Buying cheap tyres can be expensive

The Tyres, Equipment, Parts Association’s (Tepa) vice chairperson, Les Richardson, quotes a 2021 report by the South African tyre manufacturers, which reveals that 41% of road accidents happen because of a burst tyre. A further 15% of accidents are caused by smooth tyres.

These symptoms smack of a lack of maintenance and ignorance of the road safety standards among all concerned.

Vehicle tyres are the only contact between your vehicle and the road’s surface. Neglecting tyre maintenance and road maintenance can have dire consequences.

“The contact point between the road and your vehicle is the tyre. More specifically, this equates to an area as long as the distance from the palm of your hand to the tip of your fingers and again as wide as the width of your palm. Multiply this by the four tyres of your car, and this is the amount of tyre in contact with the road,” says Richardson. “With that in mind, why would you be willing to compromise your safety and those around you with worn or second-hand tyres that you do not know the history of?”

According to Richardson, many tyres sold on the side of the road have been illegally imported or written off by the previous owner. “A new tyre offers around 8mm of tread depth. The legal limit is 1.5mm of remaining tread depth. So, if you buy a tyre with 2-3mm of tread remaining for in the region of R200 to R250, that is a very expensive 1-2mm of tread you are paying for. If the tyre has had fresh grooves cut into the existing tyre, that makes it even more dangerous and a worse deal.”

Richardson says most tyres burst as a result of underinflation due to a slow leak or not checking the pressure regularly. With the state of our roads, it is easy to pick up a nail or something similar, and these are prime culprits of slow leaks you may not notice for days.

“When a tyre is softer, it causes the tyre wall to flex every time the wheel rotates. This constant flexing causes heat build-up and the hot rubber gets softer until it meets a hard object in the road, or while cornering, simply flexes too much and separates from the rim, or in extreme cases, simply fails and bursts.

“In wet conditions, the tread pattern of a tyre is designed to reduce the water from the surface to enable better contact between the tyre and the road. Less tread means that this is not performed as designed and leads to aquaplaning, or the tyre not gripping the road.”

He advises that you should refrain from braking if you hit the water and start aquaplaning. “Ease off the accelerator until control is regained, then slow down and continue at a safe speed.”

“We are all aware of road conditions in South Africa – potholes, debris, rocks, stones, loose gravel, poor road markings, livestock wandering around, etc. This makes the health of your tyres so important. Tyres must be able to get to grips with any road conditions you encounter,” Richardson says.

“Don’t let your ‘good deal’ tyres end up costing you a good deal of money in car repairs, or, worse still, medical bills. For total peace of mind when you get behind the steering wheel, visit a Tepa partner for recommended tyres and have them fitted and balanced professionally.”

 Source: Cathy Findley PR