Improving the life of tyres

[torque98]

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?

[ffrenchie]

Tyre rotation is not that good an idea, it means your tyres all wear out at once so you have a big bill and if you get a puncture and have to fit a new tyre where does it go ? It will throw you into turmoil Our money doesn't have Abe Lincoln on so where does it come to on Her Majesty ?

[Tomcat3]

I dont know what F1 racing you have been watching but Goodyear havn`t supplied tyres to the teams for years. Don`t believe what you read on Wiki it is full of b********

[Opensauce]

If you are ok with changing all 5 tyres at once then tyre rotation is the way to go. I got 33k miles from my original set of Michelin Primacys. At tyre change time I shopped around for cheapest well known make & came to Avons at £93 each fitted for the 215/55x16 size. 18k miles on these so far with 5-6mm tread remaining. I change spare to rears every 3mnths & I have just swapped front to back at about halfway through tyre life.

[mikep1973]

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.

Three things I will say here..

You may want to find other sources for your information. Goodyear haven't supplied tyres to F1 since 1997....

I've had nothing but bad experiences with National, the last time I used them years ago for an oil change they ruined the sump on my Ford Mondeo.

The rest of the post is stating the obvious.

[Opensauce]

I notice your are in the US, Torque, nice to see you spelling tyres, not tires though . The point about National Tyres, they are just another UK chain of drive in tyre fitting retailers with branches in most large towns along with other nationwide chains like ATS & Kwikfit. Nowadays usually the cheapest way to source tyres in the the UK is to shop around the internet suppliers like Tyreshopper etc, buy online with price including fitment & balancing. The tyres are then delivered to a tyre fitting depot near where you live. For example I ordered my tyres off Tyreshopper & the tyres were actually delivered to my local National Tyres depot for fitment. In the UK we can invest in a 20pence coin that does the same job as your penny.

[Gadgetman]

Rotation is NOT a good idea, especially if it means moving a tire from one side to another.
Please look closely on the side of the tire, and on quite a few types you'll find an arrow marking which way it's supposed to rotate.

Rotating to 'even out wear' is just 'fixing the symptom instead of the problem' which may really bite you in the seating area.

I change out a pair of tires at a time when they wear out.
(Always make certain that you have the same type tires, with the same level wear on the same axle. )
As I never wear them down too far(1.6mm is still legal on summer tires here in Norway, but it's asking for trouble on rainy day, so I try to aim for 3mm), there's still a bit of wear left in them when I change them out. Therefore I take a look at the ones I'm swapping out, and swap the best of them for the spare.

[ron]

When my front tyres need replacing,I have the 2 rear wheels put on the front & new tyres to rear.My fronts are 37,000m old having been changed from the rear @ 24,000m with 3.5mm left.

[pidgeonpost]

I can't remember which TV program it was, but a couple of months back they did an item on car tyres and mentioned that the tyre wall information includes the year of manufacture. They reckoned that any tyre over 5 years old needs chucking irrespective of its state. I can't imagine how many trailers, caravans, and vintage vehicles are chugging around on elderly rubber.
A friend has a 2006 reg 1.4 Berlingo that has only done about 15K miles and still on the original tyres. Prior to the last MOT the garage warned him that the sidewalls were deteriorating, possibly from sitting on the drive in the sun (remember the sun?) for weeks at a time. They reckoned it would be a 'fail' if the tyres weren't replaced.