Tires are one of the most important components of a car. If there is any damage in the tyre, it would be very difficult to drive your car around. Therefore, you should pay special attention to the quality of your tyres. Usually car tyres can be used smoothly till 40,000 kms, depending on the roads on which you drive. If you drive on roads that are very bumpy and unpaved, then you might have to replace your tyres sooner through a car mechanic.
You can check the condition of your tyres by nothing the following points:
- Usually when your car is on the road, the engine makes some noise. However, if you have been driving long enough, then you would know what is natural and is not. The sound may arise due to misalignment of the tyres or problem with suspension or engine of the car. However, what must be borne in mind is that the problem could cause your tyre to burst on the street. Hence, if you get an unnatural noise while driving your car, make sure to take it to the mechanic to get it fixed.
- Check for blisters on the sidewalls of the tyres. Sometimes, tyres develop blisters and bulges which can be very dangerous if they blow out. If you notice one of these, you should immediately visit maintenance centers for cars to get it repaired.
- You should also look for gashes and cuts across the tyres. Sometimes the air within leaks out through these gashes and you need to get your tyres repaired in order to prevent this.
- Checking the tread marks of the tyres- Usually the tread marks on tyres need to be 1.6 mm or 1/16th of an inch thick. If you drive around much during rain, then you should have even deeper tread marks. Notice the tracks left behind by your car on a wet road to see if it is the imprints are deep enough. You can also insert a 50p coin into the tyre treads and check their depth.
Nowadays, tyres come with tread wear indicator bars which are not visible to when the tyres are new. However, after tyres suffer wear and tear, they appear perpendicular to the tread marks of a tyre. The appearance of a couple of these indicates that the tyre needs to be replaced. You can use the 50p coin to be doubly sure of the tread depth and also the tracks left behind by your vehicle.
There are many motor service centres which would change your tyres for you. You should get the air content checked regularly in your tyres. These can be done at any motor service store and petrol pumps. Each tyre has a different content of air that needs to be maintained.
Not only will maintenance centers for cars change your tyres for you but they will also do other repair and painting jobs for you. You can find a good car mechanic or service centre by looking up online classifieds.