Tyre Care and Maintenance

Tyre care and maintenance is pivotal to the longevity of your tyres and safety of you and your passengers. Looking after your vehicles rubber is often neglected. What most individuals don’t realise is how important this is. Tyre care and maintenance should be a monthly or weekly task and includes anything from a quick visual inspection to a tyre repair. Simply put, your safety is at risk when you fail to follow basic, crucial checks.

Why should you care about tyre maintenance?

Tyre maintenance may at times, feel like too much of a hassle. It is not that crucial anyway… right? Unfortunately just to add to your list of things to do, tyre care is essential.

You should care about tyre maintenance in order to save money in the long run. If tyres are damaged, unevenly worn or neglected you would be surprised how quickly this speeds up the expected lifecycle of your tyre. Ultimately there are some things that cant be avoided, such as often driving on a dirt road and travelling long distances. Even if they are getting a beating you should aim for your tyres to last as long as they possibly can without needing to be replaced.

Secondly, safety and functionality are also major considerations. Auto function can adhere to anything from fuel consumption to vehicle control. You should be doing everything you can to get the most out of your tyres.

When do tyres need to be replaced?

Replacing tyres if entirely individual and is based on your driving habits, road conditions, tyre design and a number of other factors. Nine times out of ten tyres need to be replaced when the tread is worn. Alternatively, go by the 5 year rule.

Proper Inflation

The single most important thing to monitor is tyre pressure. Tyre pressure or PSI indicates the amount of air inside of a tyre. Each make and model requires a unique pressure. You can find this on your tyre place card, owners manual or by following a tyre pressure chart online. Failure to check tyre pressure will often result in uneven wear, poor vehicle control and potential tyre failure. There are a number of situations that determine if tyre pressure should be altered such as beach driving or heavy loads on light trucks

Wheel Balance and Alignment

Following a wheel balance by your mechanic or tyre specialist, you will notice a huge difference in your car’s performance ensuring a safe and comfortable ride. A weight imbalance can become evident if your steering wheel is vibrating as your speed increases. Subsequently, you may feel this throughout the whole car. Other symptoms may involve uneven tread wear and compromised fuel economy.

If you feel was though your car is pulling in a certain direction it could indicate that you need an alignment. We recommend this service if your car is pulling to the left or right, installation of new tyres or otherwise once every 2 or 3 years. What this service involves is the adjustment of your vehicle’s suspension. Other symptoms may involve uneven tread wear, vibrating or squealing.

Regular Rotation

A car tyre rotation aims to even out the wear on your tyres. Often front tyres will get worn out quicker than the rear. A common rotation pattern is to swap the front and rear tyres, therefore providing a longer life to your set of tyres. A rotation generally will take place every 5,000kms or when uneven tread patterns emerge.

Tyre Age

If you aren’t travelling long distances or driving continuously daily you need to be aware of tyre age. You can find the age of your individual tyre on your tyre sidewall. Tyres need to be replaced after 10 years but must be visually inspected often beforehand. 5 years is the most common however, they may need to be replaced a lot earlier if you do not follow our tyre maintenance tips.

Repairs

Bud’s Tyres Burleigh offer repair services from tyre puncture repairs to fitting a new set of wheels and tyres. Bud’s is ultimately your one-stop shop for all things tyres and wheels. If you have nail in your tyre or similar you must address it ASAP.

Load

Load impacts tyres more than you think and may contribute to tyre wear. You can find your load rating on your tyres sidewall. The heavier the load the more impact on your tyres.

Visual Inspection

Visual inspections should be conducted often by either yourself or a tyre retailer. The number one thing to look out for that will need immediate attention is a puncture from a foreign object. You should also be looking out for uneven tread wear, shallow tread and other damage.

Brand and Cost

If you want longevity and durability in a tyre, tyre design and quality are crucial. A cheaper option from a less reputable brand will expose you to quicker wear. Tyre care can be easier when you have invested in a better option.

Free Tyre Check

At Bud’s Tyres we offer not only our customers but everyone a free tyre check… whenever they feel they need it. A free tyre check does not require a booking and its a quick process with no obligation to book in. If you don’t need your tyres to be replaced we can give you a guide of how much longer they should last. Keep in mind we may not be able to do your tyres straight after without a booking, we will try our best to fit you in.

Checklist

Weekly

1. Visually inspecting tyres for any damage and immediately booking in for a repair if they are punctured
2. Look after you, your car and your tyres and drive safely.

Monthly

1. Monitoring tyre pressre
2. Monitoring load
3. Checking tread depth

Yearly

1. Come in for a free tyre check at Bud’s Tyres
2. Look into the best tyre for you and work towards it to save money in the long run
3. Reflecting upon tyre age
4. Check your spare
5. Consider a rotation or wheel alignment and balance if needed