Tyres

Tyres can be deceiving. Although there may not be any hairline cracks, bulges or missing bits of rubber, the tyre can still deteriorate. This is due to UV light, weather conditions and the quality of the tyres. A tyre can look new or in good condition but not be fresh and pliable. Generally speaking, a vehicle’s tyres should be replaced after five years, regardless of the amount of wear showing on them.

While it is legal to put tyres with different tread patterns on a vehicle, it is recommended to at least retain the same tyre brand, tread pattern and specifications across the same axle. In other words, the two front tyres should be the same and the two rear tyres should be the same. The tread pattern of a tyre controls how the car grips to the road, disperses the water and generally how the car handles. It is unlikely that tyres with different tread patterns would cause any issues with the driveline. Ideally though, it is recommended to change either two or all four tyres at a time. It is also important to ensure the tyres have the same size, speed and load rating.

Rotating the tyres will help all of the vehicle’s tyres wear at the same rate, which will keep the tyres performing equally on all four corners. This helps maintain the vehicle’s original handling balance and grip over a longer period. To get the maximum life of your tyres, we recommend that you rotate your tyres every 10,000km. The pattern of the tyre rotation will depend on whether your vehicle is front-wheel drive, rear drive or all-wheel drive. When rotating, the wheel alignment should be checked. Furthermore, you should be checking the tyre pressure.

The recommended inflation pressure refers to the cold tyres, if possible. Tyres are considered cold when the vehicle has been parked for three hours or more, or if the vehicle has been driven less than 1.6km at moderate speed. If you would like to test your tyre pressure when they are cold but you happen to live more than 1.6km from a service station, you could buy your own tyre pressure-monitoring gauge from reputable automotive parts retailers. 

Turning the steering wheel when a car is stationary can cause unnecessary wear to the steering mechanism. The loading placed on the steering system can especially be felt in vehicles without power-assisted steering, where considerable force is sometimes needed to be applied by the driver to change the angles of the front wheels.

RAC Tyres advise that tyre pressures should be checked at least once a month, and it is best to check when cold. 

Tyre pressures should be set to manufacturer specification, which can be found on the tyre placard. This is usually located in the driver's door jamb, under the bonnet or in the glove box. 

While pure nitrogen does have some advantages over air for racing car tyres, where pressures are subject to more potential fluctuation due to temperature changes, the use of pure nitrogen for road car tyres is less essential.

Remember that regular air is already 78 percent nitrogen, so paying extra for pure nitrogen (which may not actually be pure nitrogen) would for most people be poor value for money given the imperceptible difference it would make.

Provided the tyres are the correct specification for the vehicle, you do not need to have the same brand front and rear, though we recommend having the same brand and age of tyres across each axle.

Using wheels and tyres which are different in diameter and width from those originally supplied with the vehicle may cause speedometer inaccuracies and some suspension issues over time. This also applies to front-wheel drive vehicles in a general sense. Get at least three different quotes for new tyres.