My favourite time of the year is fast approaching with Halloween, Guy Fawkes and Christmas. However, what many people might not know is that October is also Tyre Safety Month. Tyre safety is one of the most important areas of basic car maintenance even more so with the cold wet autumn weather setting in.
Your tyres are the only part of your car which make contact with the road, your safety when braking and steering depend on them, that’s why I thought I would put together some basic points to look out for when checking your tyres:
Type of tyre: There are a few different types of tyres your car can have, for example, run flats, and radial ply whatever type of tyre you use always make sure you do not mix your tyre types.
Tyre Pressure: It is important to check your tyre pressure regularly, you can do this at most petrol stations. To find out what your tyre pressure should be check your car’s handbook or if this isn’t available you can look up the info online. It is very important you don’t just guess the right tyre pressure as every car is different.
Inspection: Have a look at your tyres, if there are stones in the treads remove them. If the tyres have lumps or bulges have them examined by a tyre specialist straight away, this could be a sign of internal damage to the tyre which can cause a blowout.
Watch your tread: Tyre treads are designed to grip the road when wet, so the lower your tyre tread the less effective your tyre becomes ( that is why a longer stopping distance is advised in wet conditions). The legal limit in the UK is 1.6mm but the tyre safety organisation recommends tyres are replaced well before your tyre reaches this level.
I speak to a lot of motorists on a daily basis and it always surprises me how many of them do not know the most basic car maintenance information. hope that by highlighting tyre safety month and bringing a bit of attention to it that people will start paying a bit more attention to their tyres as far. As I am concerned tyres are one of the most important parts of your car.
As well as Tyre safety I hope to share some information in other blogs on other areas of car safety and maintenance Having grown up in the car trade you assume that everyone has the basic knowledge on these things. I welcome any feedback on if you found this post helpful and what other topics you would like to see covered.
I hope you all have a frighteningly good Halloween.
Txx
Spidersnet