Providing long lasting durable tyres for over 40 years
As well as providing you with the best possible service, let Condron Tyres also give you some tips to help increase your awareness about your vehicles performance and safety.
What Your Tyre Says
Every tyre for any vehicle is marked with its own size dimensions. There are 3 primary dimensions on the side of every tyre: radius of the rim to be fitted; thickness, or distance, from rim to the edge of the tyre tread surface; and the width across the tread. All 3 are denoted in the same area on the outer surface of the tyre wall, enabling quick reference (see photo at right).
There are other values denoted on your tyre, such as load capacity, speed rating, and more.
It is very important that the correct tyre and its rating is selected according to your vehicle manufacturers standards.
Wear and Tear
It is extremely important to monitor your tyres performance from the day they are first fitted. The more time spent travelling on the roads simply reduces the lifespan of any tyre. But even if you do not have the work style of a sales rep, that does not allow you to neglect proper inspection of your tyres!
No matter what tyre is typically fitted, it is still susceptible to puncture by glass, wood, stones, nails, screws, potholes, and shards of metal. Obviously the more travelling you do increases your chance of driving over any of these dangerous threats. Signs of such contact include pitting on the tyre tread surface, objects embedded in it, and worst of all, a slow puncture. Even contact with a pothole can tear the tyre wall (vertical face), so it is recommended to check your tyres if you suspect you have come into contact with any of these.
Minimum Tread Depth
In Ireland, the minimum legal safe depth of the groves on your tyre, or tread depth, is 1.6mm. You can see this by inspecting any tyre, running your finger in the furrows, and coming across a raised notch. This notch is 1.6mm high from the bottom of the tread, indicating the minimum depth any tyre should be allowed to be worn down to. This number should, by common sense, increase in the likes of winter driving conditions.
Replace your tyres as soon as this notch is reached, if not even slightly before.
Don't forget your spare tyre!
Proper Tyre Pressure
Proper tyre pressure ensures your tyres have proper grip on the road surface, and thus keeps your vehicle running at expected performance. A tyre can be under inflated without looking flat. To be safe you should check the pressures once a fortnight. Too much air pressure in a tyre increases the risk of blow-out, especially in hot weather. Too little increases road surface contact, and thus drag, impeding your vehicles response time to dangers.
The correct tyre pressure is indicated typically in pounds per square inch (lbs psi) along the tyre wall.
Don't forget your spare tyre!
Alignment and Tracking
Improper balance and allignment of either the front axle or rear axle can happen when your vehicle encounters pot holes, kerbs, deep drains, and even large debris like pieces of wood and concrete on the road.
Badly alligned wheels not only give an annoying shudder in the steering system of your vehicle, or even an improperly alligned steering wheel, but it will also cause erratic wearing down of your tyres.
Have a thorough check of your tyres - a sign of bad allignment or balance will cause your tyre(s) to be worn on one side of the tread more than the other. If you notice this, get it checked immediately.
Weather Conditions
In Ireland, the weather is often the culprit of many accidents - poor seeing conditions, frost and ice, wet and windy weather. It is therefore important that whilst driving that you are alert to the potential dangers that lie ahead, and what your vehicle is capable of in an unusual circumstance.
Therefore, peace of mind regarding your vehicles road handling capabilities should lie with your tyres. Never let your tyres wear down too close to the 1.6mm tread depth. If you think your tyres are at risk, then NEVER push them to the limits. In wet weather, drive with due care, observing a proper 3 second distance minimum to the driver in front of you, and your speed decreased accordingly. In icy weather, the distance should be almost doubled, and speed reduced even further.
Do not wait for an accident to almost happen - check your tyres now, and become a safer, better driver on the roads.
Don't forget your spare tyre!
