When your tyre begin to age out of their useful service, there are a number of ways you can that this is beginning to happen. Some of these signs are visible but there are also more subtle signs that betray just how much rolling through time your tyres have done. Let’s take a look.
Visible: Damage
Signs of tyre damage that can be seen quite easily include missing chunks of rubber, blisters or dents appearing on the tyre’s surface or on the sidewall, cracks, splits and even quite small dark spots which can actually be puncture holes. If you see any of these signs of damage, it is best to consult your mechanic as soon as possible, you can book your appointment today with Eco Tyres Stevenage Branch to keep your vehicle in roadworthy condition.
Invisible: Vibrations
Vibrations cannot be seen, but you can feel them coming through the steering wheel, and sometimes even through your seat. Often, you will also be able to hear something off in the sound the tyres make on the road. If something feels different about the way your car is handling, take action right away and carefully check your tyres to see if you can spot the incipient signs of damage – and if you cannot, take your car to a garage who will be able to diagnose the problem and resolve it before it turns into a major headache for you.
Visible: Low Tread
Your tread depth is something that must legally always be at least 1.6mm high, over the middle three-quarters of the contact surface of your tyre. Motoring experts recommend a tread depth of at least 3mm over the entire surface area for greater peace of mind and safety in even very wet conditions. You can check your tread depth a number of ways, but the easiest and cheapest is to stand a 20p in the deepest part of the treads. If you can see the band on the outside of the coin at all, your depth is too low and your tyres must be replaced with a fair degree of urgency.
Invisible: Drying Out
Rubber is a natural product and your rubber tyres will slowly dry out over time. Dryness equates to brittleness, and it is the nature of brittleness that means that damage will occur – usually the signs mentioned above, chunks of rubber, cracks, and fissures etc. However, before the damage is visible, the tyres will begin to get drier and if you keep a close eye on them, you will begin to see very fine, hairline patterns beginning to form. This does not mean that the tyres are in poor condition – yet! But they are a sign that you should be aware of and monitor more closely from then.