Every driver knows that tires are one of the most important elements of their vehicle, but many are unaware that they are also one of the components that suffer the most wear. Tires must be replaced frequently, their cost is high and therefore it is advisable to avoid bad habits that shorten their life and endanger your safety and that of others. You should never forget that it is the only thing that keeps the car in contact with the ground, one of the members of the safety triangle. IF in your day we told you ten ways to save on tires without putting your life at risk, today we are going to review the bad practices that you should not commit again.
Not monitoring pressures
Checking tire pressure regularly is one of the key points to stop tire deterioration, and at the same time, it is where drivers often fail. An effective system is to review every two weeks. At first it may seem exaggerated and annoying, but it is much simpler than it seems. Take advantage of refueling and check them at the service station. The most common problems are underinflated, which causes greater wear in the lateral areas of the tread. But don't overinflate them either, because if this happens the wear will be greater in the central area.
The pressure must be correct. How do you know what the appropriate pressure is? Very simply, all cars indicate the pressure their wheels need in their door openings or on the back of the fuel cap. And if by some chance, it is not in either of these two, you can always resort to the car's papers.
We must not forget that The tire pressure will also depend on the load that supports the car. If we are going to start a trip with a trailer or an excessive load, it is recommended that the wheel pressure be above 3 bars of pressure. Once the journey is finished, the tire pressure must return to normal, to avoid the situations mentioned above.
Climbing curbs or touching them when parking
Some drivers use the curb scraping system as a reference for parking. Badly done. This practice can tear the flank. This area, best known for being where the numbers used to read the tire are located, is the most affected by these practices. If a small tear or lump appears, it is important to replace it as soon as possible, since the tire structural integrity is affected. The same thing happens when we go up curbs. It is advisable to avoid uploading them, but if we are forced to do so, do so at the lowest speed possible.
Driving aggressively
Once again, lAggressive driving is a source of problems. Accelerating, braking and cornering above the recommended speed causes much faster wear. Being prudent will allow your tires to have a longer and higher quality life. If you have a car with greater power, the tires will be more prone to premature wear, take care of them.
Within this point we must include going to great speed over speed bumps and bumps. This practice is very widespread. It is true that on some occasions they are poorly marked, but in most cases it is not due to this cause. You should know that going at full speed over speed bumps and curbs seriously shortens the life of your tires. The most serious consequence of this type of practice is that you can ruin the car's alignment, which will cause uneven wear of the wheels, leading us to change the wheel again.
Don't rotate your tires
Some will think, what is this about rotating tires? Very simple, rotating the tires means modifying the position of the car's wheels. We have to keep in mind that tires wear out following a pattern that derives from the inflation level, the state of the shock absorbers… This not widespread practice helps avoid uneven wear. Thus, It is advisable to rotate the wheels every 10 or 15,000 km, but it all depends on the use and wear you put on the vehicle. We have to keep in mind that the rotation is different depending on the driving wheels of the vehicle and whether the car has tires with a directional tread.
Ignore vibrations and irregular wear
When you start to notice that the steering starts to vibrate at a certain speed Notably, you should not ignore it as it is possible that the balance of one of your tires is damaged, or worse still that the alignment, mentioned above, has been modified. There are many reasons that cause these defects; especially the poor condition of the roads. It is one of the warnings that your car gives you that you should pay attention to.
But how is it done? balanced? The first thing is to optimize the position of the tire on the rim to prevent the intervention of the counterweights from being too high. The objective is very simple, it is about compensating the point of greatest weight of the tire with the lightest point of the wheel, and thus the difference to be corrected will be smaller. Next, and with the help of a balancing machine, the appropriate amount must be placed on each wheel. This amount will be related to the size of the tire, the thickness of the blocks and the tread. This way we will avoid vibrations.
The alignment It is also important, as it is necessary for the car to roll correctly. The alignment is known to be incorrect when the car goes to one side with the steering wheel straight. As we have seen before, speeding over a bump can change the alignment. Vibrations or suspensions can also result from an alignment problem. In short, the reason does not matter, what is important is your workshop when your car is giving you clues through these symptoms. Checking balance and alignment can prevent breakdowns and major expenses.
Store winter tires
Not all drivers have winter tires (nor are they needed in all cases, especially in Spain). But if you are one of them, you must preserve them correctly when you stop using them. You must remember that they cannot be close to heat sources or on wet or oil-stained surfaces as they can seriously damage the wheel. To properly preserve them, tires should be stored inflated and upright if mounted on the rim. If they are loose, they can remain stacked, but must modify their positions At least once a month.
All these bad habits reduce the life of your tires, but They also endanger your safety.. Don't forget them and remember that by paying attention to these small details you will not only see benefits in your pocket, but you will also enjoy your driving more.
