MAINTAINING your tyres can dramatically decrease your risk of having an accident.
According to aa1car.com, badly maintained tyres and rims are one of the leading causes of car accidents.
Statistics from Arrive Alive show that the failure to attend to tyre safety is a vital factor in thousands of road accidents every year.
It’s no secret that South African roads are deteriorating and are notorious for potholes, which greatly affect the wear and tear of your tyres.
Tyres gradually lose pressure over time. A slow puncture, a leaky valve or poor roads can accelerate this process.
When you fill up with petrol, check the inflation pressure in all your tyres with a reliable pressure gauge.
Be aware of any unusual trends. For instance, if a tyre seems to be losing pressure faster than the others, it could be a slow puncture which can lead to a blowout.
Only check tyre pressure when the tyres are cold. If you deflate a hot tyre to the recommended pressure, it may become underinflated, leading to a heat build-up and increase the risk of a blowout.
Before checking the tyre’s pressure, ensure that the valve cap is still present. This cap prevents dust getting into the valve and making it leak.
Inflate tyres to the recommended pressure in your owner’s manual or the tyre inflation guide decal in the glove box or door pillar.
The wheel itself must be checked for things like grease, or oil leaking, which could indicate a problem with the wheel bearing.
Large amounts of grease on the side of the wheel rim facing the vehicle could mean that a constant velocity joint might have torn.
Carefully check the wheel nuts or bolts to see if they are loose.
Are there any cuts, bulges or bruises on the tyre itself? If so, this is very dangerous – a bulge is caused by internal damage and you are at risk of a blowout.
Assess the wear of the tyre – if it’s wearing more in the middle than on the shoulders, it’s probably overinflated. If it’s wearing more on the shoulders, then it’s likely to be underinflated.
Make sure to have the wheel alignment checked. Misaligned wheels could cause anything from an increase in fuel consumption, to uneven tyre wear and blowouts.
Replace tyres if they’re worn down to the wear bars on the tread. If they’re more than six years old, they should also be replaced.
Once all your tyres have been checked, remember to replace the valve caps.
