There’s nothing quite like being under the impression that your car is finally running perfectly with no further spending needed, only to suddenly find out you’re in need of four new tyres. It doesn’t matter how long your tyres may last or how great of a deal you get, chances are you’ll still be looking at an almighty bill when the time comes. What’s more, chances are you’ll be painfully aware of the fact that each time this happens, you swear blind you’ll do a better job of taking care of your tyres next time…which of course you probably won’t!
When the UK’s leading mobile tyre fitting experts are asked about extending tyre life, there are certain common sense tips offered time and time again that are seldom heeded. Well, it’s of course up to you how you treat your tyres and there’s nothing to say your current driving habits are wholly unsafe, but at the same time it’s about 99% likely that with a few very minor changes here and there, you could extend the life of your tyres by months, or even years.
Not convinced? Try the following out with your next set of tyres and see how long they last you:
1 – Slow Down
Apologies if it all sounds a bit preachy, but along with making sure that both your car and every other car on the roads stays out of harm’s way as much as possible, it never hurts to slow down just a little bit. What’s more, your reward for driving a little more on the conservative side will be significantly increased tyre life – you’d be surprised how big of a difference small changes can make. And while it’s not the kind of cash-in-your-pocket reward you’ll enjoy right away, you’re guaranteed to make solid savings.
2 – Gentle Braking
Something else to take note of is your braking technique – are you the type that slams on the anchors at the last second, or do you prefer coming gracefully to a much slower and controlled stop? If you’re in the former camp, every time you use your brakes in this way you are putting unnecessary additional pressure on your tyres, which over the course of time is guaranteed to result in them wearing out much faster. And just like the above example, stopping a little more gently also happens to be a much, much safer way of doing things.
3 – Wheel Alignment
Ask yourself – when was the last time you went in to have the alignment of your wheels checked out? When you had the tyres changed last? Never? It’s inevitable that under normal everyday driving conditions, your wheels will slowly but surely end up pointing not exactly in the right direction. And when this happens, for every mile you travel in a forward direction you’re also scraping the rubber of your tyres sideways. In extreme cases, this can reduce the life of your tyres exponentially – you might be lucky to get a few months out of them. And of course, it’s hard to drive safely when your wheels are no pointing in the right direction…something of a no-brainer to say the least. Chances are it won’t cost you much more than a tenner to get your wheels popped back into line and you’ll save this many times over with added tyre life.
4 – Slow Cornering
Ask yourself – are you the type of person that takes corners gently, or prefers to practically drift round them pretending you’re a superstar racing driver? Likewise – are you the type that switches lanes slowly and carefully, or do you fly all over the place in ultra-fast-motion like a giant road-bound mosquito? If you fall into the latter category of either or both of these, sadly you’re exactly the type of motorist that anyone with half a brain would like to see banned for life. Seriously, shame on you! But if you reckon you’re somewhere in the middle, it’s always worth slowing things down a little and taking turns a little easier as even though you might not think it’s as much fun, your wallet will thank you long term!
5 – Buy Better Tyres
Last but not least, beware the temptation to buy the cheapest second-hand tyres you can find simply to save a few bob. It’s all well and good to save money when buying them, but when you consider the fact that you might have to replace them five times as often, you’d probably have saved more money long term by going for a premium brand with an extensive warranty.
