Ten Car Tyre Tips
Your car’s tyres are literally your lifeline; they are essentially all that is keeping you on the road. Neglect them at your peril. The following 10 tips will certainly save you money and they could well save your life, and the lives of innocent bystanders.
1. Check your car tyre pressures regularly. Running tyres at too low or too high pressure causes wear and speeds the deterioration of your tyres. Moreover, too low a tyre pressure means you will use more fuel; economy can improve by 10 percent when the tyre pressures are correct.
2. Regularly check your car tyres for cuts, bulges or lumps. While the former is obvious, visible damage, the latter can indicate unseen damage within the tyre carcasses. Having a specialist check out any suspect tyres makes far more sense than risking a blowout.
3. Unless you have one of the modern onboard repair kits with a pump, always carry your spare wheel. Remember that there are limits to the speed at which space saver spare tyres can be used, and the distance they can cover.
4. Potholes are car tyre killers, they can damage not only your tyres but even your wheels. You inadvertently strike a pothole and suspect damage has occurred, check the relevant wheel and tyre as soon as you possibly can.
5. If, when checking out tyres, you find a sharp stone embedded in a tread, remove it before it does any damage. However, if you spot a nail, leave it there as pulling it out will cause the tyre to deflate. A car tyre specialist will deal with it for you and may be able to repair the tyre.
6. When checking tyre pressures, remember to replace the valves’ dust caps. These prevent dirt and debris from entering the valves and can help maintain tyre pressure.
7. If possible, keep your car in a garage. Car tyres are tough but exposure to all weathers can accelerate their deterioration. Sunlight damage is common; the ultra violet component in the sun’s rays can cause cracking and crazing.
8. When negotiating speed bumps, never straddle them. Allowing the wheels on one side of the car to pass over the bumps is no faster but it will keep your suspension and steering happier. When you encounter a speed pad running across the entire width of the road, go over it slowly.
9. When the time to replace car tyres comes, it’s best to replace all four. Should this not be affordable, you must replace two of the tyres. Having the new tyres on the back wheels is regarded as the safest.
10. Car tyre specialists don’t just sell and fit tyres. A good specialist will be happy to advise you on the best choice of tyres for your car and for the use to which you put it.
Following these simple tips means you tyres will reward you with good performance and a long service life. Conversely, ignoring your tyres can lead to unfortunate and possibly dangerous circumstances.
Louise Slee has been a fan of driving for over 25 years, with no penalty points to date! See her articles at http://www.merityre.co.uk/ where she cuts through the technical jargon and explains car tyres in simple laymans terms.
Regular Readers: Keeping Your Minibus Up To Scratch
When we get down to basics, a minibus is just like any other machine. Machines don’t like to lie idle and they don’t appreciate neglect. At best, an untended machine will cease to function. At worst, it can damage itself or someone in or near to it. These unfortunate outcomes are reason enough to keep a regular weather eye on a minibus’s health. Check it on a weekly basis and especially when a long trip is upcoming. It makes sense to start with the grubby bits, as they work the hardest and therefore need more attention. So, pop the bonnet, eyes down and look in.
The first item to use in the dark recesses of the underbonnet is the oil dipstick. Check the oil with the engine cold. The oil should be clean and at the correct level. If it is filthy, black and sticky, it’s time for a change. If it’s low, add some more. Consulting the handbook will reveal how much oil is needed, but don’t overfill the engine. The oil should be at the correct level and the engine will thank you for this, by running reliably.
Your minibus’s underbonnet has five more levels to be checked. Plain water is old hat these days, an engine’s cooling system will be full of coolant. You can see if it’s full by consulting the translucent header tank. If the coolant level is low, rectify this by adding the correct mixture of water and antifreeze/anticorrosive agent. Remember that you can only carry out this check on a cold engine. In fact, you can carry it out once on a hot engine. If you do, be nice to the staff in the burns unit – suddenly releasing the pressure in a hot cooling system can unleash a startlingly potent geyser.
Next up, under the bonnet of a modern minibus, are two fluids. Brake fluid works really well, provided it’s there and it’s wise to ensure the level is correct. Like the coolant header tank, the brake master cylinder has a see-though reservoir. You may also need to top up the clutch master cylinder, if you minibus has one, rather than a cable-operated clutch. The second fluid is that serving the power steering. This is often checked using a tiny dipstick that lives under the cap of the power steering reservoir. Finally, you may need to check the level of the electrolyte in the battery. Or you may not, as some batteries need no maintenance. The handbook will tell you which kind of battery is involved. Finish off your engine bay tasks by checking the screen wash fluid reservoir.
