Tips for keeping your tyres in good condition

Some of the tips for keeping your tyres in good condition are maintaining the correct pressure or driving efficiently, among other actions.

A driver’s decision about when to replace the tyres is not simple. Is there really any way to calculate the useful life of our wheels? The reality is that there is no mathematical formula, as it depends on many factors: how the vehicle is used, the road surface, the weather, the model of our car, etc. However, what we can control to some extent is tyre wear. Below, we present several tips on how to keep your tyres in good condition.

A monthly check of tyre pressures

The first tip for keeping your tyres in good condition that you will always find is the check of the pressures. Why? Because of their influence on fuel consumption and safety, incorrect pressure could cause our vehicle to understeer and oversteer. In addition, the correct pressure will allow the tyre to maintain an optimal condition. According to some experts, a pressure below that set by the manufacturer reduces its lifespan by 20%.

When should we check the pressure of our tyres? Although there are no fixed periods, ideally you should check all four tyres once a month. Likewise, if we are going to make long trips or carry more weight than normal, we should also check their pressure. But where should we do it? Although petrol stations have pressure gauges, the best option is to go to a workshop to get completely reliable results.

On the other hand, the use of valve caps will help maintain the correct tyre pressure. The caps we fit will keep the valves protected from any incident or dirt. Although it may seem trivial, this will also extend the life of the tyres. In this regard, we can find metal caps, which are more durable and offer greater protection, and plastic ones, which are more volatile than the former.

Be careful with kerbs and when leaving the asphalt!

One of the main drawbacks to keeping our tyres in good condition is driving off the asphalt. Tyres designed for asphalt suffer on dirt tracks or gravel. This does not mean we are strictly forbidden from crossing these paths, quite the contrary. The recommendation is to keep a low speed and not drive aggressively.

In addition, we must not forget to clean them once we have finished our journey. Although it is not mandatory, if we have encountered muddy areas, mud could build up inside the rims. This can affect unbalancing the tyres and causing vibrations, which would increase tyre wear. If we need to regularly drive on this type of route, it is advisable to change the tyre model.

Chains and tyre wear

Another cause of wear can be the use of chains on our wheels. Why when using chains? Firstly, if there is not a large amount of snow during our journey and we exceed 50 km/h, the tyres will wear excessively. Likewise, using the brakes in these conditions will also accelerate their wear. Finally, using them once we have passed the snow-affected area will be counterproductive. The ideal is to stop in a safe place and remove them as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary problems.

Once we are back on the asphalt, one of the areas to avoid and keep in mind is kerbs. The recommendation is to try not to hit them or scrape the tyres when parking. Even though this should not directly affect them, we risk punctures that are entirely avoidable. Moreover, these incidents are sometimes not visible at first glance and cause problems inside the tyre.

Efficient driving, reduced tyre wear

As with hybrid and electric vehicles, efficient driving allows us to increase fuel savings. In our case, our advice is to adopt smooth driving: accelerate and brake gently and progressively, and take corners calmly. In addition, if we combine this with the first point in this article (correct pressure), we will increase the usefulness of the tyres.

When heading to our destination, we should leave our racing mindset aside. This means taking into account the life of our tyres and, even more importantly, our own safety. In short, the relationship between aggressive driving and tyre lifespan is an impossible love.

Swapping tyres between axles

The fourth tip we give you is to swap the tyres between axles so that their wear is more even. What does this mean? Moving the rear tyres to the front and vice versa. In this way, we will keep their condition more uniform. Although it depends on the model of our vehicle, it is recommended to make this axle swap between 10,000 and 15,000 kilometres. In addition, you can do this swap yourself, although if you are not confident in your mechanical skills, any workshop can guide you.

Normally, the front tyres wear faster, since the rear does not usually carry as much load. Likewise, excessive wear can cause our tyres to lose their grip. One detail to keep in mind is that they should always be swapped rear left for front left, and the same for the right side.

Keeping the steering properly aligned

Even if you follow the previous four tips to the letter, this last one is not the least important of the five. Why? Keeping our steering properly aligned ensures that tyre wear is practically even. This problem can occur after hitting a strong pothole or when we hit or mount a kerb with our car.

But what happens if our steering is not properly aligned? In short, over time, our tyres will wear unevenly, which will prevent us from monitoring their condition. In addition, one of the consequences will be steering wheel vibrations, which will also result in uneven wear. In any case, these mechanical problems should be resolved immediately at the nearest service centre.