Top 5 Tyre Maintenance Tips to Extend Tyre Life

Birla Tyres spent over 3 decades perfecting the art of tyre engineering. As a manufacturer of heavy commercial, off-roading, and agriculture-oriented tyres, we focus on creating high-performance and all-season tyres.

Tyres are always susceptible to erosion, especially when they fit into the three categories we focus on. That's where tyre life expansion becomes quintessential. On average, premium tyres can range between INR 33,000 and INR 50,000.

With genuine tyre maintenance tips, you can easily prolong your tyre life and save yourself from exceeding your budget. But what are the best ways to do so?

Usually, seasoned drivers already know common tips to improve tyre life. We will instead focus on common factors that shrink tyre life and discuss how we can overturn those perils.

Understanding Tyres Closely

Understanding the anatomy of tyres will help drivers to adopt useful techniques that elongate tyre lifespan. Usually, tyres are manufactured of rubber, with nylon, polyester, and steel cord belts superimposed. The most significant part of the tyre is the tread.

There are different tread patterns, with various rib combinations, lugs, and additional components. Below is a brief reference to all important elements that compose a tyre:

How Birla Tyres Strives for Tyre Longevity?

Birla Tyre's artisanal research and development team plays a pivotal role in ensuring longer tyre life. The foundational Seasonal tyre care tips of Birla Tyres ensure longevity and safety.

The key engineering and aftermath approach to ensure longevity is inflation pressure management, proper Wheel alignment and balancing, tyre inspection, better traction, and awareness about tyres.

Handling Inflation Pressure

Birla Tyres offers trucks, buses, and agricultural vehicles to ensure tyre pressure is checked daily. The under-inflated tyres enhance rolling resistance, prompting higher fuel consumption.

Alignment and Balancing

According to the tyre R&D professionals of Birla Tyres, alignment and balancing are essential for ensuring a comfortable driving experience. drivers must remember that misalignment can cause serious tyre wear.

It is best to seek professional assistance if you use heavy commercial vehicles. You can visit a Birla tyre dealer for alignment service and true balancing.

Traction and Grip

As most modern tyres are tubeless, vehicle owners must ensure abundant tread depth that improves grip. Birla tyres ensure their tyre treads nullify the hydroplaning risks. However, the experts suggest that adequate tread depth can channel away the water.

Top 5 Tyre Maintenance Tips for Users

Despite smart engineering, the lion's share of the responsibility to elongate tyre life rests on the users. Here are some first-hand tips to improve tyre life:

Check Your Tyre Pressure Frequently

Maintaining an optimum tyre pressure is the basis for maximizing your tyre life. It not only keeps your tyre upright but also ensures optimum vehicle performance.

Tyre pressure is the air pressure inside tyres. But why is it so important? The tyre pressure is the air pressure inside the tyre, and it affects the contact patch directly.

Incorrect pressure distorts the contact patch, which leads to uneven wear and tear. Eventually, the life span of tyres becomes shorter.

Underinflation

Underinflation (less than optimum air pressure in the tyres) increases the rolling distance. Rolling distance is the patch that is in contact with the road at a point in time. As a result, the heat build-up inside the tyre becomes greater than the permissible level. The rest is premature wear on the outer shoulders of the tread.

Overinflation

Overinflation (more than optimum air pressure) reduces the contact pitch size. Hence, the ride is bumpy and harsh. In the case of heavy tyres like Truck and Bus tyres, it can be a potential risk, especially in wet conditions. Moreover, overinflation accelerates the wear on the middle of the tread.

What is The Solution?

Here are some handy Tyre Maintenance Tips for you. R&D experts at Birla Tyres suggest heavy commercial vehicle owners should check the tyre pressure at least monthly, or while carrying heavy loads on a consecutive basis. Ideally, drivers should check tyre pressure whenever the tyres are cold. Cold tyres imply the vehicle has been driven for more than 3 hours at a stretch.

Birla Tyres have the ideal pressure mentioned on the engravings inside the tyre. Optimum pressure is paramount for a tyre's efficiency and longevity, alongside safety and handling of the vehicle in the long run.

Wheel's Alignment and Balance

The tyre pressure decides a part of the whole tyre's grip only. A streamlined wheel alignment with proper balancing is instrumental to good tyre health. However, the R&D experts at Birla Tyres observed that wheel alignment and balancing are usually ignored factors.

How does wheel alignment matter?

Wheel alignment helps in adjusting the suspension components of the vehicle. The alignment here means the wheels are pointed in the right direction. Ideally, wheels should be perpendicular to the ground.

What causes misalignment mostly?

Misalignment is usually caused when a heavy vehicle hits potholes or serious kerbs. The result- the wear on one side of the tyre is more than the other. Consequently, the lifespan of the tyre is seriously shortened. It can also impact the handling of the vehicle.

What Does The R&D Team Say About Wheel Balancing?

Wheel balancing protects the tyre whenever there is a weight imbalance. Under any circumstance, an unbalanced wheel may create vibrations, which accelerates wear and tear of the tyre. Moreover, an imbalance creates extra stress on the suspension components.

Pro Tip: How can you easily spot wheel imbalance? It's easy. Check these Tyre Maintenance Tips. You can succumb to imbalances wherever you're operating at higher speeds. Simultaneously, shaky steering can also cause misalignment. You can feel it in the form of a rumbling sensation.

Tyre Rotation Schedule at Regular Intervals

To improve your tyre's lifespan, you can manage your tyre rotation. Here, the crux is driving habits and tyre wear at a uniform level. Remember, the front and rear tyres wear at different rates, since their functions are variable.

If your wheel rotation is not regular, it may also compel you to prematurely replace tyres. The right RPM distributes the tyre wear evenly throughout the tyre's lifespan. Moreover, the right balance shifts the pressure evenly to all four tyres.

Low Rolling Resistance Tyres Can Help

Birla Tyres specializes in manufacturing tyres that have deliberately low rolling resistance coefficients. It is the amount of energy lost when tyres roll over a proper surface. When the rolling resistance is low, less energy is lost. That, in turn, results in higher fuel efficiency.

Birla Tyres is one of the leading tyre manufacturers using advanced tread compounds and internal elements to reduce the friction rate during misalignment and wheel imbalance.

The purchase cost of low rolling resistance tyres is slightly on the higher side. However, their lifespan can be more prolonged than you think. Hence, it is a smart investment for heavy commercial vehicle owners.

On-Road Tips for Drivers?

The wear and tear of heavy commercial vehicles is maximum. Meanwhile, you can enhance tyre lifespan through some quick gestures only. According to the R&D professionals, excess speeding causes heat build-up, reducing tyre lifespan spontaneously. These Tyre Maintenance Tips can help you improve tyre lifetime and performance.

Moreover, truck, bus, and off-road drivers must refrain from sudden braking. Braking is the primary cause behind uneven tread wear that reduces the tyre performance and lifespan to a great extent.

The frequent sideslips can also be dangerous. It not only indicates poor handling but also aggravates the imminent risk of accidents. Therefore, Birla Tyres promotes safe driving behavior.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How often should I check my tyre pressure?

A: To ensure optimal performance, you must check the tyre pressure at least once a month.

2. Why tyre rotation is crucial?

A: Tyre rotation ensures even tyre wear. Hence, it extends the tyre life. Tyres should be rotated every 5000 to 8000 kilometers.

3. What causes uneven wearing of tyres?

A: Misalignment is the main proponent of uneven tyre wearing. You can however prevent that with regular checks.