Selection, maintenance and when to change tires?

No driver can say that it is not aware of the importance that the tires are for the safety of your vehicle. We all know that our car has only touched the ground on four small areas of approximately the same area as the palm of our hand, and that if such contact is not perfect, especially for high-speed run, our lives may experience a turn too abrupt.

However, it is not enough to know things, as well put that knowledge into practice, and this is where attention of many users, who only think of the tires of his car when they have to spend the ITV or when there are Considering that the drawing of their bands tread is starting to disappear.

Before talking about the choice of tires will review some basic standards of maintenance. The duration of the tires depends on how much driving each person, if prolonged driving at speeds regulations, are not carried out intense and hard braking by reducing speed before entering curve. For this reason, and because not all do the same miles each year, some drivers have the tires can last several years, while others spend more than a year. The first should be monitored especially:

• The inflation pressure at regular periods of time (at least every three months), always in the same establishment (with the same gauge) to avoid dispersion due to errors of measurement for various appliances, and with cold tires (not after of having circulated for several hours).
• The state of aging tires, shown by the cracking of the sidewall. The rubber is a living material, which hardens with time and its original properties as elasticity and adhesion, are degraded. It is also affecting some chemicals such as solvents, fuels and oils, and particularly the ultraviolet component of sunlight. For these reasons, although the tread band would not have been worn away in excess, the tires would have to change before they were 6 years old.
• The presence of cuts and bruises (hernia) on the flanks, which can occur when striking against the curbs on the sidewalks. If a tire has a "hernia" in its side must immediately replaced, along with at least a couple in the same axis.
• The balance of your tires, if detected abnormal vibration of the vehicle while driving. Among other reasons, these vibrations could be due to static or dynamic imbalances of the tires.

On the left side: static imbalance and on the right side: dynamic imbalance

Those drivers who move thousands of miles a year should be monitored, in addition to the pressure and the possible existence of blows or cuts in the tires, other aspects such as the wearing of the tread, not only that the depth of the drawing exceeds 1.6mm legal, but also irregularities that reveal other defects in the line of the address or the suspension, in which case should proceed without delay to its correction.

When we go to change tires, at least two of the same route at the same time, since it is not considered suitable for the movement (ie not pass the ITV) a vehicle along the same tires fitted with a different picture its tread pattern, we have to look around with the features approved for our vehicle (which are included in the data sheet, but if we do not find exactly the same measure was accepted as equivalent those tires whose development differs by less than 3%, with the same rim). These features include both the size and the load index and speed symbol, the latter two of vital importance, so it must be at or above the approved, to ensure an adequate margin of safety.

In vehicles with traction to the permanent four-wheel demand is even greater, all four tires must always be identical in make and model, and even wear, because small differences in diameter are likely to generate an abnormal warming of the separate groups, who work forced by the different development of the front and rear wheels, and in extreme cases may even be the cause of the fire at the vehicle.

Other characteristics that allow differentiating to the tires, and therefore facilitating the election of which better adapts to our requirements: a way of driving length, climatology of that area, codes Traction (grip on wet):

AA: excellent,
A very good,
B good,
C the minimum allowable;

TREADWEAR (length): the higher the index, which is the minimum allowable 100, the higher the expected duration of the tire, although naturally grip and length does not go hand in hand and the tires with more grips tend to have lower, rates.

TEMPERATURE (heat dissipation):
A very good,
B good,
C normal

And M & S (mud and snow) tires that are specific to film in areas on a very rainy winter and frequent snowfalls, although the maximum speed limit is an excellent choice, almost imperative, in certain geographic areas.

Therefore, it might be obvious to stress finally that the change of tires is not an inconsequential keeping operation, such as replacing a fused light bulb, but it requires the advising and the accomplishment of the work on the part of a professional with the formation and the adapted equipment, and the substitution of the inflation valves and the balance of wheels never can be considered like something optional, but it constitutes part of the essential operations that, by security and comfort, must be realized in all change of tires.

Category:

• FAQ: Auto Safety

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