Category Archives for "Tyres"

0 The Dangers of Driving on Part Worn Poor Quality Tyres

What risk are you taking behind the wheel of poor quality tyres?

No matter how good a driver you are, if your tyres aren’t up to scratch you’re putting your life in danger. More importantly, you’re putting other people’s lives at risk. Poor quality tyres includes partly worn tyres, even if they were once high quality.

A survey in Australia last year found that almost half of all drivers did not know if their tyres were legal or not. Nearly a third of drivers quizzed in the survey admitted that they drove on worn tyres they thought were illegal.

In this post, I’ll look at some of the dangers of driving on part worn tyres that are, in fact, illegal. You’ll also discover how to ensure easily that your worn tyres meet the legal requirements.

Women are more at risk than men

The Canstar Blue survey questioned 1,600 drivers in early 2015. It found that:

• 40% of Australian drivers don’t know the law on tyre safety standards
• 29% believe they have driven on illegal tyres
• 25% don’t know what the correct air pressure for their tyres is, or where to find their tyre pressure guide
• 20% don’t know how to check their tyres for wear

Perhaps most disturbingly, female drivers are:

• two times more likely to not know about tyre safety standards; and
• three times less likely to know how to check their tyres are safe and legal.

What job do tyres do?

Your tyres are an essential part of your car. They help you stick to the road in all conditions. A good tyre properly inflated will reduce fuel consumption and improve the driving experience. In wet weather, they push water away and stop you from aquaplaning.

If you’re driving at 100 kilometres per hour, each of your tyres might have to expel as much as nine litres of water every second in wet conditions. If they didn’t do this, you’d feel like you were driving on ice.

It’s the tread and tread depth which enables the tyre to cope with this amount of water on the road. If you drive on a worn tyre, the grip is destroyed. You might as well be driving in the Arctic. You can imagine the devastation a 100 kilometre-per-hour crash causes. And all because you didn’t know how to check your tyres.

What is a legal tyre, and how do you check on wear?

Under Australian law, you must have at least 1.5mm of the tread where the tyre contacts the road. We used to check this with coin edges. Not very scientific, and not very accurate. Fortunately, most tyres now have tread wear indicator bars. When the tread has worn down to the limit, the tread bar will be level with the tread.

Tyre wear is caused by a range of factors. The roads on which you drive and the weather conditions in which you drive are two of the things that you have little to no control over. But excessive speed, late and violent braking, and driving corners too fast all add to tyre wear. Driving poorly not only increases the possibility that you’ll have an accident, but it also increases the cost of driving.

Don’t stop at checking tread

Tyres have a limited life irrespective of how you drive. Excessive heat or sunlight will deteriorate the rubber. Every time you rub the sidewall against the kerb when parking, a little bit more damage is caused to your tyre.

Tread wear is easier to spot than sidewall wear or other damage. Don’t forget that a spare tyre might not be roadworthy, even if it has never been used before.

Whenever you have your tyres replaced, get the spare checked. And if you’re not sure how to check your tyres to see if they are part worn, bring your car to us, and we’ll show you how.

Don’t be embarrassed that you don’t know the legal limits or how to check your tyre for wear – you’re in the company of almost half of all Australia’s drivers. Getting your tyres checked regularly will put you into the elite driver category – those who make sure their tyres are legal and that road safety is a priority.

Contact Darra Tyres today on (07) 3333 5510. We’re here to serve.

Cheers,

Kevin Wood

0 Where is the best tyre pressure guide for your car?

Best Tyre Pressure Guides are for you car and driving conditions not the tyre.

When I discussed the risks of getting your tyre pressure check wrong in my last post, I pointed out that most people make the mistake of looking at the numbers on the tyres when checking what tyre pressure they need to inflate to (rather than the cars tyre pressure guide). The tyre number is the tyre manufacturer’s recommended maximum for that particular tyre. The best tyre pressure that you should use will most likely be lower than this.

In this post, I’ll explain where to find the tyre pressure guide for your car,  and how to make sure your tyres are always inflated correctly.

What it the best tyre pressure for your car?

The majority of cars have a tyre pressure guide label on the inside of the driver’s door frame – commonly on the pillar. Sometimes you’ll find this label on the side of the glove compartment or the glove compartment door. Some manufacturers ‘hide’ it on the inside of the fuel filler door.

