Category Archives for "Tyres"

How are tyres made to keep you safe on the roads in Brisbane?

Just how do manufacturers make millions of safe tyres?

Tyres are perhaps the most essential piece of equipment on your vehicle. They are paramount to your safety and driving experience. They provide the grip needed for traction on the road and must perform in all road and weather conditions. Most are pneumatic (they contain air under pressure) and there are hundreds of millions manufactured every year. So, how do tyre manufacturers produce the black circles that you depend upon?

Tyre jargon explained

Before I explain how tyres are made, I should uncomplicate some of the tyre jargon we use.

Ply

The plies enable the tyre to be flexible and help to provide the strength needed to operate under extreme road conditions. They are usually made by weaving fibre cords together and then coating them with rubber. They are like the bones of your body – they provide the skeleton that the tyre is built around.

Belts

Belts are formed around the tyre as strength reinforcers. Where plies provide flexibility, belts provide rigidity. They are made of steel wires, and then, again, coated with rubber. Manufacturers have spent a lot of money, time, and effort in the development of belts that resist punctures and now provide the backbone for tyres that can last 80,000 km and more.

Tread

Generally considered to be the ‘business’ part of the tyre, the tread is softer than the rest of the tyre and provides grip and cushion. Different tread patterns provide different levels of grip.

Grooves and sipes

When you look at the surface of a tyre that comes into contact with the road, you’ll notice deep grooves between the tread blocks. These act to expel water. Look a little closer, and you’ll see small grooves cut into the tread blocs. These are called sipes, and provide extra grip.

Beads

Manufactured from extra strong steel and coated with rubber, beads form an airtight seal between the tyre and wheel rim.

Sidewall

The sidewall runs from the bead to the tread. It’s made of extra thick rubber to provide strength and stability. You’ll find all the information about the tyre is embossed on this part of the tyre.

Shoulder

Where the sidewall and tread meet, you’ll find the shoulder of the tyre. This is the part of the tyre that provides extra strength when cornering.

How are tyres manufactured?

There are five steps in the tyre manufacturing process:

1.     Blending

Raw materials are blended to form the rubber that will be used to make the tyre. There could be as many as 30 types of rubber used to form the rubber compound. Other ingredients used include:

• Carbon black
• Sulphur
• Oil
• Various chemicals

2.     Milling

The rubber compound is allowed to cool before being cut into strips. These strips are used to form the basic structure of the tyre.

3.     Building

The tyre is built working from the inside. This is completed in machines, which form the belts, beads and plies. An ‘extruder’ is used to form treads and sidewalls, which are then rolled and cut into strips. Once all these parts have been assembled, you’ve got something that looks like a tyre.

4.     Curing

The tyre is now vulcanised, compressing it into its final shape. It is also here that the tread is finalised, and the sidewall markings are embossed on the tyre.

5.     Controlling quality

The manufactured tyres are tested, with specialist X-ray machines used to inspect for bubbles and voids in the rubber. A test wheel is used to inflate and spin the tyre to determine balance and ‘straightness’.

Once the tyre has been fitted to your vehicle, the responsibility for inspection is all yours. If a tyre is compromised by a cut, bulge, or wrong pressure, so is your safety. See our article “How do Australia’s drivers know they need new tyres?” for tips on checking tyres and the signs that a tyre is past its useful life.

If you have any doubt that your tyre is no longer fit for purpose, please, please bring it into our tyre shop in West Brisbane. A few minutes could save your life.

Keeping you safe on the roads,

Kevin Wood

Is it cheaper to buy tyres online?

How to buy the best-value tyres

In a recent article, I discussed what you must know before buying tyres online. In this article, you’ll learn why online tyres may not be as cheap as you believe.

Do you really need new tyres?

We recently had a customer bring four new tyres to our tyre shop here in West Brisbane. He’d bought them online and wanted us to switch them for the ones on his vehicle. You can imagine his disappointment when we asked him why he wanted them switched.

