Tyres are crucial components responsible for keeping up with comfort, fuel economy, and road safety. However, when a tyre has travelled a considerable distance, it gets damaged and adversely affects the vehicle’s performance and safety. Therefore, it is a no-brainer to correctly diagnose your tyres’ discrepancies and accordingly make a decision.
Tyre assessment is a very straightforward process, and you can avoid huge maintenance and replacement costs by opting for routine checks. Also, if you are well aware of your tyre’s conditions, you can take the necessary precautions and care to prevent vehicle breakdown. Here is a guide on how to tell if your tyre has worn out.
Receding air pressure
When the tyres wear out, their ability to maintain pressure declines and this condition is known as slow punctures. Slow punctures happen when the tyres’ outer wall becomes weak, and the air within starts to come out slowly. As a result, when the tyres are exposed to heat or poor roads, they get flat.
One way to diagnose this issue is to keep a regular check on the air pressure. If you suspect a slow puncture, take a pressure gauge and screw it in the tyre’s valve and note the readings at regular intervals. If the readings seem to be declining gradually, your tyres have worn out, and you need a replacement. For this purpose, you can contact any mobile Tyre Fitting Birmingham that can take care of tyre replacement.
Declining tread depth
There are several grooves and ridges known as treads carved on the tyres’ outer wall. Treads are responsible for picking up dust and water from the road so that the tyre can maintain a grip on slippery surfaces. If the tread depth declines, the vehicle will skid and slide on slippery surfaces. Treads also ensure the vehicle’s stability when brakes are applied; damaged treads will adversely affect the vehicle’s braking mechanism.
The minimum permissible tread depth according to road safety standards is 1.6mm. For this purpose, take a penny and put it in one of the ridges; if half of the penny is visible, you must replace your tyres.
However, some modern-day tyres use barcodes as an indicator of tread depth. There are three bars painted on the inner surface of the ridges; when a tyre is new, no bars are visible. But, if more than one bar is visible, it means that your tyre has worn-out.
Damaged Sidewalls
The sidewalls are meant to withstand extreme pressure, and they have a sturdy build. However, when they are continuously exposed to poor roads, they become weak and pose a huge safety risk on the passengers.
A sidewall is said to be damaged when too many cracks and bulges start to appear on the outer walls. The cracks weaken the outer wall and the tyre’s air retention ability declines. Similarly, bulges weaken the contact patch, and the risk of tyres bursting increases when the car is speeding.
These cracks and bulges are easily visible to the naked eye, and if you look closely, you can easily diagnose the sidewalls’ irregularities.
Cabin Discomfort
When the car moves, usual vibration and minor disturbances are common. However, if these vibrations increase exponentially and cause an unusual discomfort in the cabin, it is because the tyre’s shock-absorbing ability has declined. Tyres Saltley and vehicle suspension work in coordination to minimise the jerk and shock felt in the cabin, so when the tyres wear out, more jerk and shock travel into the cabin, thereby making the drive difficult.
Tyre has Aged
The European safety standards dictate that the average of a good tyre is ten years from the date of manufacturing. Upon completing this age, the tyres’ outer wall weakens, and the rubber quality declines.
You can derive your tyre’s age from a four-digit code that is painted on the sidewalls. The first two digits tell the month, and the last two denote the year of manufacturing. If your tyre has completed its age, they have naturally worn-out irrespective of how they appear.
