Every driver knows that tires are one of the most important elements of their vehicle, but many are unaware that they are also one of the components that suffer the most wear. Tires must be replaced frequently, their cost is high and therefore it is convenient to avoid bad habits that shorten their life and endanger your safety and that of others. You should never forget that it is the only thing that keeps the car in contact with the ground, one of the members of the safety triangle. IF in your day we told you ten ways to save on tires without putting your life at risk, today we are going to review the bad practices that you should not commit again.
Not monitoring the pressures
Checking tire pressure regularly is one of the key points to stop tire deterioration, and it is at the same time, where drivers often fail. An effective system is to review every two weeks. At first it may seem exaggerated and annoying, but it is much simpler than it seems. Take advantage of the refueling and check them at the service station. The most common problems are underinflated, which causes greater wear on the lateral areas of the tread. But don’t overinflate them either, because if this happens the wear will be greater in the central area.
The pressure must be correct. How do you know what the right pressure is? Very simple, all cars indicate the pressure that their wheels need in their doorways or on the back of the fuel cap. And if by any chance, it is not in either of these two, you can always turn to the car’s papers.
We must not forget that tire pressure will also depend on load that supports the car If we are going to start a trip with a trailer or an excessive load, it is recommended that the tire pressure be above 3 bars of pressure. Once the journey is over, the tire pressure should return to normal, to avoid the situations mentioned above.
Climb curbs or brush them when parking
Some drivers use the system of skimming the curb as a reference to park. Badly done. This practice can tear the flank. This area, best known for being where the numbers used to read the tire are located, is the most affected by these practices. In the event of a small tear or lumps appearing, it is important to replace it as soon as possible, since the structural integrity of the tire is affected. The same happens when we climb curbs. It is advisable to avoid uploading them, but if we are forced to do so, let it be at the slowest possible speed.
aggressive driving
Once again, heAggressive driving is a source of problems. Acceleration, braking and cornering above the recommended speed causes much faster wear. Being prudent will allow your tires to have a longer life and higher quality. In the case of having a more powerful car, the tires will be more prone to premature wear, take care of them.
Within this point we must include passing to great speed over bumps and bumps. This practice is widespread. It is true that on some occasions they are badly signposted, but in most cases it is not due to this cause. You should know that speeding through speed bumps and downed guards seriously shortens the life of your tires. The most serious consequence of this type of practice is that you can destroy the alignment of the car, which will cause uneven wear on the wheels, leading us to change the wheel again.
Not rotating your tires
Some will think what is that to rotate the tires? Very simple, to rotate the tires is to modify the position of the wheels of the car. We have to take into account that the tires wear out following a pattern that derives from the level of inflation, the condition of the shock absorbers… This little-extended practice helps to avoid uneven wear. Thus, it is advisable to rotate the wheels every 10 or 15,000 km, but it all depends on the use and wear you make of the vehicle. We have to take into account that the rotation is different depending on the driving wheels of the vehicle and if the car has tires with a directional tread.
Ignore vibrations and irregular wear
When you start to notice the steering start to vibrate at a certain speed notably, you should not ignore it because it is possible that the balance of one of your tires is damaged, or even worse that the alignment, mentioned above, has been modified. There are many reasons that cause these damages; especially the poor state of the roads. It is one of the warnings that your car gives you that you should pay attention to.
But how is it done? balanced? The first thing is to optimize the position of the tire on the rim to prevent the intervention of the counterweights from being too high. The objective is very simple: it is about compensating the heaviest point of the rim with the least heavy point of the wheel, and thus the difference to be corrected will be less. Next, and with the help of a balancing machine, you have to place the right amount on each wheel. This amount will be in relation to the size of the tire, the thickness of the studs and the tread. This way we will avoid vibrations.
The alignment It is also important, as it is necessary for the car to roll correctly. Misalignment is known to be when the car pulls to the side with the steering wheel straight. As we have seen before, speeding over a ridge can change alignment. Vibrations or suspensions can also derive from an alignment problem. In short, the reason does not matter, the important thing is to your workshop when your car is giving you clues through these symptoms. Checking the balance and alignment can prevent breakdowns and major expenses.
Storing winter tires
Not all drivers have winter tires (nor are they needed in all cases, especially in Spain). But if you are one of them you must keep them correctly when you stop using them. You must remember that they cannot be close to sources of heat or on surfaces that are wet or stained with oil, as they can seriously damage the wheel. For proper preservation, tires should be stored inflated and upright if mounted on the rim. If they are loose, they can remain stacked, but they must modify their positions At least once a month.
All these bad habits reduce the life of your tires, but they also endanger your safety. Do not forget them and remember that paying attention to these small details will not only see benefits in your pocket, but you will also enjoy your driving more.