You see, he didn’t need new tyres, all he needed was to rotate the original tyres. They’d probably be good for at least another 20,000 km. He went away kicking himself, grumbling about the $400 he’d spent that he hadn’t needed to, and wondering where he was now going to store the new tyres he probably wouldn’t need for another 12 months.

When you buy tyres online, you don’t get advice. A computerised and scripted online service can’t:

• Look at your tyres, making a visual assessment informed by years of experience
• Run hands over them, feeling for those little nicks, bumps, and dents that need attention
• Advise you that your tyres simply need realignment or rotation to last another 10,000 or 20,000 km

What an online service can do is put all the onus on you to buy the right tyres at the right time. Then send you to the checkout to pay.

Do you really save money when you buy tyres online?

Of course, the big draw of buying online is the money you might save. Those headline prices and 4-for-3 deals look like saving you enough cash for an evening out. But if you are buying sooner than you need to, like the customer we just mentioned, you’ll go through more tyres than you need. Over the long term, those 4-for-3 deals you rush to make before they expire could cost you.

It’s not simply the advice you’re not getting that could cost you more money when you buy online. You shouldn’t forget that when you buy tyres online, you should consider the cost of:

• Shipping
• Fitting, wheel alignment, and balancing
• Charges associated with disposal of your old tyres

Once you’ve added in these costs, the savings (if there were really any in the first place) may be completely erased. You may even end up paying more for that super cheap online tyre deal!

No aftercare online

When you buy tyres online, you wave goodbye to aftercare. You can’t call an online tyre shop and have your tyres checked. You won’t get advice on rotation, alignment, balancing, or any of the other common problems that affect tyre life.

Beware of cheaper brands when you buy tyres online

Many of the cheapest tyre deals you’ll find online offer bargain tyres. Many of these cheaper tyres are manufactured in China. Are they really bargains?

A Consumer Reports study in the United States tested several Chinese tyre brands against leading tyre brands. One of those Chinese tyre brands was eventually discarded from the study because it performed so poorly in all road and weather conditions. But the major finding of the survey may surprise you even more.

These cheaper tyres travelled as little as a third of the distance that leading brands such as Michelin before needing to be replaced. You may need to buy three sets of cheap tyres to match the longevity of a leading brand. Those half-price tyres online don’t seem such a good investment after all.

Questions to ask before buying tyres online or in a tyre shop

Here are a few questions to ask before buying tyres:

• You may have a tight budget, but can you really afford to risk buying the wrong tyres online?
• Have you the experience to know whether your tyres really need replacing, or could they last a few thousand kilometres more?
• Before you press that ‘Buy now’ button on your computer, have you factored in the costs of shipping and fitting?

Our advice is to always get advice when it comes to tyres. They are the only part of your vehicle that is in contact with the road. They play a major part in your safety and comfort.

For a professional and personal tyre service that you can trust, contact Darra Tyres today.

Keeping your family and fleet safe,

Kevin Wood

What you must know before buying tyres online

Tyre buying tips to help you stay safe and save more money

Buying tyres online are becoming more popular. It’s estimated that by 2020 one in every five new tyres bought will be purchased through online tyre stores. In this article, I’ll discuss whether it’s wise to do so.

Why do people buy tyres online?

This question can be answered in two words: cost; time.

Cost

Look at online tyre retailers, and you’ll be bombarded with claims of lower prices, 4-for-3 deals, and so on. It’s great when you get a bargain, isn’t it?

Time

We’re all pushed for time today, and what saves more time than shopping online? Some online retailers use systems that ask you to click on your make and model, and then they offer a list of suggested tyres. What could be easier?

To buy online, you need some knowledge

Buying tyres are different to buying a new computer, or furniture, or new shoes. For a start, none of these items is critical to the health and well-being of so many people:

• If you buy shoes online and they aren’t quite what you thought, they may prove to be uncomfortable for a few days.
• Drive on a set of tyres that aren’t quite what they claimed to be, and you could kill yourself… and others.