If you can’t find the pressure guide in any of these places, then you’ll need to refer to the owner’s manual, which came with the car.

You can check your tyre pressure with a good pressure gauge. Generally, the more you spend on a gauge, the more accurate it will be. However, you don’t have to spend any money on fancy tools and instruments to make sure your tyre pressure is right.

The easy way to check tyre pressure

Take your car to the nearest petrol station with an air station, and follow these steps:

1. Make sure your tyres are cold. Heat expands the air in a tyre, so ideally you shouldn’t have driven more than a couple of kilometres before checking tyre pressure. If you’ve driven further than this, have a coffee, read a newspaper, or take a ten-minute stroll.
2. Locate the lowest number on your tyre pressure guide. This is the cold tyre pressure recommended by the car manufacturer.
3. Set the air compressor to the manufacturer’s recommended pressure. You’ll be able to either read your tyre pressure or inflate the tyre to the pressure you’ve set.
4. Unscrew the valve cap from the stem on the tyre, and connect the air pressure gauge to the tyre valve. If it hisses, the gauge isn’t plugged in correctly.
5. Check the pressure reading is the same as the manufacturer’s recommended pressure. If it isn’t, inflate to the right pressure. Replace the valve cap.
6. Repeat for all tyres on your car.

Factors that make a difference to tyre pressure

In hot weather, tyre pressures rise, while in cold weather they fall. So it’s especially important to check your tyre pressure when the weather changes.

If you’re carrying an extra heavy load, you may need to inflate to higher than the recommended pressure – but never exceed the maximum PSI on the tyre sidewall.

Never make a judgment about tyre pressure by just looking at the tyres. Modern tyres can be deceptive, and often look underinflated when they’re not.

A word or warning about pressure gauges at petrol stations

It’s always best to spend a few dollars on an accurate pressure gauge. Petrol station air pumps are free, but they suffer a lot of abuse, and may not be calibrated accurately. So use the above method to check tyre pressure, but understand that your tyres might still be inflated to the wrong PSI.

If you have any doubts about the correct pressure for your tyres, or if you might have a slow leak, call into our tyre shop, or contact us on 3375 3566 to put your mind at rest.

Keeping your family and fleet safely on the road,

Kevin Wood

0 Tyre Centre Tips – The risks of getting your tyre pressure check wrong

Tyre Centre Tips – Tyre Pressure, a couple of minutes each month could save your life and your pocket.

One of the common mistakes made by drivers is to inflate their tyres wrongly. When you do this, you risk your safety and comfort.  In this post, I’ll explain what could happen when you either over inflate or under inflate your tyre pressure. The Darra tyre centre experts will show you how most people get their tyre pressure check wrong, and why so many tyres ‘leak’ air.

What is tyre pressure?

Tyre pressure is the way that you measure how much air is in your car’s tyres. It’s measured in pounds per square inch (PSI), and you should check the pressures of all your tyres at least once a month.

If you don’t have the right tyre pressures, your driving will be compromised. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that your tyres are probably the second most important safety device on your car – second only to your brakes. You can save your life by proper tyre rotation, but only if they are properly inflated, too.

What could happen if your tyres aren’t properly inflated?

Improperly inflated tyres make for a less comfortable journey. You’ll bounce around a lot more, cornering will be compromised, and braking ability will be reduced. You could also find that your wheel alignment is knocked out of position.

In the worst case, it’s possible that your tyre could blow – most likely while travelling at high speed. If you’re lucky, the worst that will happen is reduced tyre life and a few less kilometres per litre of fuel.

What happens if you overinflate your tyres?

When your tyre pressure is too high, less of the tyre will be in contact with the road. Your drive will feel more bouncy. Because there is less contact on the road, your braking suffers. Wear will be uneven, causing bald patches and increases the risk of an accident.

What happens if you underinflate your tyres?

If you don’t have enough air in your tyres, there will be more rubber against the tarmac. Road friction will increase, and your tyres will degrade faster. Because of the extra friction, you’ll use more fuel.

With more of your tyre in contact with the road, overheating becomes a problem – especially in the summer months and on motorways. While blowouts don’t happen often, when they do, low pressure is a common factor.

