Motorheads will argue over the most essential part of a car. The engine makes it go, one will say. The sleek body gets you all that sweet attention, another will argue. But the quiet-spoken mechanic will win the day when he or she points out that, as the only part of the vehicle to be in contact with the road’s surface, your tyres are the most important. Your tyres can make your ride a smooth or rough one, they can increase or decrease wear and tear throughout the vehicle, and they can even have an impact on your fuel costs.
This can be true for motorists who wait long hours in heavy traffic areas like London, that put extra pressure on their tyres. Let us take a look at some reasons why maintaining your car tyres is important.
Less Wear and Tear
Properly maintained tyres tend to be exactly aligned and balanced. This massively reduces the wear and tear on the wheels and tyres, but also on the axle, the suspension system and further into the chassis. Wheels that are not properly balanced and aligned can be felt in the steering wheel as the tyres pull away from each other or push in towards one another instead of rolling smoothly parallel and drawing the car evenly. Modern computerisation means that getting your tyres properly fitted, aligned and balanced is a matter of mere minutes, rather than the lengthy and rather tentative process that it used to be. If you are looking to get tyres from a reliable tyre garage that uses modern technology, you can buy tyres in London at Iverson Tyres. Technological advancement will help cater to your needs in a better way.
More Fuel Efficient
The simple fact of reducing the friction produced by your tyres is enough to represent a noticeable saving in fuel costs. The easier the car is to move – and the lighter it is (always remove excess items from your car if they will not be needed) – the less work the engine will have to do, resulting in a reduced consumption of fuel: and more money staying in your pocket. You can maintain your tyres by reducing excess weight by unloading the car, as mentioned above, switching to alloy wheels which are infinitely lighter and by ensuring that lubricants and oils are appropriate for your vehicle and refreshed as deemed necessary by the manufacturer.
Easier to Pick Up Other Issues
When your tyres are beautifully quiet, offer a smooth ride, and allow you to feel the contact of the vehicle with the road (as they will when properly fitted) you can become accustomed to what a well-maintained car feels like under your hands. In this way, should something begin to go wrong: a spark-plug misfiring, a blockage in the fuel line, or the suspension beginning to soften – you will pick it up quickly and, with luck, have time to get it to your mechanic for a quick check-up and repair. Quite apart from anything else, having well-maintained tyres means that your ride feels so much more luxurious than before, with fewer bumps and jolts when you are on the road.
Looked-After Tyres Last a Long Time
Tyres are expensive, and even more so as they come in sets of two or four. Sets of four are recommended by experts, as this allows you to rotate your tyres until they are evenly worn. This saves you money and gives your tyres an extra longevity that they would not otherwise have. Looking after your tyres to make sure you get longer between needing to invest in a new set means that you can set some money aside every month and buy the best quality tyres that you can afford – and better quality tyres tend to take advantage of new technologies and are made from higher quality rubber. And both of these traits mean that your new tyres will last even longer, so that the higher price tag is easily absorbed over time.
It’s a Legal Requirement
Your tyres must always be in a roadworthy condition, not just at MOT time. This means being inflated to the correct pressure, having at least 1.6mm of tread depth over the majority of the tyre’s contact surface (mechanics recommend staying above 3mm of tread depth) and being in good condition visually, with no cracks, dents or dimples, or missing chunks of rubber. Maintaining your tyres throughout the year will ensure that any police checks will see you waved on your way, rather than facing an inconvenient delay, the possible seizure of your car, and an expensive rush to get some new tyres in a hurry before you can be back on the road again.