Top Tips On Tyre Maintenance

It is very important to take care with the maintenance and care of your tyres. It starts with the fitting of tyres to the vehicle at an accredited tyre fitment centre. Tyres can be damaged and create unsafe conditions for the vehicle passengers if not fitted correctly.

BALANCING: Properly balanced tyres and wheels spin with all their weight distributed equally. Unbalanced tyres can result in a vehicle's "shimming" (shaking from side to side) and "tramping" (hopping up and down). When your tyres are installed, balancing should be part of the installation procedure.

ALIGNMENT: Proper alignment ensures that all wheels on a vehicle are pointed in the optimum direction to the road and each other. Tyres on a misaligned vehicle degrade handling and don't wear equally, reducing their tread life. A qualified Alignment Technician can test your vehicle's alignment.

ROTATION: To achieve more uniform wear on each tyre it is suggested that you regularly rotate your tyres. If no period is specified in your owners manual, then the tyres should be rotated every 12,000 km.

CLEANING: Cleaning tyres removes foreign substances from the tyre surface that can degrade the tyres. Cleaning your tyres once a month is recommended we suggest using soap and water.

PUNCTURE AND TYRE REPAIR: If any tyre sustains a puncture, have the tyre inspected internally at any Wheel & Tyre Service centre for possible damage that may have occurred. Tread area punctures in all passenger and light truck tyres can be repaired provided that the puncture hole is not more than 0.635mm (1/4 inch) in diameter, not more than one radial cable per casing ply is damaged, and the tyre has not been damaged further by the puncturing object or by running underinflated. Tyre punctures consistent with these guidelines can be repaired by following the recommended repair procedures. The tyre must be replaced if damage exceeds these guidelines. Plug-only repairs done on-the-wheel are not recommended and are considered improper. Such repairs are not reliable and may cause further damage to the tyre.

AIR PRESSURE: You should check each tyre's pressure (including your spare) once each month and always before a long trip--and always do it when they're "cold" (that is, at least three hours after the vehicle has been stopped and before it has been driven one km). It is impossible to tell how much air is in the tyre by looking at it therefore you need to purchase an accurate pressure gauge. Don't trust the gauges attached to the air hoses, as they may be inaccurate.

INSPECTIONS: Check your tyres at least once a month for uneven wear and foreign objects wedged in the tread. If you have a situation where a tyre continually needs more air it should be taken off the vehicle and checked thoroughly.