If your tyres squeal when you are driving round corners, the chances are that your tyre pressure is low.

If your tyres appear to leak, should you be worried?

Tyres naturally lose air (pressure) over time. This is most likely due to temperature changes. According to the experts at Goodyear, every 10 degrees drop in temperature causes a fall of one to two pounds of pressure.

If the temperature hasn’t fallen and your tyres appear to be a little on the flat side, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they have a leak. It could be that air is leaking through the valve stem or where the tyre is in contact with the wheel. The safe thing to do is to get your tyres and wheels checked if you suspect you’ve got a leak.

Why most people get their tyre pressure wrong

Most people drive around with incorrectly inflated tyres. That’s because they make the most common mistake that drivers make. Instead of inflating to the recommended pressure, they look at the markings on the tyre and inflate to that pressure. These markings simply tell you the maximum that the tyre can be inflated to − not the best pressure for your car and model.

If you look on the inside of your door frame, you should find a label which details recommended tyre pressures. If it’s not there, get the car manual out and check before inflating.

Stay safe and cut your driving costs

Correctly inflated tyres reduce wear on the tread. Your tyres will last a few months longer. Your fuel economy will rise. Most importantly, your drive will be more stable, cornering will be smoother, and braking more responsive.

In the winter months, your tyre pressure will naturally fall as the temperature falls. You may find that you need to put more air into your tyres as the days get shorter. If we’ve had a particularly hot summer here in Brisbane and it’s followed by a freezing winter, your tyre pressure could be off by five or six PSI.

Make sure you check air pressure regularly as part of your vehicle inspection routine.

If you have any doubts about the correct pressure for your tyres, or if you might have a slow leak, call into our tyre shop, or contact us on 3375 3566 to get the answers to your questions.

Keeping your family and fleet safely on the road,

Kevin Wood

0 Are second hand tyres the the best tyres for your vehicle?

Could buying second hand tyres be the costliest thing you do?

You might think that second hand used or part worn tyres are an affordable and reliable option. But do they represent good value for money? Here we debunk some of the myths to see if second hand tyres are the best tyres for your vehicle.

Besides everything in this article the fact remains that the cost of new tyres has dropped so much that second hand tyres, retreads and any other form of non-new tyres, is a declining market. So consider the new alternative to your second hand before making a decision.

Where do part worn tyres come from?

Part worn tyres are second hand tyres. They could come from anywhere. When you buy them, there is no way of telling who previously owned them. You don’t even know what country they have been used. Nor do you know how they were driven.

Second hand tyres might be sourced from car wrecking services, vehicle recyclers, or even illegal tyre dumps. We’re not saying that second hand tyre shops sell poor products. One thing is sure, though: you simply won’t know the history of a second-hand tyre.

Are second-hand tyres the best tyres for the safety of your vehicle?

A study conducted in England in 2014 showed that 1.5 million drivers had bought illegal part worn tyres in the previous five years. In 2015, TyreSafe found that 98% of part worn tyres would not pass trading standards.

I don’t know about you, but those statistics put me off buying second-hand tyres for life.

When you buy second hand tyres, you should be told what amount of tread they have remaining. Some will be as high as 80% to 100%. Others are as low as 40%. Any wear on tread will affect your driving performance.

Age of tyres also affects them. A second hand tyre could be almost 100% tread grade, but it might be ten years old. It could have been on a car that was hardly ever driven. But it has been weathered by ten years of sun and rain, while it stood on the road mostly unused.

Is the saving worth the risk?

There’s no doubt that buying second hand tyres will save you money. But you have to weigh the financial saving with the risk you’re taking. You don’t know the history of the tyre. You won’t know if they pass all the legal requirements in Queensland.

If you buy a pet from a dog rescue home, you won’t know the dog’s history. You won’t know its full medical or mental state. When you take the dog home, you understand that there is risk involved.

If second hand tyres are called ‘risk-involved tyres’, would you buy them?

For the best deals in new tyres, get in touch with the team at Darra today. Give us a call on 3333 5510 – we’ll be happy to help.

