Preventing a flat tyre

Preventing a flat tyre

Flat tyres aren't much of a forethought in every driver's mind until we acquire one.

Considering this, it's more or less inevitable for a tyre or two to blow at some point in time, although there are some actions that can be taken to help prevent this from happening.

Air pressure Each month be sure to check the air pressure of your tyres.

If the tyre pressure is too low, the tyre will eventually deflate and will be unable to support the vehicle, similarly if the tyre pressure is too high, strain will be put on the tyres which increases the possibility of getting a flat.

Ensure your tyres are inflated correctly and haven't got too much pressure or too little by finding out the optimal pressure for you tyres.

Be on the look out While driving, be aware of any objects on the roads that could cause a flat, including nails and broken glass.

When driving on the motorway or highway, be wary of driving too close to the side of the road where any sharp pebbles or rocks may be.

Keep in mind to check your drive at home also to ensure nothing can puncture your tyres.

Rotate regularly Tyres should be rotated regularly, as unbeknownst to many, front tyres can actually wear out quicker than the rear tyres.

Rotation will aid in extending the lifeline of tyres, it has been recommended by manufacturers to rotate tyres roughly every 5,000 miles.

Tyre balance Ensure that your tyres are properly balanced and the wheel alignment is in good standing.

If there is an imbalance on your wheels, this will cause an uneven pressure, risking the chance of a flat.

Try to include wheel alignment into your regular maintenance schedule, along with frequent oil changes.

Be wary of weight Be aware of the contents that are is being put into your vehicle.

Your vehicle capacity weight (VCQ) will determine the amount of weight your vehicle can handle - if the weight is exceeded, the tyres will have an extra amount of pressure to carry, again leading to a chance of a tyre blowing.

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All about wheel balancing

Commonly known as tyre balancing, wheel balancing, is the process of evening out the weight of the combined tire and wheel assembly so that it spins in a smooth motion, but at a high speed.

Balancing involves the assembly of the wheel and tyre on a balancer, thus centring the wheel and spinning it to determine the placings of the weights.

Traditional spin balancing In order to balance a wheel and tyre assembly, we put them on a balancing machine- there are numerous ways of balancing tyres manually, but using a balancing machine is a lot more efficient and effective.

The high speed the machine spins the wheel in, helps determine the the heaviest point and signals the operator where and how many weights need to be placed on the adjacent side to compensate.

Three important things to know about balancing are: 1. Balancing is necessary - If there is a weight imbalance in every wheel or tyre, assembly is inevitable.

It is rare that an assembly will come out perfectly balanced; one of the other things the machine does is discover a balance as well as an imbalance.

2. Balance changes over time - The balance of the tyre will have a dynamic change over time as the tyre wears down.

This is where rebalancing should be considered, as getting your tyres rebalanced at least once within the said life of the tyres, will extend their lifetime.

3. Balancing only fixes the balance - Balancing is unable to prevent vibrations from a bent wheel, as it can only compensate for weight for differences.

Road force balancing The 'Road Force' balancer is a style of balancer that doesn't just perform the traditional spin balance, it also measures both the wheel and tyre to determine if there are conditions that would usually cause a vibration on the road. Generally most balancers do this by using the force of a large, heavy roller against the tire as it spins at a slow pace reading out tire pressure and radial runout.

Generally both wheels and tyres will have high and low spots, referring to their runout, - if you could imagine pulling at a point of a circle, the edge of a wheel, slightly outwards, there will be a point where the circle will have to move inwards, to maintain that connection, thus creating an egg shape - these would make up the high and low spots for radial runout.

The concluding assembly of the tyre requires less weight to balance and spins straighter.

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Top five tips for your car tyres

Here are top five tips when checking your car tyres!

It’s easy to forget that tyres are the only point of contact between your vehicle and the road. That is why it’s extremely important to preserve the quality and performance of your tyres to ensure both your safety and your mobility. To do so, we advise that you comply with the following recommendations.

Wheel Alignment

It’s important to have correct wheel alignment on your vehicle, yet it’s difficult to tell if your wheels and axles are correctly aligned when you’re driving. Given that your vehicle has an out of shape

geometry, the handling of your car may alter somewhat, which will, naturally, compromise the safety of your vehicle. If your tyre hits a solid object, such as a kerb, then you should consider visiting a tyre specialist in order to have them inspected.

Tyre Pressure Having the correct amount of tyre pressure is vital in order to minimise the risk of losing all control of your vehicle whilst driving. Having the recommended amount of tyre pressure is important as it protects your tyres from unnecessary wear and damage to the internal integrity of your wheels. Tyre pressure can drop for a whole number of reasons, though it’s natural for tyre pressure to decrease over time. Check your tyre pressure every month and before long journeys, as this will reduce the risk of accidents. It’s recommended to check them in a cold environment, as failure to do so will result in air loss. Here are some of the following tips: •

You should never under or over inflate your tyres, as this will reduce life span

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The tyre pressure of your car can be found in your cars manual

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Having the correct tyre pressure saves fuel

Wear and Depth of Tyres You should regularly check the tread of your tyres, in order to know when they need to be replaced after too much wear and tear. You should change your tyres before the depth of the treat wears to 1.6mm.

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The higher the amount of depth you have left on your tyres, the higher amount of water they can disperse.

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Having the correct amount of air pressure ensures that your tyres will perform to their best.

Service Life You should know that it’s not possible to accurately predict the service life of your tyres. A tyre is made of a number of materials, with the rubber factors of the tyres affecting the performance.

The overall performance of the tyres can be affected by a number of factors, which include weather, the condition of usage and the storage conditions of the tyres. It’s good to know that we encourage a number of drivers to get their tyres inspected when they identify anything wrong with their tyres.

Tyre Repairs When your tyres need a repair, it’s good to realise that a tyre specialist can remove the whole tyre from the wheel, which allows an inspection of the inside. It’s necessary to do this, as it allows the viewing of internal damage which isn’t viewable when the wheel is mounted.

For a whole load more tips, hints and ideas, please visit Tyre Repair Castle Bromwich. (article)