Check your tyres

The condition of your tyres is more important than most people think. Obviously balding tyres slip in the rain, but there’s more to it than that. If your tyres are worn, under-inflated or over-inflated, or you need a wheel balance or alignment, you can:

• easily lose control when driving in wet weather
• reduce the lifespan of your tyres
• increase your fuel consumption
• cause your car to be harder to handle
• cause strain on your steering system
• have your vehicle condemned as un-roadworthy
• be beaten off the lights by a Subaru Sherpa in wet weather

Here’s how to make sure none of that happens. (Especially the Sherpa debacle. That would be very embarrassing.)

Check your tread

Legally, the depth of the tread on your tyres needs to be 1.5mm (i.e. the groove part needs to be that deep). Most tyres will have something to indicate when they are getting low, a coloured line or arrow in the inside of the tyre is the most popular. (Some cutting-edge tyres will call your mobile and give you a stern talking to, but you won’t see many of them outside of Japan until late 2012. And the early imports already in circulation aren’t so good at English…) If your tyres don't have these indicators just stick a match into the groove of the tread. If you can still see the head, there’s a good chance you’re driving on unsafe and illegal tyres and will need to get them changed.

Check your air pressure

How often you should check — Experts recommend checking your tyres every 2-4 weeks. So try to do that. (Experts like to be listened to.) Under normal conditions, your air-filled tyres will lose about 1psi of pressure per month. If you’re losing more than that, your tyre may have a slow leak, and you should contact your local AHG dealership to have it checked.

What your tyre pressure should be —The first step is to find out what your tyre pressure should be. Your manufacturer will have written this information down and kindly hidden it somewhere you’d never think to look. Like in your log book, in the glove box, or at the rear edge of the driver’s door. When you eventually find it, you’ll notice it uses both PSI and KPa. No one knows anymore what these units mean, but don’t worry — you don’t need to know anyway. When you get around to checking the pressure, you’ll see at least one of these same units on the pressure gauge. Just don’t pump your tyres up to 200PSI if your recommended pressure is 200KPa. That would definitely end in tears.

Checking your pressure with your own gauge — The easiest way to check your tyre pressure is to buy your own pressure gauge. They’re cheap, easy to use, and you can store it in your glove box, next to the KFC fresh-wipes from 1993. (If you’d like to buy one, call your local AHG dealership, and ask to speak to the Parts Department. Tell them you want a “tyre pressure doowacky”. They’ll know what you mean.)

Checking your pressure at the service station —If you don’t want to buy a pressure gauge of your own, or you can’t pronounce “doowacky”, never fear. You can still check your tyre pressure by making a monthly pilgrimage to your local petrol station. The pimply attendant might interpret your regular appearances as a romantic interest, but you’ll still get the job done. You’ll find the pump next to a sign that says “Air & Water” — it’s the long hose connected to the big air tank. These days, most pumps are automatic. You click the up or down button to choose the tyre pressure you want, remove the cap from the valve on your tyre, then just clip the pump nozzle on. The pump station will beep and hiss and generally try to look important, but will eventually come to terms with your disinterest and tell you it’s finished (with yet more beeps).

How many tyres should you check— You should check all 4 tyres and the spare in the boot, because if just one tyre is under inflated it can cause instability turning and stopping.

Only check when your tyres are cold —Don’t just check your tyre pressure at any old time. Do it when your tyres are cold, because a warm tyre expands and can throw out your reading. Of course, they’ll heat up a little bit on your way to the service station, but as long as it’s not more than about 5-10 minutes away, and you don’t do any drag-racing en-route, you should still get a pretty accurate reading.

Don’t put too much air in — You will have less contact with the road and wear out the centre of your tyres faster.

Under Inflated Tyre	Over Inflated Tyre	Properly Inflated Tyre

If you think any of your tyres need replacing, book a service online today.

Please note this information is of a general nature only. For specific advice relating to your particular vehicle contact your local AHG Service Centre.

Check your wheel balance

Tyres aren’t made perfectly. There’s usually one section that’s heavier than the rest. And when it goes on your wheel, it puts the wheel out of balance. (The same thing happens when your tyres wear.)

When your wheels are out of balance, your car will usually vibrate. And not in the pleasant — but vaguely disturbing — manner of a vibrating Las Vegas bed. So you should get them fixed.

You can’t get the tyre itself balanced, but you can get the wheel balanced. Book your car in for a wheel balance at your local AHG Service Centre. (A wheel balance is quite interesting to watch actually. Especially when watching makes the service technician whack his thumb with a hammer. Make sure you take your video camera.)

You should get your wheels balanced:

• Every 5000km; and
• When you get new tyres put on (the mechanic will recommend this);
• When your tyres have uneven wear;
• When your steering wheel vibrates while you’re driving. (If it vibrates while you’re not driving, you have other — most likely supernatural — concerns.)

Check your wheel alignment

A wheel alignment makes sure all your wheels are pointing in exactly the same direction. If they’re not properly aligned, you’ll notice your car is getting harder to steer, or is pulling to one side of the road.

You should get a wheel alignment every 15,000km’s (or if you notice either of the above symptoms).