#armstrongtyreuk

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How to Maintain Tyre Shape

Tyres are important to stay safe on roads. Taking proper care of your tyres keeps them in good shape always and helps extend their lifespan. This further saves your money as you won`t need to replace them too often. Here are a few Tyre Care Tips to make your tyres stay longer and in top shape:                                   

1. Monitor Tyre Pressure Monthly

Check the air pressure in your tyres at least once a month and before and after long trips. It’s well-known that the leading cause of tyre related crashes is under inflated tyres. They significantly decrease vehicle handling and fuel mileage. Also, under-inflated tyres often lead to premature tread wear and a sudden blow out. As such; do not take tyre pressure lightly. Keep a Tyre gauge handy so that you can periodically inspect tyre pressure and thus extend their life.

2. Examine Tyres Regularly

Tyres are the lifeline of a vehicle. They do tend to wear out over time. Make sure to examine your tyres monthly and look in for any severe cracks, bulges, punctures or tread wear that can lead to less grip and traction. Consider replacing the tyres if the damage is too much. If you notice an uneven tread wear, get your tyres checked by an expert as it could be due to misalignment.

3. Rotate Your Tyres

Ideally, it is recommended to rotate your tyres every 8,000 to 10,000 kms, in order to maintain even tread wear on all 4 tyres and thus get maximum out of your tyre`s life. Should you notice any difference in wear rate of front & rear tyres (before 8 to 10K kms), you can get the tyre rotation done immediately.

4. Avoid Overloading Your Vehicle

Overloading is not at all advisable for vehicle tyres as it puts lot of weight on tyres making them susceptible to damage or failure. Check how much weight your vehicle can safely handle.

5. Avoid Installing Mismatched Tyres

If one of your tyres requires replacement because of a bad puncture or excessive wear due to various reasons, never buy only one tyre. Buy a pair of two because mismatched tyres have negative impact on the stability and handling of your car. Also, it can cause unusual wear and tear on other tyres. Ideally, all tyres should be replaced at once, but if that’s not feasible, get at least two and install them on the rear of the car irrespective of the type of car.

6. Align Tyres Properly  

If the tyres (or more accurately wheels) of your car are not aligned properly, there will be rapid and uneven wear in the tyres. To add to the worries, improperly aligned wheels create steering and tracking issues. Thus, it is important to get your car’s wheel alignment done by a trained technician, who will adjust the steering and suspension components as per manufacturer specifications.

7.  Replace Worn Tyres on Time

Tyres are essential for the stability of your vehicle and thus for the safety of the occupants. Completely worn out tyres are extremely dangerous, especially while steering on high speeds. So, better replace the worn-out tyres on time by checking the tread depth from time to time.

8. Keep Your Tyres Clean

Last but not the least, you should keep your tyres clean. If tyres are dirty and have lots of dirt and mud on them, or between their treads, it is difficult to check the wear and tear. Most importantly, if the stones get trapped in the grooves, they might drill the tyre and might damage carcass. Also, sometimes it is difficult to get a sense of the tyre pressure if there is lots of mud on the tyres. So, keep them clean to be able to maintain them well.

9. Good Driving Habits Inculcating good driving habits will ensure tyre safety. Avoid sudden acceleration, harsh braking, sharp turns, drifting & excessive wheel spinning to prolong tyre life. In case of off road driving, low speed is recommended.

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Good Way to Maintain Your Vehicle Tyre in Summers

Beyond making your legs stick to your leather seats, extreme heat can equally take a toll on your vehicle too. As the summer approaches you need to keep your tyres in top shape ready to endure the sweltering temperatures. Pre-summer inspection must be carried to ensure that all tyres are ready for summer usage. Beat the heat with the following maintenance tips for your tyres:

1. Maintain Correct Tyre Pressure Tyre Pressure changes with the rise in temperature. Rubber and air expands and contracts depending on the heat. An under-inflated tyre leads to excessive sidewall flexing thereby generating excessive heat which will eventually lead to faster wear & premature failure. An over-inflated tyre, on the other hand, can cause excessive wear and tear to the center of tread and in extreme case it can cause the tyre to burst. Overinflated tyres will also reduce ride comfort. The key is to monitor tyre pressure (including the spare) regularly. For the most accurate reading, check the pressure when the tyres are cold or have not travelled for more than 3 hours. Inflate the tyres to the recommended settings often found on the driver’s door jamb and/or the vehicle owner’s manual.

