Tyres
How Tire Technology Affects Your Car
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Categories: Tyres
There is nothing simple about the tires on your car. The tires on your car not only affect the comfort level of your car but also your safety in the vehicle. When you go to a tire shop it can be very confusing about which tires are the best for you. There are small, medium, large, winter and summer tires. As you can see picking tires are not an easy choice however, to get the right tires you do not have to be an expert either. Buying through an established dealer will save you a lot of hassle. For example, Tire Rack has all kinds of tires and makes it easy to find the best one for your vehicle. You can also find a Tire Rack coupon online to make it easy on your wallet, as well as your choosing a tire.
A new type of tire that you may consider investing in is a new green tire. The green tires are made to have less rolling resistance and this allows the driver to save on fuel in a shaky economy such as this. A driving test recently showed that people can actually get 2,600 gallons of free gas with every 65,000 miles! It may not seem like a huge ratio but free gas is free gas!
The tire also has double treading so that the tire has better traction in wet weather. The edges of the wheel are designed well too so that the tires perform well in dry weather. This tire may be a little more expensive but is definitely a solid investment.
If you travel a lot then you definitely want to buy high performance tires. These tires are also good for people who do a lot of driving in the summer. These tires are really great because you can drive them for a long time and still drive with ease. These tires have the best traction for wet weather and the sides are made well for optimum performance in dry weather. If you like to go fast these tires are for you, a lot of these tires are known to top out at 186 miles per hour.
Check car tyres regularly for any signs of wear. This is important as they are the only point of contact between a car and the road. Any deterioration of the tread or damage to the sidewalls may be risking an accident.
The basic legal requirements for car tyres are:
a) Tread Depth must be a minimum of 1.6mm. This applies to the entire circumference of the tyre. A bald patch on a tyre, where the tread depth is below the minimum requirement, is against the law. Check a tyre after a skid or emergency braking as this is when bald patches can occur.
b) Tyres must be inflated to the correct pressure. Consult the vehicle manufacturer’s handbook to find the recommended pressure. Not only is this a legal requirement, it improves the vehicle’s handling and reduces fuel consumption.
c) All four car tyres must be compatible and in good condition. If a car tyre needs replacing it will need to be in the same condition as the others otherwise all four will need to be changed.
Factors that can affect the rate of car tyre wear include:
1. Make of Car Tyres
Every car tyre is designed differently to meet specific criteria. Long life tyres are made from a harder rubber compound. This can increase the noise when driving. A softer tyre compound will be quieter but will wear out faster. A car tyre specialist such as Merityre can offer advice on the different types of car tyre.
2. Position of Car Tyre
Front tyres wear out faster than back tyres, especially if the car is front wheel drive. The extra wear is caused by the movement through steering. On a four wheel drive vehicle the front car tyres should exceed 20,000 miles. This is half the expected life of the back tyres.
3. Weight of Vehicle
The heavier the vehicle the faster the car tyres wear.
4. Tyre Pressure
A car tyre that is inflated below its recommended pressure will wear faster because of its higher operating temperature and the extra flexing of the rubber. Over inflation can also increase wear due to the decreased size of the contact area between the tyre and the road.
5. Speed
Driving at high speeds increases the car tyre temperature and accelerates the wear.
6. Car Tyre Alignment
Incorrect alignment of car tyres causes uneven and increased wear.
7. Driving Style
Aggressive cornering, accelerating and braking excessively are all causes of car tyre wear.
One factor that is unavoidable is time. Tyres deteriorate naturally over time due to the effects of the weather. Car tyres on vehicles kept outside will degrade faster than those kept in a garage. Cracking due to sunlight exposure usually becomes evident on car tyres that are five years or older. When this happens, as with any signs of wear, replace the car tyre immediately.




