Tyres and Drive Quality

How do Tyres contribute to safety?

Our Vehicle's tyres are exposed to various driving conditions and diverse weather conditions, sometimes sunny, sometimes water clogged, sometimes extreme Cold weather conditions. These conditions impact the quality of your tyres causing wear & tear and damages. Our Vehicle's stability and safety to a major portion depends on our tyres. 

How do tyres impact driving quality negatively?

As with damages driving performance deteriorates and becomes problematic. Worn out or damaged tyres reduce the stability of the vehicle. With Stability being compromised, safety is lost with poor braking and cornering ability.

How to avoid impacts due to worn out tyres?

Though we cant avoid the wear and tear of tyres we can still avoid the impacts due to worn out tyres by periodical checkups of our vehicle tyres. Getting some expert checkups once in 3 months is a good thing to keep a watch on your driving safety. If you have enough time in hand then you yourself can become your tyre's doctor too, all that is required is  periodical and diligent checks for tread's TWI breach, side wall damages like cuts and cracks or uneven wears. If you see any of these and if the damage is severe then its time to change your tyres.

What happens if we continue driving with worn out tyres?

Some of us on the precept of saving money continue to use tyres even after the TWI crosses the minimum required level. A few even use the tyres till they go entirely bald, might sound funny, but this is extremely risky. This can be extremely hazardous. Many road accidents are caused due to worn-out bike and car tyres. Treads in tyres are the gripping components which fulfil the key function of vehicle traction on roads. The lower the tread level the lower the traction. In lieu of an emergency braking the braking distance might not be enough to avoid collision ending in fatal accidents with damages to both the vehicle and the people inside the vehicle.

What is Braking Distance?

Braking distance is the distance on road a vehicle will travel from the brake application point to the point where it comes to a complete stop. The Braking Distance is inversely proportional to the Tread Quality on your tyres. The Better the Tread Quality the shorter the Braking Distance and vice-versa.

What are the factors in a tyre that affect quality of driving? 

Tread Depth Depletion-

Upon daily usage every vehicle tyre lose a particular amount of rubber on them. Over years, months or days based on usage the tread wears down continously. When you lose that much tread on your tyre and when your tread reaches the minimum required level, its traction and balance get compromised.   Once this happens below are the impacts on your drive quality.

• Increased braking distance
• Skidding upon sudden braking
• Aquaplaning in wet conditions

Thus ensure your vehicle tyre's tread is above the minimum level of tread depth of 1.6mm. Tyres these days come with a treadwear indicator (TWI), a small rubber piece marking, within the grooves. On Continous usage, the tyre tread reaches the TWI level which is an indicator to replace the tyre.

 Sidewall Damages -

The sides of a tyre are referred to as the sidewall. If there are any cuts or cracks on the sidewall then it accounts for the external damage on the tyre . If there are any bulges which can be seen or felt then it accounts for Internal damange to tyres. Driving conditions like pits and potholes on roads can cause cracks, cuts and bulges.

Once this happens below are the impacts on your drive quality.

1. Driving with bulges is highly unsafe, can result in potential tyre blowout at higher speeds or long distance travels.

2. Large Cracks and Deep Cuts will cause air pressure leakage, this will increase with time causing tyres to go flat anywhere, anytime , anyday.

If your tyre suffers any of these, replace it immediately! 

Uneven wear -

Careless, Rough or Rash driving, Issues with Vehicle Suspension, Wheel Imbalances, Non-matching pressure levels in tyres causes uneven tyre wear. This is common but can cause early balding of the tread on your tyres, results in unnecessary expense and impact in drive quality. Continuing to run with the same tyres will affect vehicle's driving control and braking it can also induce vibrations during the ride potentially.
Routine checkups personally or with professionals can help in preventing extensive damages. 

How to check for uneven wears?

1. Pattern of wear - Check Wear pattern across tread area of every tyre. If the wearing looks balanced then your tyres are good. however if one side has suffered more tread loss compared to the other side of the tyre then the issue could be with vehicle's suspension or tyre imbalance.
2. Air pressure level - Check for difference in pressure levels in all tyres. Over or underinflated tyres can also cause uneven wear. Stick to the prescribed pressure levels as advised by the manufacturer.

Checkout for damages on your tyres, tread depth depletion, cuts , cracks, uneven wear they are all indicators that the vehicle needs maintenance and/or the tyres need replacement. Choosing the best tyre for your vehicle depends on quite a few factors like daily travel distance, frequency of long trips, vehicle load etc. Talk to expert advisors in tyre shops before you buy your tyre.Some times periodical Tyre rotations help in evening out uneven wear and tear. Inspite of all precautions sometimes accidents do happen. Incase of these emergencies you should know how to react quick and how to minimize risk and damage in such events.  @Darshan Driving School  offers special courses on Advanced Driving Courses. Try them and get benefitted.

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Visit us @ https://www.darshandrivingschool.com.au/

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Blog # 59