If you plan to buy tyres online, then it is crucial you know the size and type of tyre you need. If this is the case, those online headline savings may now look tempting.

Do you really need new tyres?

Knowing the correct specs for your tyre is a good start to your online shopping experience, but you also need to know whether new tyres are really necessary.

Usually, people change tyres because of tread depth. Although the legal minimum tread is 1.5mm, you should consider changing them if the depth is worn to 3mm, as there may be other associated damage.

In our tyre shop here in West Brisbane, we find that many drivers come in with tyres that are still fit for purpose. We’ll advise them if they have plenty of tread left, and no other damage that requires the tyre be changed.

If you don’t have the knowledge or experience to know that your tyres don’t need changing yet, you could be changing them way too early.

What do you pay for when you buy tyres online?

When you purchase tyres online, it really is ‘caveat emptor’: buyer beware. You won’t get advice. And that headline price may look cheaper, but don’t forget to factor in the cost of shipping and the cost of getting them fitted and balanced.
You’ll need to order in advance, too, and set a time to visit a tyre shop to have the new tyres fitted.

Perhaps I can sum up like this:

• If you are certain that your tyres need changing; and
• You know the tyre size and specifications that you need; and
• You have factored in all the costs of buying online (including shipping and fitting); and
• You are happy that you:
  • Are saving money; and
  • Don’t need advice on tyres…

then, buying online may be the way to go. But, if you’re not sure of all these things, then my advice is to visit a respected tyre shop. One with a long history of serving drivers in Brisbane. Where you know you’ll get the professional services needed to keep you, and others, safe on the roads of Queensland.

For the best tyre service in West Brisbane, contact us today. We’ll help you make the right choice for your vehicle, driving style, and budget.

Keeping your family and fleet safe,

Kevin Wood

How can you reduce your fleet’s tyre costs in Queensland?

The three factors of fleet tyre management

When deciding their policy for changing tyres, the three factors that should be considered by fleets are cost, safety, and the law. Though you might think about these separately, each has an influence on the other. For example, the amount of depth remaining on the tread affects safety on the road. Waiting longer before changing tyres may reduce your costs, but it could put your fleet’s drivers in danger.

In this article, you’ll learn how to balance these three factors, and how your drivers can help to reduce tyre costs and fleet impact of downtime while tyres are being changed.

The tyre law in Queensland

By law, tyres must have at least 1.5mm of tread depth to be legal on the roads in Queensland. This must be the depth around the entire tyre and its width. If you drive on an illegal tyre, you could be given an on-the-spot fine and demerit points. It pays to know when you need new tyres, yet it is estimated that one in three Australians is currently driving on illegal tyres. A new tyre will have 8mm of tread depth.

The safety factor for fleet tyres

Tyres are essential tools for the safety of your fleet’s drivers. Braking distances are determined by several factors, and condition of tyres is high on the list. No matter how good a driver’s reflexes and the condition of the road, braking is dependent upon the grip the tyre has on the road.

If your fleet’s vehicles are being driven on tyres with 1.5mm tread, the distance they require to stop is 38% more than on a new tyre with 8mm tread depth. The danger of crashing in a fleet vehicle is increased when drivers switch between vehicles, as anticipated stopping distances differ between vehicles with tyres at different stages of wear.

It is also worth remembering that not all new tyres perform equally. Even though new tyres have the same 8mm tread depth, a premium brand tyre is likely to perform better than a budget tyre.

The cost factor for fleet tyres

If a fleet changes tyres too early, it can drastically increase costs. The greater the depth when you change tyres, the more often you will need to change them.

Development of new tyre technologies by tyre manufacturers is increasing tyre safety, and so you should be able to change at a lower tread depth. Research by Michelin has shown that changing tyres at 3mm or 4mm instead of 1.5mm leads to an extra tyre change every two years. Those sorts of costs soon mount up.

If your policy is currently to change when the tread depth reaches 2mm, increasing this to 3mm could increase your tyre costs by almost 20% – not an insignificant amount when your tyre costs may be as much as a third of your fleet’s maintenance budget.

