You might decide to take your car out for a drive one day and noticed something way off. The handling feels a little heavy, perhaps you hear an odd rubbery sound coming from the bottom of your car. But even if you do not experience any issues you might still need to get your tyres replaced. Car Tyres often don’t give you too much warning of when they are run down and needing a replacement, so it’s best to know the signs before it’s too late – so you can avoid a tyre burst. Because of this, I am going to share 5 signs that your tyres are worn.
Lack of Tread Depth
A shiny new set of tyres come with at least 8mm of tread to help them maintain good contact with the road. Over time, however, this will wear away. It is your job to ensure that the tread does not fall below a certain depth. There is a straightforward way to check the tread depth of your tyres, and you do not need something silly like a tape measure. Take a 20p piece and put it in the main groove of the tread. If you can see the outer ring of the coin, it means that your tyres are too worn. Do this a few times in different areas around the tyre, just in case there is uneven wear.
If you are lucky enough, your tyres might also have tread depth indicators. They are pretty handy, as they let you check the read depth at a glance. Do not forget that it is a legal requirement to have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm. This should be in a continuous band around the tyre. If you are caught driving with tyres that do not meet this requirement, you could end up with a fine and points on your licence. Expect to be penalised per tyre, so if all your tyres are far outside of the acceptable range, you could face a maximum fine of 10,000 and 12 points.
You Have Old Tyres
It is important that you regularly monitor the condition of your tyres. But after crossing the five-year mark, they should ideally be checked by tyre shop experts. And once your tyres reach their 10th birthday, from the date they were manufactured – they will probably need to be replaced. Even if they seem fine, it is still a wise idea to get a new set.
You can also tell when it is time to replace your tyres with their mileage. Double-check the manufacturer’s suggestions for how many miles your tyres can travel before they need swapping. On average, tyres should last around 25,000 miles, but there are other factors that influence this number. You will reduce the number of miles you get out of your tyres if you brake harshly or drive over rough roads.
Shaky Driving
Can you feel a lot more vibrations than usual when you are on the open road? There could be a range of issues causing this, from a faulty shock absorber to issues with wheel alignment, but it can also be your tyres.
If there is not enough tread depth, you are going to have a bumpy experience on the road. If you are not sure whether the level of vibration is normal, see if you can find a newly resurfaced section of the road. If it is still shaky and loud when you move onto the smoother part of the road, you need to get that checked out.
To conclude, keeping a close eye on your tyres is important when owning your own vehicle. Neglect can easily lead to issues snowballing, possibly putting yourself and other road users at risk. So, make sure you often check the tread depth of your tyres, along with any other abnormality in your tyres.
