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Mike Waters' blog: 12 July 2013 - Tread carefully
Date: 12 July 2013
Every car and van is heavily reliant on its tyres - essentially four hand-sized areas of rubber connecting it to the road's surface. Not a sexy area of vehicle maintenance, but definitely a very important one.
Get caught behind the wheel with illegal tyres and you will face three penalty points and a fine of up to £2,500 per tyre. Plus the chances of skidding or a blow-out are significantly increased (especially in wet or icy conditions) putting you and your passengers in a dangerous situation.
From a cost perspective, tyres that are under-inflated by 20% or more will increase fuel consumption by at least 3%.
Plus they will be working much harder which can significantly reduce their life. Changing tyres isn't cheap and nor is buying fuel, so if you can look after them the cost benefit can be a significant one.
It's also important to protect your tyres when you're driving. Kerbing causes premature wear to the sidewall, which again will mean that you need to replace them sooner than you should. Therefore, taking care when parking and cornering can also save you money.
We know that many drivers don't pay their tyres the attention that they should. We advise that you make the time to check your tyres at least once a month and if in doubt, get them looked at by an expert.
I would also recommend that when replacing your tyres, you don't scrimp. The cheapest aren't always the best and given the importance of tyres, it's an area worth investing in - whether that's with your time or your money.