How to reduce tyre costs for your fleet

As a company running a fleet of vehicles, you’ll need to take all the above factors into consideration to minimise costs, ensure your vehicles’ tyres are legal, and ensure the safety of your drivers. And your drivers could help you to keep your tyre costs low.

There are tricks that can be used to make commercial tyres last longer – such as never overloading, always checking tyre pressures, and using a good driving technique. But these are not the only ways in which drivers can have an impact on your costs. By using our fleet tyre management service, you can help your drivers take more responsibility for their tyres. By booking tyre services outside of work hours and calling ahead to make sure that the tyre dealer has the right tyre, downtime can be reduced – and that’s a positive contribution to your bottom line.

To find out more about the fleet tyre management services offered by Darra Tyres in Brisbane, contact us today. We’ll help you get the maximum number of kilometres from every tyre in your fleet.

Keeping your family and fleet safe,

Kevin Wood

With these intelligent tyres, fleet tyre management is on autopilot

Goodyear continues to revolutionise through tyre research and development

The research and development team at Goodyear Tyres have done it again. At the Geneva Motor Show, they’ve unveiled three prototype tyres that could reduce pollution, self-monitor tyre condition and performance, and increase tyre life by up to 30%. They’re not available to buy commercially – yet – but certainly, show us the shape of tyres of the future. Here’s a glimpse of the black circles your fleet may be driving on in years to come.

A living tyre that cuts pollution

Could tyres really be the answer to clearing smog-filled cities? If Goodyear’s Oxygene tyre were used on all the vehicles in a city, air pollution could be eliminated. That’s the claim by Goodyear, which has estimated that in a city the size of Paris it would be possible to absorb 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide and create 3,000 tonnes of oxygen. How can a tyre achieve this?

The Oxygene is a living tyre. Moss grows in the sidewall. As the tyre travels over the road, this moss absorbs water from the road surface and carbon dioxide from the air. Through a process of photosynthesis, the tyre turns that carbon dioxide into oxygen. Genius!

It’s not only oxygen that the tyre can create. It also produces electricity. Enough to power onboard electrics. The tyre also has an LED strip that changes colour when the driver manoeuvres – warning other drivers that you are changing lanes, for example.

The Oxygene tyre also connects to the Internet of Things, using Li-Fi internet technology – a system used by Goodyear’s Intelligent prototype, too.

Intelligent tyres monitor themselves

Now here’s where it gets really interesting for fleet managers.

Goodyear’s Intelligent prototype tyre shows just how far technology could take tyres in the future. Goodyear’s Director of Consumer Technology, Percy LeMaire, has suggested that some of the elements of this tyre could become mass marketed reality soon. Here’s what this tyre does for you:

• Monitors wear and tear temperature and tyre pressure
• Reports tyre issues to the driver and fleet manager
• Estimates how long it will last
• Communicates with other vehicles, warning of road and weather conditions

Imagine that. A tyre that tells you when it needs more air, when it will need to be replaced, and alerts your entire fleet to routing problems due to road conditions.

At last – tyres designed for electric vehicles

Much is made of the green credentials of electric and hybrid vehicles. What isn’t publicised much is that tyres used on an electric vehicle have a shorter range. The high torque produced wears tyres more quickly. And the noise the tyre makes is a bigger issue than on standard vehicles.

At Geneva, Goodyear also unveiled a prototype that could reduce tyre noise on electric vehicles and increase range by up to 30%.

Get the best life from your tyres today

Such tyre evolution as being produced by Goodyear’s R&D teams could transform tyre management in fleets. Automatic alerts on wear and tear, tyre pressures and road conditions could help fleet managers cut tyre costs, extending tyre life and reducing fuel consumption. Instead of being reactive to tyre condition, you could be managing your tyres proactively.

Until the time arrives when these groundbreaking features are standard issue on all new tyres, the best way to maintain peak performance from your Brisbane fleet’s tyres is to use Darra’s Fleet Tyre Management Service. Contact us today to find out more.

