Are you Tyred-Out ?
Are…. YOU …… Tyred - Out ? ?
Tyres and How to look after them
TYRES ARE COOL!
Tyres are the one aspect of a Car that are often overlooked
until disaster strikes and in this section we are going to
examine all the aspects of tyre care and maintenance so that you
will stay safe and arrive alive. “ARRIVE ALIVE” Astral School of
Motoring,s new Blog at:- http://astralmotoring.blogspot.com
1.Tyres wear out………. just like any other component in a car,
only more so. You need to keep a constant eye on your tyres
since they are the one thing that keeps you on the road, apart
of course, from your observation! 2.Legal limit 1.6mm……….but at
this point you are over 80% gone….Soooh they should be replaced
before this tread depth is reached! 3.Tyre Pressures…..the
Manufacturers recommended pressures you will find in your manual
and also printed inside your fuel filler cap. These are for
Factory -Fitted tyres…..other makes or sizes of tyre may require
different pressures, so check with your Tyre Shop for advice.
The manufacturers will always give you two settings of Tyre
pressure…one for the car with Driver and one passenger….one for
the car with a full load. Its important to further inflate the
tyres when you have a full load, particularly if you are going
on a long journey that involves high -speed carriageway or
Motorway driving. Underinflated tyres are unsafe; don’t give you
good road holding ;wear out much more quickly; create extra drag
which means higher fuel consumption; and give your passengers
and uncomfortable ride. If you have young children in the rear
seat be prepared for car sickness! 4.Cuts -Splits -
Bulges……….are easy to acquire, if you play footsie with kerbs
and potholes. Mounting the Kerb can damage the sidewall of the
tyre either invisibly or very visibly. Tyre sidewalls are much
thinner than the tyre tread and so are easily damaged. .A bulge
indicates severe damage to the side wall and this will require
the immediate replacement of the tyre. There is a danger of a
blow-out occurring at high speed with a damaged tyre. Pot-holes,
by their very nature have sharp edges and going over one at any
kind of speed, will often lead to a puncture, or worse, the
complete destruction of the tyre ,not to mention your beautiful
,newly acquired Alloy wheels. 5.The Spare Wheel……is often
forgotten about and should be included in your weekly tyre
pressure check. The tyre will lose its pressure over time and
it’s a real nuisance and a danger, to get a puncture, miles from
anywhere, and then find that your spare tyre is flat! You are
then side-lined with the obvious delays in getting hold of a
mobile tyre service, but perhaps worse is the possibility of
creating a major obstruction on the road with your stranded car.
A car that cannot be moved off the road creates a serious
accident hazard. 6.Punctures…..What to do when you get one? It’s
very important to know how to change a wheel, following a
puncture, whether you are a Guy or a Girl! Changing a wheel is
relatively simple, providing you have the correct equipment and
utilise the correct technique. However it is not always easy or
safe. In the next section we will discuss this in more detail
but in the meantime if you are a Lady drive and some difficulty
with this exercise; providing you get all your tools out and
look as if you know what you are doing, then it is very likely
that a passing motorist will stop and assist you and get you
motoring again in a few minutes. 7.Equipment…….The wheelbrace
that comes with your car when it is new, we have found to be
sometimes ineffective when trying to release the wheel nuts if
your wheel has either not been removed for a very long time, or
has been overtightened by the gun in use in a garage or tyre
shop. We have got through numerous wheel braces over the years
which have had to be discarded in favour of the professional
criss-cross, cast iron brace, which will last you a life time
and which you can take with you when you change cars .This type
of wheel brace has four different size sockets and will, because
of it’s tremendous leverage, enable you to loosen the most
stubborn of nuts. An added bonus of carrying one of these is
that you will be able to help any other Motorist who is having
trouble with his wheel. Final tip here is to mask the socket
which fits your wheels with some red insulating tape so that you
can easily identify this in the dark. A lot of punctures happen
at night or in a snow storm so you can do a lot to make things
easier and safer for you. The jack should be in the boot with
the rest of the kit but do check if you are buying an older
second hand car, that you have one…you might need it around the
next corner! ! 8.Plank of Wood … WHAT?? ….. Many years ago, in
the teeth of a howling gale, I suffered a puncture on a country
road late at night and due to the non- stop rain that had been
pouring down for several days, the grass verge and edge of the
road were so soft, that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t
raise the car sufficiently to get the spare wheel on! It was too
dangerous and too narrow to move the car into the middle of the
road to get a better support for the Jack .The close proximity
of a bend made it even more hazardous .In desperation, and
soaking wet, I searched around and eventually borrowed a large
flat stone from a nearby wall, to spread the weight and support
the jack while the wheel was changed. Ever since then I have
carried a short plank,12 inches long and 1 inch thick and have
never had a problem since .This is the origin of the phrase as
thick as two short planks! We have them on special offer this
month @ 29.99for the pair! Another observation for those of you
who might have a new tarmac driveway at your home, don’t attempt
to jack your car up without using your plank or you will create
a nice hole in your Drive! 9.Spare wheel nuts …….If you have
bought a new set of alloy wheels then it is likely that they
will be held on with longer than average wheel nuts .Since it is
unusual to buy five alloy wheels then following a puncture you
will be using the standard spare wheel to replace the punctured
one. You will need to ensure that you have in your emergency kit
the standard nuts to fix this in place while you get the
puncture repaired and the Alloy wheel back on the car. 10.Small
Penknife…..if you are using standard factory- issue steel wheels
with Plastic Hub Caps, they will be fastened to the rim with
cable ties, to keep them from disappearing into the hedge after
hitting a bump or pothole. . These are a little difficult to
remove without a blade so a penknife or Stanley knife is very
useful in cutting the cable tie before getting access to the
wheel nuts. Its useful also to use two ties since they sometimes
break if scraped, leaving you with a missing hub cap. Original
Hub Caps are expensive to replace so it is worth this little
effort. 11.Towel……. An old towel and some hand cleanser are very
useful to enable you to clean up after changing a wheel,
particularly if you are miles from anywhere and heading for an
Interview or lunch date. Punctures rarely happen at home where
you have all your mod. cons. at your disposal. Apart from this,
mucky or greasy hands will make your steering wheel slippery and
dangerous! Some kitchen roll and spare valve caps are a useful
addition also to your in-boot-kit.