The remaining checks can be carried out in better-illuminated areas, starting with those other hardworking items, the tyres. Checking that these are at the right pressure is as easy as it is worthwhile. However, it pays to look closely at the rubberware. You can find out about any odd wear patterns, cuts, cracks or other tyre misdemeanors while the vehicle is stationary. Or you can find out something’s awry the hard way, at speed on a dual carriageway or motorway. This choice stands as the ultimate no-brainer!
Finally, a touch of glass. Cleaning all the minibus’s glassware is an obvious requirement, as is giving the lights and indicators a wipe. Moreover, with the help of an assistant, you can check that every bulb on board is in prime order.
There, that wasn’t difficult, was it? Now you can carry on, feeling virtuous at having done your duty. You’ve protected your vehicle, yourself, your passengers and perhaps innocent bystanders. What more could be asked of anyone?
Louise Slee is a Web Marketer and driving enthusiast for over 25 years, with no penalty points to date! See her articles at Minibus Club where she imparts some useful driving and travel tips when you are out and about in your minibus
Going Large: How To Cope With Driving A Minibus
If you’re a car driver and you find yourself piloting a minibus, you’re bound to experience mixed feelings. There’s a great deal about the hot seat that will be familiar, what with there being a steering wheel, a handbrake, a gear lever or selector and some pedals. On the other hand, the driver’s seat in a minibus will feel a long way from the ground. Equally, the unparalleled vista given by the big windows and screen will highlight the sheer bulk of the vehicle. However, fear not. The only real differences between a minibus and a car can be expressed in two words: size and weight. Allowing for these differences is easy enough and after some practise, you’ll be driving the minibus like a professional.
Where do drivers new to minibuses go wrong? They tend to forget about the scale of things as regards the minibus. Once this is accommodated on an active basis, matters become far easier.
Let’s begin with the first of the differences. Compared to a car, a minibus is wide, long and tall, and realising this by clipping an obstacle, either on the road or during parking, is a realisation too late. Moreover, it’s both embarrassing and expensive. So, start learning minibus-driving skills in a suitable place. There are plenty of large car parks to be found, at out of town shopping centres for example. Finding one and using it will allow you to become accustomed to the size of the vehicle, as well as the way it responds to its controls. It’s worth taking an assistant at this stage, as well as a few empty cardboard boxes. Why? Put it this way, would you rather nudge a cardboard box or someone’s car or a bollard when practicing parking and manoeuvering? Enough said.
Minibus tyros often forget about the height of their new charge. Car park height barriers are the obvious danger but overhanging trees and other roadside foliage won’t do the vehicle’s paint much good. It’s easy to allow for these obstructions. However, some minibus learner drivers take the trouble to add a label to the minibus’s dash or windscreen. Having a clearly visible note of the vehicle’s height, width and length near the eye line is good practice. With this, the driver can start thinking of the minibus as a mobile box, with dimensions as noted. This could save you a small fortune in minor damage claims.
The second aspect is the weight of the minibus. Power steering and brakes, good sound insulation and car-like interiors are all very well but they can seduce drivers into thinking a minibus is lighter than it is in reality. This doesn’t mean that it will fall through a hole in the road but it does mean that the minibus will be slower to accelerate, less accomplished in bends and take longer to stop than a car. Allowing for this extra weight is important: remember that with a full load of fuel and passengers, the minibus will weigh still more.
The final aspect to consider is the minibus’s ‘footprint’ on the road. No, this has nothing to do with carbon, we’re talking about the physical presence of the vehicle. Everyone knows how imposing an articulated lorry is, as compared to a car. At perhaps twice the size of car and three times its weight, a minibus can bully small cars, and especially cyclists and pedestrians. The driver must therefore be aware of what he or she is driving, and drive accordingly. This means avoiding tailgating, not making unclear signals and not making either excessive or vague inputs to the controls. In general, the driver should be aware of the responsibilities associated with driving a bigger vehicle, and drive like a professional, in keeping with these responsibilities.
Louise Slee is a Web Marketer and driving enthusiast for over 25 years, with no penalty points to date! See her articles at Minibus Club where she imparts some useful driving and travel tips when you are out and about in your minibus
Stop and Swap: Changing A Flat Tyre In Five Steps
Changing a car wheel with a flat tyre is a relatively easy task that can be done safely, provided you follow the rules. Here’s how it can be done in five basic steps, with a few tips to maintain safe progress and make life easier.
1: Stop in a safe place, with a smooth, firm surface
Never, ever try to change a car tyre and wheel on the hard shoulder, it’s better to drive on slowly and risk ruining the tyre. Switch on the car’s hazard lights and have any passengers stand well back and away from passing traffic. Extract the spare wheel and tools from the boot, using the warning triangle if there is one. Switch on the car’s hazard warning lights.
