Tyres, remoulds, cheap tyres, are cheap tyres better?
This article is about tyres and what you need
to know about them
Tyres are the forgotten technology of the motor car. Occasionally you will see an advert for them but not that often. We do not really understand about them, just that they are an inconvenience that has to be replaced.
Tyre technology matters
If you cannot answer the headline questions below without thinking about them then please read this article. It may effect a decision that may one day save your life.
The above may sound a little on the dramatic side but it is the truth. The quality and condition of your tyres has a bearing on the performance of your vehicle in many ways. It may not be a wise decision if you see a tyre pushing the legal limit to leave it until next month. Change it now. The legal limit? Oh yes. One point six millimetres of tread across the central three quarters of the surface of the tyre and no cuts or bulges on the sidewall. How could you forget that?
Why does tyre condition matter?
The condition of your tyres impacts in several areas.
Without good quality tyres in the correct condition your vehicle will be adversely affected in the following areas: -
1) Braking distances: - Balding or incorrectly inflated tyres effect breaking distances because they reduce the amount of grip that your wheels have on the road surface. Your tyres will buckle slightly out of shape at the wrong pressure and if the pressure on either side of the vehicle is unequal as well it may lead to the vehicle turning slightly one way or the other during hard braking. In the case of an emergency stop the car might go as far as being nearly sideways to its original course.
2) Fuel economy: - At lower than recommended pressures more force is required to physically move the car and therefore more fuel has to be burned to keep it moving as well. A few miles per gallon may not sound like much to you now but if you are paying for the petrol then it matters a lot.
3) Gripping the road in normal conditions, especially on bends: - Again it is the pressure that does it. On a bend the lack of tyre pressure enables the tyre to be pushed over to an angle greater than it was designed to. This means that the area of tread is off the road slightly on one side and the bottom of the sidewall is being used as surface tyre on the other. With your grip reduced in this way you would notice a considerable tendency for your vehicle to understeer.
4) Wet weather driving: - Did you ever wonder what the tread pattern was for? Well it it there to move the water from under the front of the tyre to the sides without it having to go underneath. When the tyre has water underneath it then the surface of the tyre is not in contact with the road and this phenomenon is called aquaplaning. The less tread that there is on your tyres the greater the tendency for them to lose grip in wet weather. Aquaplaning may sound like a fun watersport but it has serious side efects for your health. A car that is aquaplaning has no grip on the road surface what so ever.
How do I know what I need at the tyre depot?
On the side of all tyres there is a brand name and a tyre specification. The specification will take the following form: 165/70R13. In this case the '165 x 70' is the height and width of the tyre. The 'R' stands for Radial which is the tyre type and the '13' is the circumference of the wheel that the tyre fits. The tyres that you have fitted to your car should always be the same as the ones that came off.
If the depot that you go to has none in that are the same but offers you a near alternaticve then please say no and go elsewhere. You do not want one corner of your vehicle to have a different tyre to the others. The imbalance in tread will lead to performance differences during breaking and less control for the driver.
What are remoulds?
A remould tyre is made from an old tyre whose tread is worn-out but whose carcass (basic structure) is sound. Preparation for remoulding involves stripping away the tread of the worn-out tyre. The final part of the process moulds a new tread onto the old carcass using a new rubber compound. In the majority of cases remould tyres perform satisfactorily provided the manufacturers guidance about maximum vehicle loadings and maximum speeds is followed. Overloading, sustained high speeds, and under or over-inflation all contribute to increased tyre wear and/or premature failure.
You can tell if a tyre has been remoulded because the word 'remould' has to be displayed on the rim of the tyre. The people who sell you the tyre should always make sure that you are aware that they are fitting a remoulded tyre. A good garage will advise against fitting remoulded tyres or second hand tyres at all. I prefer the places that do not stock them!
Personally I never allow remoulds or second hand tyres on my vehicle!
Second hand tyres.
With second hand tyres you never know what you will get as no-one except you has checked them before they are fitted. There are standards for remoulds but you never know what type of driving style the original owner of the tyre had. If they liked to throw the car around then the original carcass of the tyre is not going to be as good as it should. Unfortunately there is only one way to find out...
Surely cheaper is better!
Not always no. You get what you pay for is good advice here as it is anywhere else. There are tyre manufacturers now all over the world and they all have to make their tyres to certain standards to sell them in the UK. So far so good. Making sure that they do not fall apart is great but it gives no indication of performance and tyre life.
My tip here would always be to stick to the major manufacturers whose names you know.
I have no axe to grind with any other manufacturers because very few tyres are made in this country now anyway but the major manufacturers have been doing a damn good job for a long time. The market is getting ever more competitive and they are not likely to stop now. The extra expense is rewarded with a longer life tyre that you can trust with your own life and those of your passengers.
That is the main point after all!
