How Tyre Reliability Can Help You Achieve an Epic Road Trip
Whether you live in Bolton, in the Northwest of England, or Billericay, in the Southeast, you should make sure your tyres are in good condition before you start a road trip. In places like Essex and Lancashire, the roads are generally in good condition, so long as you avoid potholes in certain locations. However, when you head to places you are less familiar with, the roads can put your tyres under more strain. Road trips that involve driving on farmer’s tracks to access campsites or that mean you need to head down to the beach on narrow country lanes, for instance, will inevitably cause more wear and tear than your usual commute or school run. Read on to find out what you need to do to ensure tyre reliability before your next road trip.
Pump Your Tyres Up
Many people fail to inflate their tyres as often as they should. If you don’t drive far usually, it might be several months – or even longer – between visits to the air pump at your local garage. This is a mistake because tyres sometimes lose pressure even when they’re not being driven on. When your tyres are even partially flat, you lose control and handling ability. Worse still, flatter tyres take more energy to turn so your fuel economy drops. Pump your tyres to the recommended level of pressure and you will notice the difference on a road trip, whether you’re driving from the Lake District to East Anglia or from Maldon to Manchester.
Check for Balding Spots
You might know that bald tyres are illegal to drive on but did you know that a tyre that only has one small area of worn-down tread is enough to make it unroadworthy? This means you need to confirm the tread depth all over each tyre, not just one section. Doing so means using a gauge to measure the available tread or you can take your car to a tyre centre where they will inspect them professionally for you. If any of your tyres have bald spots or are approaching the legal limit for tread depth, then have them replaced. You can also visit Elite Direct to get tyres in Billericay today or find a reputable establishment close to you before you begin your road trip.
Confirm the Sidewall Integrity
Epic road trips are safe road trips and one of the biggest dangers with tyres is easily avoided by checking their sidewalls. You don’t need any specialist skills to do this. Just look for bulges, splitting sections or gouges. If you spot any of these, then the tyres must be replaced immediately. Don’t consider a road trip with dodgy tyre sidewalls since it means they’re due to blow out any time soon, something which could ruin your holiday, of course.
Make Sure Your Spare is Roadworthy
Finally, road trips can also be spoilt if your spare tyre isn’t in a usable condition. Bear in mind that you don’t have to travel with a spare on UK roads so you might think removing yours to free up boot space is a good idea. This won’t be the case if you need to exchange a wheel by the side of the road, however. Spare tyres can be smaller than normal ones. Just check the tread, inflation level and whether the tyre is limited in terms of range or speed so you are prepared should you need to use it.
