Adventure Driving Care

Never Maintain Low Inflation Pressure - Lower inflation pressure leads to tyre rupture due to generation of heat. Hence, the pressure should be maintained at 5 psi (0.3kgf/cm2). The tyres should be inflated over the normal pressure before high speed racing.

Never Use Damaged or Repaired Tyres - Damaged or repaired tyres not to be used during high speed driving as it increase the risk of a tyre burst resulting in accidents.

Never Use Worn Out Tyres - Worn out tyres should not be used as it increases the risk of accidents due to poor braking and skidding.

What are Tips and Advice for taking care of Tyres? Tyre care is must for your car. Here is the expert opinion that can be useful to you. In this section, we have pulled in a few important tips that would help you take precautions and avoid stranded situations.

Maintain Adequate Air Pressure - Maintaining the tyre pressure recommended by the manufacturer elongates your tyre life. Under inflation of your tyre could leave the tyre under performed. Low pressure can also cause dislodging and creates a rolling resistance. This in turn increases the fuel consumption of the vehicle and premature tyre failure due to excessive wear on both the inner and the outer side. On the other hand Over-inflation can cause problems like unpredictable handling and accelerated centre tread wear.

Always Check Tyres When Cold - As you drive, the friction heats up the tyre and increases the tyre pressure. Checking a warm tyre for pressure gives an underinflated pressure reading leading to wrong adjustment of tyre pressure. Therefore, tyre makers always recommend checking tyre pressure only when it is cold.

Avoid Mixing Tyres - Car makers design cars to work with four tyres of same or similar make to ensure consistent performance. Different make and models of tyres perform differently, so applying different models of tyres will make your car suffer in terms of performance. Therefore, try and replace two tyres at a time and install two similar tyres on the same axle.

Check for Tread Depths - Tread pattern designed on the tyre surface are designed to keep water out and maintain a contact between tyre and road to maintain a good amount of grip. When the tyre wears out, the grooves also wear out thus increasing the aquaplaning and loss of control. So once the groove depth decreases below 1.6 mm one should try to look for replacements. Tread depth should be at least 1.6 mm across 75% of tread depth.

Emergency Repair - Make sure that you keep a spare tyre with you for the emergency purpose with a proper tyre changing kit handy.

Frequent Checks for Damage Detection - Visual inspection of tyres should be done frequently. Just because we do not feel that there isn't any problem with the tyre it does not mean that tyre is in a good condition. A tyre can be damaged by a nail or any other harmless object. Therefore, frequent checks on the tyres should be done and replacements should be timely made as the ageing tyres lose their resistance and develop cracks.

Look for wheels Steering and Suspension - Misaligned steering or worn suspension can cause uneven or accelerated tyre wear. Checking the tyres frequently can avoid this. If these concerns arise check at a garage for wheel alignment and suspension condition and get it adjusted or repaired as required.

Know your Tyres before you Buy them - Know all the tyre specifications before you buy them.
when to change tyre.

If Your Tyre is Worn - The safe limit of the tyre surface is 1.6 mm. Tyre treads worn out below this limit would prove to be dangerous. Use of worn-out tyres increase the probability of tyre failure, and in wet conditions can cause the tyre to lose traction suddenly. In most countries, it is illegal to drive with less than 1.6 mm of remaining tread depth.

If Your Tyre is Damaged - Your tyre can be seriously damaged if it impacts any solid object on the road e.g. kerb, pot hole a nail. There is a good chance that your tyre can be repaired, but only an authorized tyre retailer or technician can tell you whether the tyre can be repaired or has to be changed.

Inspection by a professional is absolutely necessary because internal damage is not visible while the tyre is mounted. But in one of the following situation the tyre definitely cannot be repaired :

• Punctures to the sidewall.
• Bead wire visible or distorted.
• Separation of rubbers or fabrics.
• Creases in rubbers or fabrics.
• Damage by hydrocarbons or corrosive substances.
• Chafing or mottling of internal rubbers by running under inflated.

If Your Tyre is Over Aged
The usable life of tyres varies enormously and is impossible to predict. For this reason, it is recommended that all drivers pay attention to the external appearance of their tyres, to any loss of inflation pressure or any abnormal occurrence (Vibration, Noise, Lateral Pull) which might demonstrate the need to replace them.

Moreover, in addition to regular inspections and tyre pressure adjustment, it is also recommended that all tyres (including those on spare wheels, trailers, caravans and camping cars), are inspected regularly by a tyre specialist, who can assess whether they should continue in service. After five years or more of use, this inspection must be carried out at least once a year. Where necessary, follow the manufacturer's recommendations on replacement of original parts.

An easy test to know whether to change your tyre or not?

• The tread of your tyre must be 1.6 mm (1/16th of an inch). When the tyres are worn below this limit than it is the right time to change your tyre.
• Tyres come with a feature of tread wear indicators. These are small bridges which are present in between the treads. When the outer tyre comes even till the level of the indicators, it is the right time to change your tyres.
• Apart from observing a tyre wear indicator, a tread depth indicator or gauge is an easy tool to measure the tyres treads depth. It is easily available with an auto parts dealer or you can also get to your regular tyre place and ask them to do the same for you.
• You can also have a look at the tyre wear indicator mentioned at the side of every tyre. These vary from company to company.
• Being a responsible driver, a note of irregular tread wear should be made. If the tyres wear much faster than expected, have a check of the suspension and get it corrected. Worn suspension parts and improper alignment play a vital role in reducing the tyre's life.
• It is a good idea to rotate your tyres from front to rear in pairs.