Keeping your business and fleet safely on the road,

Kevin Wood

8 reasons your tyres are noisy on Queensland’s roads

If the sound that your tyres make on the roads in Queensland makes you grate your teeth or gives you a mini migraine, it probably isn’t the quality of the roads that are the problem. There are several reasons your tyres could make a terrible noise. Contact with the road is only one of them.

In this article, you’ll learn the reasons why your tyres are so noisy. As you’ll realise, eliminating that irritating noise is mostly in your control.

1. You’ve bought a tyre with large grooves. This means there is more air pushing through the tread, and this leads to a noisier tyre.
2. You have recently rotated your tyres (helping to reduce uneven wear and increasing the life of the tyres). The noise will subside shortly.
3. Your tyres are underinflated, making them screech and squeal as you turn corners or take bends. Inflate your tyres to the correct air pressure.
4. You are driving your car at high speed, forcing the air through the tread at a faster rate. This increases the noise the flow of air makes. Either slow down or change your tyres for a set made for faster driving speeds.
5. Accelerating fast from a standstill can cause screeching. It also wears the rubber faster. Keep the noise down by pulling away at a steady pace, and your tyres will last longer. Those boy racer driving tactics are expensive.
6. Screeching is also caused by late and hard braking. Driving too fast or too close to the car in front is dangerous. Keep your distance, stay focused, and brake easier by reacting to the brake lights of the vehicle in front of you.
7. Driving with a heavy load, pushing your tyres flatter to the road. Never drive with an excessive load, and always maintain the correct tyre pressure for the load you are hauling.
8. If your wheel hums and the humming gets louder the faster you drive, it could be that your wheel bearings are not working properly. Worn wheel bearings could affect steering and safety. Get them checked immediately.

Wear and tear on tyres will affect the way your car handles over time. The change in noise that your tyres make may be the first indication that your tyres need attention, or it could be a symptom of poor driving technique.

When listening for a change in tyre noise, remember that driving on tyres that are made for heavy loads will be noisier. For a quieter drive, asymmetric treads are best. Tyres with directional treads are usually louder.

If you notice a change in the noise your tyres make on the roads around Brisbane, call Darra Tyres. Our experienced technicians will help you pinpoint the reason your tyres are making excessive noise, and help you choose the best tyre for your vehicle, the roads you drive on, and your driving style. They will also give you some handy tips on how to make your tyres last longer.

To get (probably) the best tyre service in Brisbane from friendly and expert technicians, contact Darra Tyres.

Keeping you safe on the roads,

Kevin Wood

Top tyre buying tips for drivers in Brisbane

Four steps to the best tyres for you and your vehicle

So, you need new tyres, do you? It had to happen sometime. It may be that the noise your tyres are making is telling you to replace them, or you’ve spotted those bald patches and bulges developing. Whatever the reason, now comes the hard bit. What tyres should you buy? There appears to be an endless array of tyres on the market. Different types of rubber compound. Different treads. Low profile. Then there is the size to consider. And what about load ratings?

In this article, you’ll learn how to make the best choice of new tyres for you and your car. These simple tips will ensure that the tyres you buy give you a comfortable drive, reduce fuel consumption, and, most importantly, keep you as safe as possible.

Tip #1: Know what your tyres are needed for

One of the most important things to tell a tyre dealer when you are buying new tyres is what type of driving they are needed for. These are the types of question you should answer:

• Do you drive at high speed?
• Are the roads you drive on mostly highways and motorways?
• Are most of your driving done on urban streets?
• Do you drive in wet conditions?
• Do you want a tyre that reduces road noise and operates well on wet and dry roads?

Tip #2: Match the tyre size to your car and driving style

The best way to size a tyre is to follow two rules:

• Buy the size recommended by your car’s manufacturer
• Buy the size that is best for your driving habits and requirements

Most commonly, a car manufacturer will recommend several sizes. Among these, you will find the best fit to both the above rules. Your tyre dealer will help you with this.