Cheers,

Kevin Wood

0 A visit to the tyre dealers will be less than you think,

Good tyre dealers, followed up with good maintenance means you can reap the rewards,

It might seem that $400 to over $1000 for a set is expensive, but the cost of new tyres for your car represents incredible value for money. No other part of your car goes through the same second-by-second friction, and when you think that your safety rests on just a few inches of rubber between you and the road, you’d begin to understand how important the maintenance of new tyres is. Here are five reasons why the cost of a trip to the tyre dealers is less than you think:

Safety is worth every cent of the cost of new tyres

A set of new tyres will last anything up to 100,000 kilometres, depending upon your style of driving and the condition of roads you drive on and the maintenance you stick to. Keep on top of the maintenance of new tyres, and that’s a hundred thousand kilometres of better breaking, more efficient turning, and more effective traction. Ultimately costing you less.

Better traction is a component of safety

Now that we’ve mentioned traction, let’s discuss it a little more.

Traction is what gives you your grip on the road. Soft tyres aren’t so good in the summer heat, but they’re great in snow. So if you’re planning a trip to Alpine Way in New South Wales, or perhaps Mount Baw Baw in Victoria, you might want to equip yourself with soft tyres. Usually, though, one set of new tyres will be good for all seasons here in Queensland.

New tyres cut your fuel costs

Worn tyres have to work harder to provide traction. When new tyres are fitted, part of the initial maintenance of new tyres is to ensure that they are aligned and balanced correctly. As part of a weekly tyre maintenance programme, make sure you keep them inflated properly. Doing this one thing will make sure that your tyres perform better, and that will decrease your fuel consumption.

Good maintenance of new tyres drives better performance

When new tyres are fitted and then maintained well, your car’s performance increases. Your stopping distance will be shorter, and you’ll drive smoother through corners. The extra traction you get means better acceleration if you get into trouble.

You’ll love driving on new tyres

If you’ve ever had a brand new car, there’s something special about the feel and smell of it. Have it professionally valeted after a few thousand kilometres, and that brand new feel comes right back. It’s the same with new tyres. When you first drive on a new set of tyres, the whole driving experience is different – it’s like driving a new car. You’ll have a quieter drive, too, with less road noise.

If you’re planning a long trip, you’ll probably have a service to make sure everything is in tip-top condition before you set off. Don’t neglect your tyres: the extra safety, better performance, and lower fuel costs make the cost of new tyres worth every single cent for the next 100,000 kilometres (especially if you rotate your tyres to make them last even longer).

Call us today on 3375 3566, and we’ll be happy to discuss your car tyres with you.

Cheers,

Kevin Wood

0 Could Nitrogen Tyres be the Best Tyres for You?

Is the hype about nitrogen filled tyres just hot air?

I was asked a question a few days ago and realised that I should put a little more info about the subject on our website: so here it is. Would I benefit by converting from air filled tyre to nitrogen filled tyre was a question asked by a customer. I know that many people reading this have already raised their eyebrows at the idea. However, with aircraft and racing cars (and increasing numbers of heavy vehicles) using nitrogen filled tyres, it’s certainly something worth thinking about, what are the best tyres for you?

Here I looked at some of the advantages and disadvantages, and bust a few myths about nitrogen tyres, too.

·      Nitrogen reduces tyre temperature

A cooler tyre increases tyre life and reduces fuel consumption, especially when the car is being driven at fast speed, or the vehicle is near maximum load (hence the increasing popularity for heavy vehicles to use nitrogen filled tyres).

But as far as nitrogen filled tyres are concerned, it’s the moisture content of nitrogen versus air that is the big factor.

·      Nitrogen filled tyres last longer

We’ve found this to be true (because of the reason above), but some people claim that lifespan is more than doubled. In reality, although they’re good, they’re not quite that good. So don’t believe all the hype some people will try and pass about them.

·      Pressure falls slower in nitrogen tyres

Even though they seem solid enough, tyres do actually let gas out! It’s a very slow process, but this is the reason why you should check tyre pressure every month (caradvice.com.au), and more regularly if you often drive at 120km per hour or faster. (Commercial vehicles will differ)  Nitrogen molecules leak slowly, so your tyre pressure will fall slowly. Technically, that means you should be able to check your tyre pressure less often. My advice is to never get too technical, and check nitrogen filled tyre pressure as often as you would other tyres.

