Ahead of Road Safety Week (14-20 November) leading local tyre retailer, Super Tyres, encourages motorists to make tyre safety a top priority.
“Your tyres are the only point of contact that your vehicle has with the road and therefore need to be in good working condition at all times to ensure your safety,” explains Dean Horn – Super Tyres Managing Director.
To avoid any problems, Horn recommends using the P.A.D.D checklist (pressure, age, damage and depth) when assessing the condition of your tyres.
- Pressure: Tyres are rated for specific loads at a certain pressure, so it’s important to keep your car’s tyres inflated optimally. To find the tyre pressure values for your car, look for a sticker inside the driver’s door, inside the fuel cap or under the bonnet. Before checking the pressure, tyres should be cold, meaning that you should not have driven the car for a lengthy distance which would have allowed the tyres to heat up. The gases inside heat up, expand, and in turn change the internal pressure.
- Age: It is advisable to check the date codes on your tyres to make sure that they are not older than 5 years. As tyres age, the rubber gets brittle and dry which can lead to poor grip and possible casing failure. The week and year of manufacture can be found in an oval on the sidewall of the tyre. For example, a tyre with the date code: 0219 would have been manufactures in the 2nd week of 2019, making it close to 4 years old now.
- Damage: It is essential to regularly inspect your tyres for wear and any damage, such as bulges, to avoid tyre failure. Always ensure that all four tyres are the same size as specified by the vehicle manufacturer as well and the same speed rating and load index (including your spare tyre).
- Depth: inspect the tread wear indicators on your tyres regularly to ensure sufficient tread depth. Worn tyres are extremely dangerous. In wet conditions, the lack of grip often results in aquaplaning and loss of control, with disastrous consequences.
“If you are unsure about the condition and safety of your vehicle’s tyres, get them checked by a tyre specialist,” concludes Horn.