Tip 3: Gen up on your tyre knowledge

Before you go to the dealer, it’s worth spending a little time researching. Read trade magazines or surf the internet to find reviews, expert tyre tests, and ‘real people’ comments. When reading reviews and tests, remember that they should relate to your needs and driving habits. So, drill down to the details that are most relevant, rather than basing your own conclusions on the overall rating of a tyre.

Also, don’t forget that most tyre reviews in magazines will have been conducted over a few hours or days. A customer review made after months of use may be better. Tyre manufacturers’ own tests are also made over a long period of time, so although you might consider them biased, they could be more accurate than magazine reviews.

A half hour of research will help you make a more informed decision. It will help you acquire enough knowledge to understand what the dealer is talking about when they discuss your needs.

Tip #4: Don’t be afraid to ask questions

The tyre dealer may choose a tyre for you or offer a choice of different brands. Before selecting, ask for an explanation of the pros and cons of each. If the dealer gets too technical (it’s something that we do when we get carried away – we do love our tyres!), don’t be afraid to tell the dealer to slow down and explain what they mean. Especially, ask about the benefits that each feature of a tyre gives you, in your car, on the roads you use, and in the way that you drive.

In a few words – if in doubt, shout!

Always buy the best tyres for your vehicle

If you follow these four tyre tips, you will always buy the best tyres for you. They will suit your driving habits, your vehicle, and the roads on which you drive. This means you will benefit from longer tyre life, lower fuel consumption, and a more comfortable and safer drive.

To get a great tyre deal in Brisbane, from friendly and expert technicians, contact Darra Tyres.

Keeping you safe on the roads,

Kevin Wood

What are the four most critical forklift parts?

Maintenance tips to keep forklift operation costs down

Every machine has parts that it can’t operate without. These must be maintained properly to ensure you get the longest and most effective wear from them. Forklift trucks are no exception. They are used every day, in some plants and factories 24/7. This level of use hammers forklifts and can add huge costs to your operation. Like all machinery, some parts are more critical than others.

Ensuring that you check and maintain these four parts properly will improve workplace safety, increase productivity, and decrease costs associated with forklift maintenance.

1.    All the moving parts

OK, so a bit of a cheat here, but ALL the moving parts must be effectively maintained. You must ensure that they are properly lubricated. This reduces damage caused by friction. Make sure that bearings are inspected and changed when they are worn.

Don’t neglect rust on your forklift. Rust also increases friction between moving parts and increases damage.

If you run a forklift with worn parts, you risk damaging other parts. You will get less effective use, the engine will need to work harder, and eventually, the worn part will cause damage to other parts. Neglecting the moving parts of your forklift only increases the possibility of a very expensive breakdown.

2.    Forklift fluids

Fluids – including hydraulic, brake, antifreeze, and gas fluids – must be checked regularly. Make it part of your daily check routine, and you will quickly notice if something is amiss. Low fluid levels can be catastrophic:

• Radiators should be checked for leaks
• Check the oil
• Ensure that hydraulic fluids are maintained
• Keep the coolant topped up

Ignore these basics at your peril. Daily checks and records will ensure that your forklift operates at peak efficiency. Rapidly depleting fluids will quickly alert you to possible maintenance issues that must be dealt with.

3.    The dashboard

Forklift drivers should have one eye on the dashboard at all times. Gauges and warning lights alert drivers to engine problems and low fluid levels. If these gauges and warning lights aren’t working, you risk lessening the life of your forklift. You also risk dangerous operation.

It is essential that a forklift’s dashboard works, and works well. You wouldn’t want to drive a car without a functioning dashboard. A forklift is not the exception that proves this rule.

4.    Forklift tyres

Forklift tyres may be the most crucial of all moving parts on your forklift. They are expensive elements of a forklift, too, and so must be treated well to lengthen their life and reduce your costs.

Tyre maintenance is essential. The condition of your forklift’s tyres affects efficiency, driver comfort, and safety. Ensuring that you get the best life from your tyres starts before you buy new forklift tyres. You must know how to choose forklift tyres for the job and type of forklift.

