What Is at Stake if Your Tyres Remain Unchecked?
A tyre check is easy to do. It takes no more than five minutes and ensures that your tyres are running at the right tyre pressure, that your tyre tread depth is legal, and that there is no damage that could make it unsafe to drive. Yet a tyre check is the most neglected of all vehicle maintenance routines.
Neglect to Check Your Tyres and You Ignore Your Safety
New tyres have around 8mm or more of tread depth. While the legal limit is a minimum of 1.5mm tread depth, we recommend that you don’t go below 3mm.
If you let your tread depth reduce to 1.5mm, braking distance can be as much as 50% more in wet weather than it would be with a tread depth of 3mm. That could be the difference between life and death – of you, your passengers, other road users and pedestrians.
It’s not only tread depth that compromises safety on the roads when you are driving. Bulges grazes, cuts and embedded items all affect the quality of a tyre. A damaged tyre is more likely to leak air, and it is more likely to suffer a tyre blowout – at high speed, a tyre blowout could be fatal.
Do you know what condition the tyres you are driving on are in? When was the last time you checked your tyre pressure? When did you last check your tyres for bulges on the inside and outside sidewalls?
Now Is the Time to Check Your Tyres
The condition of your tyres could change after only a few miles of driving. Embedded glass could put you in danger on your next trip. Yet most drivers never check their tyres, until they feel that their ride is a little bumpier than it used to be, or that the handling is not as sharp as it once was.
By this time, it may be too late. The chances are you’ll still put off that simple, five-minute check because you have ‘more urgent things to do’.
After a while, you become used to the longer braking distances and the worsening handling round corners. Until that one time your mind is elsewhere, and you drive the car like you used to when your tyres were in good condition. Like you should always be able to.
Then you lose your grip on a bend. You drive a little too fast, and brake a little too late. The only question to answer now is, will the blood on the road be yours or someone else’s?
If there is a golden rule you should remember it is this: now is always the time to check your tyres.
Let a Professional Check Your Tyres
While a tyre check is simple, the basic five-minute check may still miss technical problems with your tyres. Internal damage or degradation, for example. That’s why you should also consider a regular tyre check made by a professional. Specialists know all the danger signs, and they will recommend action that you can take to help your tyres last longer – such as tyre rotation, for example.
What if You Need New Tyres?
If you check your tyres and find that one or more have shallow tread or damage, don’t risk your life by continuing to drive on it. Replace that damaged tyre immediately.
You might be tempted to buy part-worn tyres to save money. But part-worn tyres are a dangerous, false economy because they are:
- Older, and may be degraded by age
- Will have suffered wear and tear, with damage to sidewalls or internally
- Have shallow and inconsistent tread depths, affecting grip, handling and braking distance
Premium tyres are the best option. They could save you money on fuel, benefit from shorter braking distances, offer a safer, quieter drive, and last longer.
However, not all drivers have deep enough pockets to buy premium tyres. Which is why we also stock good-quality, affordable tyres.
If you have checked your tyres and found they need replacing, do so. Don’t leave it. You are only risking the safety of everyone on the road, and everyone in your vehicle. And when you do replace your tyres, you should always invest in the best tyres in your budget.
Please check your tyres now. If you don’t, you are taking a risk with everyone’s safety when you drive. One death on the road is one death too many. If you are in any doubt about the condition of your tyres and live in Brisbane, contact Darra Tyres. We’ll discuss your needs, consider your vehicle and driving style, and make sure you invest in the best tyres in your price range.
Keeping your family and fleet safe on the road,
Dean Wood