tyres can increase tyre life, improve vehicle performance and most importantly improve safety. Here is a quick guide to tyre maintenance than anyone can undertake.

Check your pressures regularly – details of correct pressures can be found in the car manual. Check pressure with a tyre gauge when the tyre is cold as any journey will warm up tyres and increase the pressure reading.

Inspect for damage on the tread surface and tyre walls. Check for cuts, chips or cracks, which can lead to loss of pressure or even punctures.

Check your tread depth as less tread will increase your fuel consumption and performance as there is less grip. The minimum legal depth is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tread width and around the entire circumference of the tyre.

Take extra caution in wet or slippery conditions as you are more likely to have an accident in wet weather as in the dry. The stopping distance of a car in wet conditions can be twice that of dry weather.

Only load/tow within the parameters defined by the manufacturer. Overloading or towing excess weight will cause early tread wear and may reduce overall safety.

Tyre Pressure

Maintaining the correct tyre pressure for your vehicle ensures that the performance and safety criteria as within the bands defined by the manufacturer. Modern cars are complex machines that have numerous sub-systems working together to ensure maximum efficiency and optimum performance. If any one of these is not working to peak performance then it has an impact on the vehicle. The engine management system will help keep fuel flows, exhaust emission etc. within parameters. Incorrect tyres pressures will lead to increased fuel consumption, increased braking distances and reduced safety.

Incorrect tyre inflation can reduce tyre life by by as much as 70% with even a small reduction in the inflation of tyres.

Fuel efficiency

Under-inflation increases the amount of the tyre's tread that is in contact with the road surface leading to increased friction and higher fuel consumption.

Check your pressures regularly and always before a long journey.Check pressures when the tyres are cold Follow guidance in drivers handbook for tyre pressures under different load and towing conditions.