Taking care of your CAR Tyres

Taking care of your tyres is easier than you think. Check out these important points to see if you’re doing the right thing.

BALANCING :Properly balanced tyres are important for driving comfort and long tyre life. Unbalanced tires can cause vibration, resulting in driver fatigue, premature tyre wear and ruined suspension. Tyres should always be balanced when they are mounted on wheels for the first time, or when they are remounted after repair. Tyre vibration may also be caused by poor tyre alignment or other mechanical problems.

CARE : New tyres feel different from the tyres that were replaced. Drive carefully as you become familiar with their performance and handling characteristics. Differences are most noticeable while braking, accelerating, cornering, and driving in the rain. You need new tyres when the tread is worn down to where you can see a solid bar of rubber across the width of the tread. Sometimes inserting a coin to measure the depth of the tread tells you how much your tyre is worn.

DRIVING:Avoid speeding if you want to increase the life of your tyres. Excessive heat is generated while driving at high speeds, increasing the rate of wear, and reducing its durability. Avoid fast turns on curves, fast starts and sudden braking.

INFLATION : Always use the air pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. You can find the proper tyre inflation level in your owner’s manual, posted on the edge of the driver’s door, on a door post or on the inside of the glove box door. Remember to check your air pressure when the tyres are cold. Don’t have time to go to the garage all the time? Keep a good pressure gauge handy. Also, it is very important to remember not to try any stunts and try to repair tyres yourself. It takes a trained professional to determine if your flat tyre is safe to repair. When a tyre loses its air pressure, it must be removed from the wheel for a complete internal inspection. Tyres driven a short distance while flat can be damaged beyond repair. Most punctures smaller than ¼"and confined to the tread area can be repaired by trained personnel using industry approved methods. Tyres with punctures on the sidewall or tyres worn below 1/ 16" can not be repaired.

ROTATION :Regular and proper tyre rotation promotes uniform wear. Tyres should be rotated in a"modified X" pattern, meaning only the tyres being moved to the drive axle are crossed to the opposite side of the vehicle. The remaining two tyres are moved from the drive axle to the free rolling axle, remaining on the same side of the vehicle. This method of rotation helps promote even and uniform tread wear pattern for all four tyres. These should be rotated at least every about 10,000 kms. It is a good idea to rotate four- wheel drive vehicles every 6,000 kms. Check your vehicle manual for information.

Old car or new?

This is totally dependent on your mentality. And of course, there is a price differential. So, it is better that you identify your needs first and then take a call on the one that suits your purposes.

For instance, if you are someone who is looking for a regular upgrade in say, every two-three years, then a second-hand car makes sense. Moreover, if this is your first car and you are trying to learn driving on it, a second-hand car definitely makes much more sense. On the other hand, if you are someone who is happy using the same vehicle for a number of years, then a new car is definitely recommended.

Of course, there are other important parameters like your negotiating skills and the previous owner. For instance, a Parsi owned car commands higher value as Parsis are known to maintain their cars very well. As a Parsi friend confesses, We do not believe in repair? we replace.? Whereas even the latest model in the hands of a Young Turk (a la Schumacher) would create imageries of burning tyres and engine on an overdrive.

Before buying any car, here are a few things you need to consider:

1. What is your budget for the car?

2. What is your monthly budget for the car?

3. How do you intend to use it? Within the city or even outside the city? (Heavy weight age towards the latter means that you need a MUV or multi-utility vehicle like Tata Sumo, Mahindra Bolero etc.)

4. How long do you intend to keep the vehicle?

Now that you have answered the above, you know whether you want a new or an old car. But before you go for that old car, get yourself a cool car mechanic that is, a trustworthy one who will check the car for you. Ask him to check all the parameters like tyres, suspension, cooling etc.