Improving the life of tyres

[sal88]

We all know that tyres are much more than just rubber and whatever else may be placed in them. They are essential to the look of any vehicle and can make a huge difference in how good, or bad a vehicle looks. Tyres are also essential for the overall health and life of the vehicle.

We understand that not properly caring for our tyres can lead to poor gas mileage, and a bad driving experience overall. Anyone who has tried to drive in bad weather with a set of old tyres understands how poor tyres can impact the quality of the driving experience. We also know that a vehicles ability to navigate corners effectively is completely dependent upon the quality of the tyres on the car.

I already have a great understanding about how to maintain my tyres properly, but I wanted to learn more, and share what I have learned with everyone here. I started my search on the internet and eventually found this page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One_tyres on Wikipedia. I was amazed to find that GoodYear tyres have been the leading tyre for Formula One Racing for nearly a decade. It is no wonder it has grown to become one of the biggest producers of tyres on the planet. They have recently decided to focus more of their business on the private sector, but the experience and knowledge gained from Formula One Racing has made a huge difference in the quality of the tyres on the market today.

I found several websites that discuss tyres and the importance of proper maintenance. They all offered the typical information about tyres in order to improve their performance and overall life span. I also stumbled upon a few companies that provide tyre sales, rotation, and replacement. One such website I discovered is http://www.national.co.uk/ that also provides a variety of other services for vehicles. With hundreds of locations across Europe, I figured that someone here has used the company before. I was wondering what experiences everyone who has used this company have had. Any feedback about using these folks?

I continued my search and found a variety of information. I never realized there were so many aspects of maintaining the health of our tyres. Here are some tips to help keep tyres lasting longer. Some of these tips you may already know, but I am hoping to provide people with some information they don't already have.

1. The numbers and letters on the side of the tyre have very specific meanings. I already had a good idea about the fact that the numbers and letters had a meaning, but I wasn't aware of all the information that is located on a tyre.
2. Air pressure is essential to the health of a tyre. It also effects the gas mileage of the vehicle itself.
3. There are tools available that allow you to inspect the health of your tyres. It is worth investing in a few of these cheap tools in order to get the most out of tyres. One investment is an American penny. The tread on a tyre should at least touch Abraham Lincoln's head on a penny.
4. We all know about rotating our tyres. Tyre rotation allows us to prolong the life of our tyres, as well as improve how safe they are. Tyres should be rotated at least every 6,000 miles.
5. Properly balanced tyres are essential. A tyre out of balance will wear unevenly, and can ultimately lead to problems within the vehicle itself.
6. At one time in the history of vehicles it was much more essential to get your tyres aligned properly. Though things have changed a bit the need to align tyres properly is still there. Tyres that aren't properly aligned can lead to damages in the vehicle, as well as poor performance from the tyres themselves.
7. There is actually a right and a wrong way for washing tyres. A clean set of tyres can make a huge difference in the appearance of a vehicle, but many cleaning products are petroleum based or contain countless harsh acids. These products can actually effect the overall health of a tyre, and there are now eco-friendly products on the market that can make those tyres shine just as brightly as petroleum based products.

These are just the basics of tyre care and maintenance. What other tips do you folks have for prolonging the life of our tyres and getting the most out of them. Tyres can get expensive, so how can we improve the overall quality and life span of our tyres without sacrificing safety or performance?

[Nine468]

Thanks for the info..

BUT i challenge point 4 of the list....

How can we rotate the tyres if,

1, They are a staggered set up.
And
2, The tyres are directional. IE only supposed to go on one way.?

A lot of tyres nowadays have "outside" markers on them and directional arrows...

Thanks...

[X5Sport]

The OP seemed to be very keen to promote his/her views at the time of the post......and then vanished.  The mods even needed to remove the OP's signature.  Most likely a spammer?

Richard

[Nine468]

Oh ok... Fair enough... ::)

[snipez999]

I for one am getting tyred of spammers.

They must be nuts to think I'd even dare to tread where they have ventured.  They come here then bolt straight off, before we can even gauge opinion about them.  I think we need to ramp up the efforts to weed out [Hal}frauds like this.  The depths some people will sink to.

Spot the tyre references!!!!

[X5Sport]

REF!!  Red Card, deliberate foul..... )

[Benstan]

[quote="snipez999"]
I for one am getting tyred of spammers.

They must be nuts to think I'd even dare to tread where they have ventured.  They come here then bolt straight off, before we can even gauge opinion about them.  I think we need to ramp up the efforts to weed out [Hal}frauds like this.  The depths some people will sink to.

Spot the tyre references!!!!
[/quote]

it's easy to get deflated about this or to go spare when you read another spammer's post - I'm staggered that they get through.  You do need to get a grip though - if you get too  grumpy you may end up on your jack jones

[X5Sport]

We need to tread carefully here.....

[Steamyrotter]

If at first you dont succeed..

Ply Ply again???

[amacman]

I don`t want to align with any particular point of view but these jokes are wearing a bit thin .
The OP seems to have an inflated self opinion and should tread carefully with the spam .

[kenniff]

A bit thin? More like it's run flat.

[snipez999]

<Face Palm>