2. Keep A Check on Punctures/Cracks It is a good idea to inspect tyres regularly for cracks and punctures to eliminate problems on time and ensure utmost safety. To check tyre wear insert a coin between the treads to check its depth. If one fourth of the coin is not between treads, then it’s time to change rubber or better replace tyres if they seem much worn out.

3. Buy A Good Tyre Gauge It’s good to keep a Tyre gauge handy so that you can periodically inspect tyre pressure and thus avoid any untoward situation.

4. Avoid Overloading the Vehicle Overloading is not at all advisable for vehicle tyres as it puts lot of weight on tyres making them susceptible to damage. Moreover, during summers it adds to the heat build-up while driving which can cause severe and sudden tyre damage.

5. Keep Tyres Clean Do not allow dirt and debris to sit on the vehicle tyres for longer as it may lead to permanent damage of the tyres as well as the metal of the vehicle. Regular cleaning will prevent rust and corrosion of tyres.

6. Tyre Valves Make sure that tyre valves are in proper shape and the valve cap is fitted appropriately. The valve cap protects the valve core from dirt and moisture.

7. Spare Tyre Always keep your spare tyre ready and in shape in case it may be needed, it should be up to the mark. Some vehicles come with TST (Temporary Spare Tyre) which will be an undersized tyre in comparison to the actual tyre on the vehicle (picture below). These TST’s are to be used only for limited distance and at a speed not more than 80 kph.

8. Avoid driving for longer distance at one stretch Ensure to have one or two halts for long haul trips. This will allow the tyres and vehicle parts to cool down the excessive heat built and relax the driver to focus better.

Follow these tips & thus you and your tyres can stay cool throughout the summer.

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Difference between Run Flat & Standard Tyre

You all must have been through the inconvenience of a flat tyre at some point of time. Even though most of us realize that changing a wheel is not an out-of-the-world skill, most of us aren’t able to do it and many don’t even think of doing it. Thank God, we have puncture repair kits, but still using the sealant and compressor is not everybody’s cup of tea. Well, the tyre experts have a solution for this – Run Flats. Now what are run flats and how do they differ from the standard Tyres

What are Run Flat Tyres and How are they different from Standard Tyres?

As the name suggests, Run flats are tyres that can run even when they are flat, which means even when they sustain a puncture they can keep working for some time. They also reduce the hazards due to sudden tyre blow out. Their construction is such that the release of air after a puncture happens slowly and is delayed, thus giving you ample time to reach a place where you can fix the tyre – home or a nearest garage. This can be extremely helpful when you face a puncture at late night on vacant roads.  

Apart from the main difference that in case of puncture, run flats can be used for another 50 to 100 kms if driving at a speed of 45 kph, they are different from standard tyres in their construction. They have extra rubber and have reinforced sidewalls, which hold the weight of the vehicle when air releases from the tyre in case of puncture. They are stiffer than standard tyres and have cooling fins to reduce the temperature of the sidewall.

However, standard tyres also have many positives over run flats. Standard tyres are generally cheaper and have more availability than run flats. Also, many drivers find rides of standard tyres smoother and less bumpy ride than those by run flat tyres.

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Types of Tyres

Choosing the right type of tyre for your vehicle is crucial to get the intended performance and make your journey more comfortable and groovy. A poor tyre choice can mean less traction when it is needed, which can be detrimental in some driving conditions.

