Whenever you are planning to go on a drive, you rarely consider your vehicle maintenance beside ensuring there’s sufficient fuel in the tank to get you where you have to go. As a driver, you’re in charge of the state of the vehicle you are driving, regardless of whether it is your own or not. Ensuring that you are driving a vehicle that is well maintained and in good condition is significant for your own security, your passengers as well as of others on the road.

Inspecting your tyres is a significant piece of overall maintenance of your vehicle. Each time you plan to get in the driver’s seat, it is very critical that you perform a thorough inspection of your tyres.

First off, tyres are a basic piece of your vehicle. They ought to consistently be in the first-class condition otherwise the consequences may be dreadful. Be that as it may, the tyres are not only important in terms of safety. They additionally draw out the life of other components on your vehicle if they are not in good shape. Compromised tyres can lessen the traction out and about and make it harder for the vehicle to stop subsequent to braking. Poor tyres may likewise transform your vehicle into a fuel pit with horrendous fuel utilization.

Ultimately, tyres are very important in terms of overall handling, safety, fuel consumption, etc. That is why you must be able to perform a tyre inspection, it is very simple to do and you can do it by yourself without anyone’s help.

Tyre inspections

This article will brief you in regards to regular tyre inspections that you can perform all by yourself; within a matter of minutes. In any case, on the off chance that you feel hesitant, you can take help from the on-web newsroom of PitStopArabia or any other tyre vendor or manufacturer website.

Here are checks that you should perform regularly:

Inspecting the tread depth of the tyre

Having tread depth of the tyre according to the manufacturers’ recommendations is imperative to guarantee the most secure driving. On the off chance that your tread is exhausted and being over-used, you might not have enough footing to quicken or brake securely, particularly in wet conditions.

Here are ways you can check the tread depth of your tyre:

Penny test

Place a penny in the groove of your tyre. In the event that Lincoln’s head is somewhat or completely covered by the tyre track, your tyre has enough track to drive securely otherwise the tread of the tyre has depleted to a dangerous level, you have to have your tyres supplanted.

Remember to insert the penny at a minimum of three different spots around the tyre in order to make sure that the tread is wearing out uniformly. In case that the tread is not wearing out uniformly than there is a high possibility that there might be an issue with your wheel alignment.

Penny test ensures that there is at least 2/32 inch of tread on your tyre.

In case that you tread depth is under 2/32 of an inch, drive your vehicle sparingly until your tyres have been supplanted.

Check every one of the four tyres in a similar manner.

Depth gauge

You can also use a depth gauge to check the tread depth of the tyre. Here is a table demonstrating tread depths and their consequent actions:

Make sure to take the reading at a minimum of three different spots on the tyre. In case of inconsistency in the readings please contact a tyre specialist from any reliable tyre service centre.

Be sure to always utilize a reliable depth gauge. Try not to muddle things with a costly one; you can manage with any mid-range model.

Note: Finally check for uncovered strings on your tyre. Outwardly search for metal or texture strands sticking out of your tyre. In the event that you can see the metal or texture strands used to strengthen the internal piece of your tyre, you have to have your tyres supplanted right away.

Tread wear bars

A few of the tyre manufacturers make it easy for you to inspect the tread depth of the tyre via tread wear bars. If the tread of the tyre is in level with the tread wear bars found in the grooves of the tyre than it means that you should replace your tyres.

Inspecting the tyre for visible cracks

Visually inspect the region between the tread. You may discover fine splits or wide breaks. On the off chance that their minor cracks or splits than it might be the part of tyre ageing process, however, wide breaks and splits are hazardous. On the off chance, that there are wide splits where you can see the steel belts or woven texture, you should replace your tyre right away.

Aside from breaks and splits in the tread of the tyre also look for cracks in the sidewall of the tyre and make sure that they are not hazardous.

Cracking happens on tyres when the rubber of the tyre ages. It’s not unexpected to see fine breaks shaping either between the tread squares or on the sidewalls, yet it ought to never uncover the internal housing of the tyre such as cords.

To sum it up look for any visual abnormalities that could compromise your driving experience.

Checking the tyre pressure

Having the air pressure in your tyres as per the recommendations of the manufacturer does not only guarantee ideal diving experience but also better fuel efficiency and enhanced safety.

On the contrary, under or over-inflated tyres can immensely affect driving negatively.

You must make sure that your tyres are inflated with the recommended tyre pressure. You can find the recommended tyre pressure:

• On the tyre manufacturer website
• On the tyre itself
• On the placard posted on the front door jam
• In the owner’s manual
• In the newsroom of any online tyre store

In the wake of checking your tyre pressure a couple of times, you’ll memorize it eventually.

You can check the tyre pressure using a tyre pressure gauge. Accordingly, you can inflate or deflate your tyre as needed. In order to inflate your tyre, you can use an air pump and for deflating the tyre you can push on the cantered pin in the valve of the tyre using a screwdriver until the desired PSI is obtained.

Finally, it’s important to know that overinflated tyre has a possibility of blowing out whereas underinflated tyre can:

• Increase rolling resistance
• Increase fuel consumption
• Decrease the life-span of the tyre
• compromise braking framework
• cause uneven tread wear

So be cautious while checking the tyre pressure.

Checking the valve stem

The best way to check the valve stem is to spray soap and water mixture on the valve. If you observe bubbles this means that you have a bad valve stem, the valve base is cracked or has small holes; thus you need to get your valve stem checked right away.

Conclusion

Checking your tyres isn’t just about whether you have to supplant the tyres or not. It can likewise be an approach to analyze other issues related to the wheel. For instance, if, in the wake of Inspecting your tyres you might find that the tread wear is on one side only, it may mean that your vehicle needs a wheel alignment.

Never wait until the fix is past the point of no return since it can cost you more, compromise your security, or leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere in the worst of circumstances. More importantly, it is your obligation as a vehicle proprietor to ensure your vehicle is fit for driving.

Jeffrey Connolly