To get the best life from your tyres, do these three things:

• Check inflation and loading
• Store tyres correctly
• Educate your drivers to operate safely and effectively
• Know when to replace your forklift tyres

Are you certain that you are maintaining your forklift effectively? When was the last time you benefitted from a tyre check on your forklifts? To find out about our comprehensive tyre services and how they could help you cut costs on your forklift operations, contact Darra Tyres.

Keeping you safe on the road and in the workplace,

Kevin Wood

Can tyres really be environmentally friendly?

What you should consider before buying sustainable tyres in Queensland

One tyre trend that I’ve noticed growing in the last few years is with concern about the environment. More people buying tyres are asking ‘green’ questions, and major tyre manufacturers are producing more sustainable tyres.

In this article, you’ll learn how sustainable tyres differ from ‘ordinary’ tyres, and what you should consider before investing in a set of these new environmentally friendly tyres.

What do people want from ‘green’ tyres?

As the world goes green, there’s increasing awareness of the impact that tyres have on the environment. The biggest and most talked about impact is fuel consumption. Tyre manufacturers have spent fortunes on research and development to decrease fuel consumption. Modern tyres now grip the road better, offer a safer and more comfortable drive, and offer less road resistance. All these factors mean you drive further between refuelling stops.

Next on the list is concern about the raw materials used in the manufacture of tyres. Again, tyre manufacturers have worked hard in this area. Because of improvements in design and manufacturing processes over the years, tyres last way longer today. A good set of tyres – driven on correctly and rotated properly – should last up to 100,000 kilometres. This longevity means less rubber consumption per vehicle on the road. Manufacturers have also worked hard to innovate production processes to reduce or even eliminate the use of harmful chemicals in tyre manufacture.

A third environmental impact that drivers are concerned about is road noise. While it’s important to listen to what your tyre noise is telling you, it is also considered to be a nuisance, especially in built-up areas. A tyre with a low rolling resistance will produce less noise.

Could ‘sustainable’ tyres make an environmental difference?

Sustainable tyres use materials from different sources. Much of the material used to manufacture them is recycled, and the binding process has been tweaked accordingly. They should provide the same driving experience, but in a more environmentally friendly way.

The goal is greener tyres, greener materials, and greener manufacturing processes, without a reduction in safety, fuel consumption, and tyre life. Big manufacturers like Goodyear, Bridgestone, and Michelin are leaders in the field.

What you should consider before buying sustainable tyres

There’s no doubt in my mind that sustainable tyres are the future. But are they the present? Here are two things you should consider before replacing your current tyres with sustainable tyres.

Cost of tyres

Sustainable tyre manufacturer is still in its infancy, and this means that they are more expensive than their mass-manufactured counterparts.

Tyre safety

Infancy is also a factor when considering your safety. Existing tyres and manufacturing processes have decades of history behind them. The new sustainable tyres don’t have this benefit. Recycled materials may be great in colder climates, where they have been extensively tested, but can the same be said when driving on them in the middle of a baking hot Queensland summer?

Of course, manufacturers will overcome these concerns in time. Eventually, sustainable tyres will offer a safer and more comfortable drive.

Recycling of tyres is catching up with recycling of other waste

Here in Australia, we recycle almost 60% of our waste. Tyre disposal has lagged these efforts. This is changing.

The days of seeing huge tyre mountains and landfill sites stuffed with old tyres may be coming to an end. More tyres can be regrooved and retreaded today. And instead of a landfill, when tyres are past their useful life they are equally likely to be turned into ‘earth fill’, for the construction industry and infrastructure projects such as building dams.

Old tyres can even be recycled into oil and fuel, as Australian start-up GDT is proving.

One day, you may be driving on sustainable wheels, with your engine lubricated and powered by recycled rubber.

Darra Tyres – keeping you informed of your future on the road. To find out about our comprehensive tyre services, contact Darra Tyres.

Keeping you safe on the road,

Kevin Wood