Pressure remains more stable in nitrogen filled tyres, too, because its temperature is more stable.

·      Nitrogen filled tyres cause less ‘collateral damage’

Nitrogen is a relatively inert gas, and it’s dry. It follows that there will be less rusting of metal components, but unless there is absolutely no air in the tyre when converting to nitrogen then there could still be a risk of rusting.

·      What’s the conclusion? Are nitrogen tyres the best tyres?

Whoa! Hold your horses! I haven’t quite finished. There’re a couple of disadvantages to mention, too:

The first of these is that nitrogen isn’t widely available. If you find yourself needing to increase your nitrogen filled tyres and there is no nitrogen available, you’ll need to add compressed air. The problem is that doing so negates some of the advantages, and so you’ll need to get a specialist to remove the air and refill with nitrogen as soon as possible.

Secondly, nitrogen is more expensive than air, typically costing between $5 and $20 per car tyre.

All in all, if you regularly travel at high speed or with a fully laden and heavy vehicle, or drive in a hazardous area like a mine, then the extra expense of nitrogen filled tyres will probably pay dividends. Other than for these reasons, it’s a nice-to-have rather than a must-have.

We have a nitrogen machine onsite ready to fill your tyres, just call us today on 3375 3566, and we’ll be happy to discuss your car tyres with you.

Cheers

Kevin Wood

0 Tyre Centre Tips – What you need to know about wheel alignment and wheel balancing

Tyre Centre Tips – Reducing the technical to language, we can all understand

When your wheels are badly aligned, you’ll notice poor road handling and your fuel consumption will suffer, too. If you notice any of the tell-tale signs that it’s time to get your wheels aligned, then it’s best to visit the tyre centre sooner rather than later for a host of reasons.

When you take your car to the tyre centre, you should have your wheels aligned. It’s at this time that you might get bamboozled by some of the languages the tyre techs use. So here’s some explanation of what might be wrong and why you need your wheel alignment and wheel balancing regularly.

What is camber, toe, and caster when you get your wheels aligned?

In simple terms there are three elements of a Wheel Alignment. These three elements are camber, toes, and casters.

Here’s what we mean:

1. Camber

If you look at your tyres from the front or back, they should sit at 90 degrees to the road. That way, the wear will be completely even, and your tyres will have maximum contact with the road. When they face inward (with the outer edge of the tyre not touching the road), they are said to be a negative camber. When they face outward (with the inner edge of the tyre not touching the road), they are said to be a positive camber.

2. Toe

The toe is the way in which your tyres face inward or outward if they are viewed from above. If they point in at the front, we’ll tell you that they are ‘toe-in’. If they point out at the front, we’ll say ‘toe-out’.

3. Caster

This is, perhaps, the most technical aspect of having your wheels aligned. A pivot is turned when you turn the steering wheel. If it’s not set correctly, the steering will be either too light or too heavy.

There might also be some suspension damage. When the pivot’s top is pointing towards the front of the car, it is called a negative caster. When it is pointing to the rear, it is called a positive caster.

Getting your wheels aligned correctly will make sure that you get the best out of the driving experience. But when you do have new tyres fitted or have your wheels aligned, you should also benefit from wheel balancing.

What is wheel balancing?

When tyres are manufactured, the weight of rubber is never distributed exactly evenly around the tyre. If your tyre is not balanced correctly when it is fitted, it could cause a number of problems – from vibration to poor steering, to uneven tyre wear.

This uneven weight will be undetectable by hand. The first thing we do when balancing wheels is to place the tyres on the correct rims and inflate them to the right pressure. We’ll then place the wheel on a balancing machine, rotate the tyre at high speed and measure the imbalance. The machine tells us how much weight needs to be added to the wheel, and where to get to perfect balance.

When should you have your wheels aligned and wheels balanced?

If you notice any vibration, pulling, or uneven tyre wear, we’d suggest it’s time to get your alignment and balancing checked at the tyre centre. Other than that, to make sure you’re always on the right side of safe driving and optimal fuel consumption, check that you have your wheels aligned, and balanced every 10,000 to 15,000 kilometres.

If you’d like to know more about tyre maintenance, or get a free qu0te on wheel alignment and wheel balancing, give us a call on 3333 5510.

Cheers,

Pal Prashant