The condition of a vehicle's tyres is crucial to its safe use. Tyres are a vehicle's only contact with the road.
You've probably heard many times about the importance of checking tyre pressures and replacing worn tyres. Unfortunately, too many motorists are complacent - or careless - about the condition of the four pieces of rubber that keep a car safely on the road.
For race drivers, worn tyres or the wrong choice of tyre means the difference between winning and losing, and staying on the track or running out of control and off it.
Motor racing is a good way to illustrate the importance of tyres.
During a race, you'll notice that race cars go through many tyre changes to maintain optimum performance and low lap times.
You will have noticed that race teams change the tyres on the cars according to the prevailing weather conditions.
In dry weather, 'slicks' are used. Slick tyres have no tread, giving the tyres maximum surface area in contact with the road to grip most effectively on a dry road surface. However, slicks are useless on a wet track because without grooves to clear the water away from beneath the tyre, the tyre loses contact with the surface of the road and loses grip. A 'slick' on a wet surface will quickly and unexpectedly slide without any means of controlling it. Race drivers refer to this as 'aquaplaning'. It is a real danger for even the most skilled of drivers.
When the track is wet, racing 'slicks' are replaced by race teams with wet weather tyres that have plenty of tread - the tread disperses water from underneath the tyres to prevent aquaplaning and to maintain tyre contact with the road.
Of course, having different sets of tyres for various road conditions is impractical for normal road use. That's why conventional tyres for road use are designed with tread patterns that maintain optimum grip in both wet and dry conditions.
Road tyres must have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm to be roadworthy. Driving on anything less is extremely dangerous in wet weather; low tread depth cannot disperse the water quickly enough allowing water build-up between the tyre and the road surface. When this occurs the car loses grip with the surface of the road and may easily and unexpectedly slide. Loss of grip from poor performing tyres is most dangerous in an emergency situation when a car needs to stop quickly, or change direction quickly.
Then, worn tyres can kill.
Tyres are a relatively low cost safety feature. Given that the life expectancy of a well-maintained tyre is up to 60,000km, the running cost can be a little as one cent per kilometre.
So there goes your excuse for not being able to afford new tyres. Realistically, if you can't afford to replace worn tyres on your vehicle, you really can't afford to be driving at all.
A TACC Accredited Tyre Dealer can offer you expert advice on the condition of your vehicle's tyres, and if they need replacing, can suggest the best tyres to fit your car and your budget.
When fitting new tyres to your vehicle, ask to have the wheels checked for balance and alignment. It's false economy if you don't. When wheels are out of alignment or balance, the tyres will wear unevenly and have a shorter life.
Check tyre pressures regularly. Under-inflated tyres will also lead to uneven tread wear, not to mention playing havoc with fuel economy.
Checking tyre pressures is also a good opportunity to keep an eye on the tyre tread. When the tread wears down, you'll notice that small bars will start to appear across the tread, evenly spaced around the circumference of the tyre. These are called tread wear indicators, and when they become clearly visible, it's time to replace your tyres.
For all your tyre needs, see your nearest TACC Accredited Tyre Dealer.
Issued by TACC, the Tasmanian Automobile Chamber of Commerce.