Are you Tyred-Out ?
Are… YOU … Tyred – Out ? ?
Tyres and How to look after them
TYRES ARE COOL!
Tyres are the one aspect of a Car that are often overlooked
until disaster strikes and in this section we are going
to examine all the aspects of tyre care and maintenance
so that you will stay safe and arrive alive. "ARRIVE
ALIVE" Astral School of Motoring,s new Blog at:- http://astralmotoring.blogspot.com
1. Tyres wear out… just like any other component in
a car, only more so. You need to keep a constant eye
on your tyres since they are the one thing that keeps
you on the road, apart of course, from your observation!
2. Legal limit 1.6mm…but at this point you are over
80% gone…Soooh they should be replaced before this tread
depth is reached!
3. Tyre Pressures…the Manufacturers recommended pressures
you will find in your manual and also printed inside
your fuel filler cap. These are for Factory–Fitted tyres…other
makes or sizes of tyre may require different pressures,
so check with your Tyre Shop for advice. The manufacturers
will always give you two settings of Tyre pressure…one
for the car with Driver and one passenger…one for the
car with a full load. Its important to further inflate
the tyres when you have a full load, particularly if
you are going on a long journey that involves high –speed
carriageway or Motorway driving. Underinflated tyres
are unsafe; don’t give you good road holding ;wear out
much more quickly; create extra drag which means higher
fuel consumption; and give your passengers and uncomfortable
ride. If you have young children in the rear seat be
prepared for car sickness!
4. Cuts – Splits – Bulges…are easy to acquire, if you
play footsie with kerbs and potholes. Mounting the Kerb
can damage the sidewall of the tyre either invisibly
or very visibly. Tyre sidewalls are much thinner than
the tyre tread and so are easily damaged. A bulge indicates
severe damage to the side wall and this will require
the immediate replacement of the tyre. There is a danger
of a blow-out occurring at high speed with a damaged
tyre. Pot-holes, by their very nature have sharp edges
and going over one at any kind of speed, will often
lead to a puncture, or worse, the complete destruction
of the tyre, not to mention your beautiful, newly acquired
Alloy wheels.
5. The Spare Wheel…is often forgotten about and should
be included in your weekly tyre pressure check. The
tyre will lose its pressure over time and it’s a real
nuisance and a danger, to get a puncture, miles from
anywhere, and then find that your spare tyre is flat!
You are then side-lined with the obvious delays in getting
hold of a mobile tyre service, but perhaps worse is
the possibility of creating a major obstruction on the
road with your stranded car. A car that cannot be moved
off the road creates a serious accident hazard.
6. Punctures…What to do when you get one? It’s very
important to know how to change a wheel, following a
puncture, whether you are a Guy or a Girl! Changing
a wheel is relatively simple, providing you have the
correct equipment and utilise the correct technique.
However it is not always easy or safe. In the next section
we will discuss this in more detail but in the meantime
if you are a Lady drive and some difficulty with this
exercise; providing you get all your tools out and look
as if you know what you are doing, then it is very likely
that a passing motorist will stop and assist you and
get you motoring again in a few minutes.
7. Equipment…The wheelbrace that comes with your car
when it is new, we have found to be sometimes ineffective
when trying to release the wheel nuts if your wheel
has either not been removed for a very long time, or
has been overtightened by the gun in use in a garage
or tyre shop. We have got through numerous wheel braces
over the years which have had to be discarded in favour
of the professional criss-cross, cast iron brace, which
will last you a life time and which you can take with
you when you change cars. This type of wheel brace has
four different size sockets and will, because of it’s
tremendous leverage, enable you to loosen the most stubborn
of nuts. An added bonus of carrying one of these is
that you will be able to help any other Motorist who
is having trouble with his wheel. Final tip here is
to mask the socket which fits your wheels with some
red insulating tape so that you can easily identify
this in the dark. A lot of punctures happen at night
or in a snow storm so you can do a lot to make things
easier and safer for you. The jack should be in the
boot with the rest of the kit but do check if you are
buying an older second hand car, that you have one…you
might need it around the next corner! !
8. Plank of Wood … WHAT?? … Many years ago, in the teeth
of a howling gale, I suffered a puncture on a country
road late at night and due to the non- stop rain that
had been pouring down for several days, the grass verge
and edge of the road were so soft, that no matter how
hard I tried, I couldn’t raise the car sufficiently
to get the spare wheel on! It was too dangerous and
too narrow to move the car into the middle of the road
to get a better support for the Jack. The close proximity
of a bend made it even more hazardous. In desperation,
and soaking wet, I searched around and eventually borrowed
a large flat stone from a nearby wall, to spread the
weight and support the jack while the wheel was changed.
Ever since then I have carried a short plank, 12 inches
long and 1 inch thick and have never had a problem since.
This is the origin of the phrase as thick as two short
planks! We have them on special offer this month @ €29.99
for the pair! Another observation for those of you who
might have a new tarmac driveway at your home, don’t
attempt to jack your car up without using your plank
or you will create a nice hole in your Drive!
9. Spare wheel nuts …If you have bought a new set of
alloy wheels then it is likely that they will be held
on with longer than average wheel nuts. Since it is
unusual to buy five alloy wheels then following a puncture
you will be using the standard spare wheel to replace
the punctured one. You will need to ensure that you
have in your emergency kit the standard nuts to fix
this in place while you get the puncture repaired and
the Alloy wheel back on the car.
10. Small Penknife…if you are using standard factory-
issue steel wheels with Plastic Hub Caps, they will
be fastened to the rim with cable ties, to keep them
from disappearing into the hedge after hitting a bump
or pothole. These are a little difficult to remove without
a blade so a penknife or Stanley knife is very useful
in cutting the cable tie before getting access to the
wheel nuts. Its useful also to use two ties since they
sometimes break if scraped, leaving you with a missing
hub cap. Original Hub Caps are expensive to replace
so it is worth this little effort.
11. Towel… An old towel and some hand cleanser are very
useful to enable you to clean up after changing a wheel,
particularly if you are miles from anywhere and heading
for an Interview or lunch date. Punctures rarely happen
at home where you have all your mod cons at your disposal.
Apart from this, mucky or greasy hands will make your
steering wheel slippery and dangerous! Some kitchen
roll and spare valve caps are a useful addition also
to your in-boot-kit.
Robin Piggott is the owner of Astral School of Motoring
which is based in Limerick, Ireland. He has thirty five
years of Driving Experience and has driven Professionally
for most of this time, including teaching in – house,
before setting up his own Driving School astralmotoring.blogspot.com
www.astralmotoring.ie
© Astral School of Motoring 2000-2005
Article Source: Autos,
Trucks and More
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