Having made the right tyre and rim selection and having fitted your tyre . . .The tyre must then be inflated to the correct inflation pressure suited to the tyre, vehicle and operating conditions, balanced and aligned.

This correct pressure must be maintained throughout the life of the tyre. It must be noted that where extra load, within the limits of the carrying capacity of the vehicle, is going to be carried, extra pressure, also within the manufacturer’s recommended limits, must be inflated.

To ensure maximum retention of pressure, a good quality valve and valve cap must be fitted with a high resistance to heat damage.

Regular pressure checks using a pressure gauge are recommended to ensure that the pressure is maintained at the correct levels.

The manual methods, like “kicking the tyre” is not sufficient to ensure the tyre is inflated correctly.

The wheel assembly must then go through wheel balancing, and when fitted to the vehicle the wheels must be aligned, by a professional.

We now discuss this in greater detail.

Pressure maintenance
We will briefly discuss the effects of pressure on a tyre. Pneumatic tyres rely on air pressure for their operation. It is the air in a tyre that assists the tyre to carry the load.

A tyre must take an appropriate amount of air to be able to carry a certain load.

Any variations against the recommended air pressures may result in the tyre being either underinflated or overinflated. This can significantly damage the tyre and cost the user a lot.

Under inflation
When a tyre is underinflated, the sidewalls are excessively deflected generating excessive heat resulting in the components, within the tyre, disintegrating.

The heat also softens the rubber and increase tread wear. Shoulder wear results from the fact that the centre gets sucked in and the tyre rolls on the shoulders.

Under inflation increases rolling resistance, therefore a vehicle needs more power to move it, translating into more fuel consumption.

Furthermore, the tyre becomes unstable and difficult to control creating conditions for potential disaster. The same effects can be seen when a tyre is overloaded.

Over inflation
When overinflated, a tyre becomes too rigid and the contact patch is reduced to the crown (top) area of the tyre’s footprint only thereby compromising stability and impact absorption.

The result is irregular wear and potential impact fractures.

The rigid tyres are no different from the old steel or wooden wheels, they give a very uncomfortable ride that eventually leads to increased wear and tear of vehicle components and fatigue for the driver.

It is the fatigue that impairs the driver’s concentration and judgment with the potential to cause accidents.

The reduced footprint affects the tyre’s road holding capabilities compromising vehicle control and stability and increasing the propensity for disaster.

Proper inflation
Proper inflation ensures that the tyre’s tread/footprint is properly in contact with the road giving operational stability, cooler running, even and low tread wear, and improved mileage.

This ideal position is what every motorist must strive to achieve at all times.

To achieve this every motorist must adopt best tyre management practices. This requires regular pressure checks with a calibrated pressure gauge, correct tyre and size application, proper load levels and distribution, the use of metal valve caps, and more importantly, observing road regulations.

You must always ensure that your tyre pressure is taken when the tyres are cold. When hot, air particles expand and give wrong readings.

Wheel balancing
Wheel balancing is a process of attaching metal weights to a wheel component, particularly the rim, to ensure that the centrifugal forces are countered and acting equally on the wheel component.

In tyre and rim manufacture it is possible that some areas may get more material than others thereby creating heavy spots and the opposites sides become light spots.

As the wheel is in motion, the heavy spot tend to pull the lighter spot resulting in the tyre bouncing on and off the road or vibrating giving an uncomfortable ride.

These exhibit as uneven tread wear as some portions of the tread wears off faster.

Wheel alignment
In general terms wheel alignment adjusts all tyres so that they roll in a straight line.

It consists of adjusting the angles of the wheels so that they are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground, thus maximising tyre life and ensuring straight and true tracking along a straight and level road.

Wheel alignment can be affected when tyres and /or suspension parts are changed, or when a vehicle’s body is accident damaged.

The primary angles are camber, caster, and toe. When these angles are out the wheel either becomes tilted or slanted with the tread not touching the ground properly resulting in irregular wear.

A wheel affected by alignment wear will have excessive tread wear on one side of the tyre as exhibited in the attached diagram.

We always recommend four wheel alignment incorporating both front and rear wheels. Alignment is done using special equipment that is capable of reading the wheel angles and relative positions.

Tyre Treads can assist you with this service that helps you save money by getting maximum benefit from your tyres.

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