Top tips for tyre safety – for when rubber really meets the road

Tyres. One of the most important components of your vehicle. And yet, possibly one of the least glamorous. Much like paying to replace your washing machine or to fix a toilet leak, shelling out money for new tyres can often feel rather underwhelming. It can leave you a little deflated; pardon the pun.

But there are ways to extend the life of your tyres to save on both tyre and fuel spend. More importantly, these checks could help save lives too.  

1. Check your tyre pressures 

When?  
Once a month. But they should also be inspected before long trips or when your vehicle is carrying additional load.  

Why?  
In short: incorrectly inflated tyres can be dangerous, lead to faster (and uneven) general wear and tear, and will cost you extra money on fuel.  

Interestingly, it doesn’t matter whether they’re under or over-inflated. Both scenarios can affect the handling of your vehicle, and increase the risk of a tyre blowout.

How?  
Check your vehicle handbook for the recommended front and rear tyre pressures. If – like many of us do, but few care to admit – you’ve currently misplaced said handbook, the details can also be found printed on a label on the ‘sill’ of the driver’s door, or on the inside of the fuel cap.  

It’s worth remembering that pressure numbers should reflect the amount of weight your vehicle is carrying. For example, if you’re heading on a long family vacation with luggage in tow, you’re going to need more tyre pressure than you did for last week’s sneaky trip to the drive thru on your way home from work.

You can easily check the pressures yourself using a digital tyre gauge, or pop into the forecourt of your local petrol station where air is available, sometimes for a small charge. Alternatively, many tyre centre technicians are more than happy to check your pressures for free.  

Top tips 
Tyre pressures should always be checked when the tyres are still ‘cold’. In other words, your vehicle shouldn’t have been driven for a long distance, or at faster speeds.  

Extra caution  
While tyres naturally lose pressure over time, it’s especially important to keep an eye on them during periods of significant temperature change – including sudden frosts, summer heat waves, and the warm summer months generally.

2. Check tread depth (baldness)  

When? 
In an ideal world: once every two weeks. Bare minimum: at least once a month, and before long journeys. 

Why?  
Because when the grip between you and the road is compromised, an accident could be waiting to happen. As tyre treads wear down, your braking distance goes up. In other words, you’ll have a harder time stopping your vehicle, putting you, your passengers, and other motorists at risk.  

Simply put, a deeper tread means your tyres work more efficiently, improving grip. Better tyre grip equals better braking capacity. 

But that’s not all… 

If you’re caught with a tyre worn below the legal limit, you’ll likely receive a hefty £2,500 fine, and three penalty points.  

And that’s per tyre. If all four aren’t up to legal scratch, you’re looking at £10,000 down the drain, and losing your licence.  

But the insurance will cover some of that, right? Unfortunately not. Any insurance claim on an accident involving bald tyres could potentially be invalidated, so your insurer may not pay out for the repairs needed to your vehicle. 

Top tips  
According to UK law, the minimum tyre tread depth is 1.6mm. But, many manufacturers recommend changing your tyres before reaching the legal limit, to maintain optimum braking performance. 

Extra caution 
Worn tyres are more dangerous in wet weather, where hydroplaning risk increases. 

How?  
A tread depth gauge is the most accurate way of measuring.  

Alternatively, the tread wear indicators moulded into your tyre tread groove provide a good reading. Located between the tread ribs, these indicator ‘bars’ are raised to the level of the minimum tread depth, so if the rest of your tyre tread wears down to this level, it may be time to replace your tyre.  

The difference in wet braking distance between a tyre worn to 3mm and one worn to 1.6mm can be as much as 44%. 

There’s also the old faithful 20p test. Simply place the coin into the tyre’s tread grooves…if you can see the outer border, or ‘band’ of the 20p, your tyres are under the legal limit.

3. Check your wheel alignment  

When? 
Yearly. However, if you notice that your vehicle pulls to the left or right, it may be an indication that the alignment is out, so it’s important that you get this checked sooner rather than later. 

Why?  
Prolonged use, potholes, road bumps, and curb clips. All can throw out the alignment and affect vehicle handling.  And that means your tyre safety is compromised.

Ensuring your wheels are correctly aligned can not only increase the lifespan of your tyres (lessening the risk of blowouts, reduced braking distances, and loss of traction) but reduce fuel consumption too.  

How? 
A professional garage can quickly and easily check your tracking, but signs your vehicle could be misaligned include:  

• ‘Pulling’ to the left or right 
• Uneven tread wear – across the surface or along an edge  
• Your steering wheel shifts off centre when driving straight 
• You feel vibrations from your steering wheel. 
   

4. Check for damage  

When? 
As often as possible. Ideally before every journey. But if something feels a little ‘off’ when driving, stop immediately and take a look.

Why?  
Potholes, sidewall impacts, nails, screw, nuts and bolts. It’s the Wild West asphalt highway out there, and it could leave you with worn-out wheel bearings, misaligned wheels, bent tyre rims, slow punctures, cracks, bulges and blisters.  

It may be that the tyre can be repaired, but the longer you leave it, the more likely it is to become irreparably damaged – even with inbuilt run flat technology. 

How?  
Professionally. Naturally, regular checks by you are highly recommended, but if anything is amiss, it’s best to seek professional help.  

Turn the front wheels onto full lock to ensure you get a view of the whole circumference tread; for the backend, you’ll need to crouch below the rear bumper. Remember to check both the inside and outside of the tyre. 

Extra caution 
Be careful when running your hands over your tyres as metal cords may have become exposed, or any debris attached could be sharp.  
 

5. Be mindful of tyre age 

When?  
As a general rule, tyres that are four or five years should be checked regularly for signs of damage, especially if the vehicle is kept outside. Ideally, you should get this done by a professional. Tyre deterioration due to age cannot always be seen with an untrained cursory glance.  

Why?
You check your tyre pressure and depth regularly. Your wheel alignment is a thing of beauty. And your avoidance of road debris – and curbs – is a talent many would envy. 

Tyres that are six years old or more, should be checked regularly by a professional to ensure they’re still safe to use.  

However, there’s another point we’d like to add.  

Even in good nick, older tyre models are more prone to failure, as their rubber content can oxidise, causing them to dry out and crack.  

How?  
You can check the age yourself by examining the markings on your tyre’s sidewall. The four-digit code you’ll see, is the date of manufacture.

• The first two digits represent the week of the year your tyre was produced  
• The final two digits refer to the year  

For example
Let’s say the code is 4224. Your tyre was created on the 42^nd week of the year 2024. You can find more useful information on DOT codes and tyre markings.  

Extra caution 
Cracked, dried-out tyres are a very common occurrence on vehicles not in regular use.  

6. Protect yourself from the inevitable  

The above pointers will help extend the life of your tyres, better protect you and your loved ones, and save you money on fuel.  
 

For more motoring hints and tips, explore our collection of driver guides.  
 

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