Categorization of Tyres:

By Vehicle Type

Passenger car Tyres

Light Truck Tyres

Truck and Bus Tyres

Competition Car Tyres

Agricultural Tyres

Off-The-Road Tyres

Industrial Tyres

Motorcycle Tyres

Aircraft  Tyres

By Structure

Bias Tyre -Bias tires are used mainly in off-the-road, agricultural, and industrial vehicles. Bias-ply tyres are made of rubber coated layers of crisscrossed plies of fabric (Nylon) kept at an angle of 30 degrees approx to form a single working unit. These tyres are very strong and rigid. This rigid construction does not allow conforming to the road surface as efficiently as a radial tyre. It may create a wandering sensation as the tyres tend to follow the grooves and breaks in the path. Although it is not hazardous, yet it definitely requires the driver to be more attentive, especially on the highways.

Radial Tyre -Radial tires are mostly used in passenger cars, light trucks, trucks, and buses. Radial Tyres have cords that run perpendicular to its circumference. It is a more practical option for most of the people as due to its modern construction it gives better ride quality, wet weather traction and tread life. Its flexible design allows skimming across the nuts and breaks in the surface. The cords are generally made up of polyester, steel and other textile material, inset with several layers of tyre rubber. This makes for a pleasant ride quality & improved fuel efficiency.

 By Season

Winter Tyres -Winter tyres are commonly used for passenger cars, light trucks, trucks, buses and are imperative in regions prone to heavy snowfall. The treads of winter tyres are divided into small blocks to optimize driving performance in snow with deeper tread depths and specialized tread designs that offer enhanced traction capability. The special rubber used in the manufacturing of winter tyres enables them to maintain a flexible grip without getting rigid even at temperatures as low as 7 degrees Celsius.  They are more suitable and crucial for driving on snow as they offer maximum grip while accelerating, cornering and braking on snow.

Winter tyres can be further categorized as:

Studded Tyres -Studded tyres are the winter tyres with small and tough metal pieces within the tread to be able to dig into the ice and provide good traction. Such tyres are widely used in isolated or rural regions where snow plough maintenance may not be regular. These tyres are a better choice for unsalted roads like back roads or unpaved dirt roads.

Studless Tyres -Studless Tyres are the winter tyres created to give better traction and grip on snowy or ice capped roads without stud pins. They are solely based on solid engineering, recent advancements in rubber compounds and tread designs. Usually at a temperature below 7 degree Celsius, a general tyre will become rigid and possibly crack. This makes them unsuitable for snowy roads and equally risky for use in winter.

Studless winter tyres on the other hand offer much flexibility in freezing weathers by maintaining required traction on snowy or wet roads. They have a much deeper tread depth than summer or all season tyres which doesn`t allow debris to clog into tyres. The tiny slits in their tread pattern called sipes help with acceleration, deceleration and stopping on compromising road surfaces.

Summer Tyres -Summer tyres can be used in any season except winter. These are usually made of soft rubber compound. They offer high performance, maximum grip at high speeds in a dry weather, low noise, steering stability, better traction, increased responsiveness, cornering and braking capabilities. Their tread patterns have less grooving and as such more rubber comes in contact with the road surface allowing more stability.

Most of the sports cars are fitted with these tyres as it enhances better handling, high performance, and cornering capacity.

All Season -An all-season tyre gives an all-round performance by combining the properties of both summer and winter tyres. It is appropriate for a standard driver as it offers a balance of capabilities, giving acceptable performance in wet as well as dry conditions including better traction in snow.

These tyres have moderate tread depths that are engineered to provide a longer tread life. They are manufactured into various types/models, sizes, load capacities, and speed ratings and can be used for a wide spectrum of vehicles from economy cars to sedans to mini-vans to pickup trucks. They offer quality ride, better handling, and other performance attributes suitable for most drivers.

Run Flat Tyres

A Run flat tyre is designed to keep the vehicle in control even after deflation due to a puncture. It thus allows the vehicle to move at reduced speeds for a limited distance even at zero pressure. Its considerably strengthened sidewall carries the load of the vehicle and specially designed beads prevent the tyre from getting detached from the wheel.