2: Loosen the wheel nuts/bolts
Put the handbrake on, putting the car in ‘park’ if it’s automatic. Remove the relevant wheel trim or the wheel nut/bolt caps, if present. You’ll need the special ‘key’ nut to remove a locking wheel fastening. Next, loosen the wheel nuts/bolts. These usually undo anticlockwise and you should always be pushing down on the wheel wrench, not pulling upwards.
3: Jack the car up
Put a chock under the wheel diagonally opposite to the one with the flat tyre. Place the car jack under the jacking point nearest the loosened wheel – never try to use the jack anywhere else. Wind or pump up the jack until there’s enough clearance under the wheel to allow for the replacement fully inflated tyre to fit. Don’t allow any part of you get between the car and the ground.
4: Change the wheel
Turn the wheel until one of the fastenings is at the top. Remove the other three (or four) nuts/bolts first. Then unscrew the topmost fastening. Lift the wheel off, keeping your back straight and taking care not to slip. Fit the spare wheel, aligning the fastenings. Replace the topmost nut/bolt first, followed by the remaining ones. Tighten the fastenings until the wheel is fully seated on the hub.
5: Tighten the wheel nuts/bolts
Let the jack down completely and set it aside. You can now tighten the wheel fastenings firmly, working in a diagonal pattern.
You can no go on your way but there is one more step, for which you’ll need to go to a car tyre bay. Car wheel fastenings should be tightened properly and a tyre bay will use a special wrench to do this. While at the tyre bay, it makes sense to have the flat tyre repaired or replaced as necessary.
It’s also worth making some preparations before you experience a puncture; these can make life much easier. Changing a wheel is a grimy job so carrying some industrial gloves and a mat or piece of carpet in the car can make life much more pleasant. You may also want to familiarise yourself with the wheel changing equipment. Is it accessible? Is it all there? Is the jack there? Does it need lubricating? Better to find out before the event.
Finally, have you got a space saver spare? These usually have limitations concerning speed and distance. Also, space savers can cause dashboard warning lamps to come on, because they confuse the car’s sensors. Your handbook will warn you if this is going to happen.
Louise Slee has been a fan of driving for over 25 years, with no penalty points to date! See her articles at http://www.merityre.co.uk/ where she cuts through the technical jargon and explains car tyres in simple laymans terms.
Fascinating Facts About Car Tyres
Car tyres. We tend to take them for granted and, though they aren’t fit and forget items, we tend not to invest too much time in looking after them. Provided we regularly check their pressure and physical state, car tyres generally get on with their job, quietly and efficiently. However, the following facts might open your eyes, about car tyres in general and about particular aspects concerning them.
Imagine fifty-five pence. That shiny heptagonal coin and its small circular counterpart are capital. However, the idea that you are throwing this much away with every gallon of fuel you use is a less than capital idea. Yet, running your car tyres at less than the recommended pressure can cost you 10 percent in terms of fuel economy. As under inflated tyres are harder to move along the road; they give the engine more work to do and this means more fuel is burned.
The law is an ass, said Mr. Bumble, in Charles Dickens’ ‘Oliver Twist’. He wasn’t talking about car tyres but the principle nevertheless applies. The law says that your car tyres must have no less than 1.6 millimetres of tread. Legal? Yes. Sensible? That’s arguable. A mere 1.6 millimetres of tread is generally accepted as cutting things fine. Tyre manufacturers mould two millimetre-deep tread wear indicators into tyres, with good reason. It’s arguably better to comply with the spirit of the law here rather than the letter, as the consequences of an uncontrollable skid in wet conditions cost a great deal more than new tyres.
What makes car tyres grip the road? The different types of tyre – all weather, winter, mud and snow, all terrain and performance – share common elements. The hardness or otherwise of the rubber in them and the tread pattern they have make a major difference in terms of grip, tyre life, on-road behaviour and longevity. In general though, it is the hardness (or softness) of the tyres’ compound and the water-clearing abilities of the tread that make the most difference to the level of grip given.
There’s nothing better than a new set of car tyres, is there? Some have found out to their cost that brand new tyres aren’t necessarily as grippy as their predecessors. The good news is that this relatively lessened grip doesn’t last long. If car tyres weren’t coated in an anti-stick compound during manufacture, they’d never leave the mould. This coating has to wear away before full grip is achieved. So run your new tyres in, driving more carefully for the first 500 miles or so. This is particularly important in wet conditions.
More than 40 million car tyres. That’s a lot of rubber but it is the number of tyres that are disposed of every year. Following EU directives means that comparatively few tyres go into landfill these days. Some are treated to new treads, minced tyres become carpet underlay and some wind up as part of new road surfaces. Plans are in progress to recover energy from old car tyres; they could replace coal in some industries.
Louise Slee has been a fan of driving for over 25 years, with no penalty points to date! See her articles at http://www.merityre.co.uk/ where she cuts through the technical jargon and explains car tyres in simple laymans terms.