General Tips and Tricks for tyre maintenance to help extent the tyre life!

A list of things you need to know for tyre maintenance, tips and tricks to help extent tyre life for overall driving performance. Brace yourself for the longest blog I have ever written!

We made it our mission to help customers and clients understand the way of life for tyres. We have compiled a few handy tips to make sure your tyres go the distance — keeping you safe on the road as much as possible while saving you money. However, there are things you can do to postpone tyre replacement as much as possible. Following these procedures will lower your per-mile tyre costs through extended tread life, fewer premature removals and better re-treatability. Tyres are tough, they can survive through an enormous amount of abuse. But according to experts, neglecting tyres can be quite costly if not taken care of properly. Ultimate real life truth is that nobody wants to spend more on tyres than is absolutely necessary. With basic organization and discipline your maintenance procedures for basic tyre life will ultimately help you save those pesky extra unnecessary costs. There is unfortunately no definite answer to the mystery of tyre life and neither are they cheap investments. Number of factors can control your tyres how long depend on you the user. It solely dependent on the ability and willingness of the vehicle owner in maintaining correct factors that are simple, regular, and easy to ensuring longer tyre life and, more important, you, your family and workers safety.

Our aim is to make sure that you as the user understands what you could do to help pro-long the tyre life!

Here is our top 11 tips and tricks to consider when trying to save on costs:

1.       Mounted tyres?

The more concentric or rounder the tyres are, the better it will wear evenly. To keep the tyres from running to a minimum, they should always be mounted on the wheel correctly. Wheels are usually marked to show the low spot and tyres are marked to show their high spot. The spot will vary from tyre to tyre but always refer back to the manufacturers guide to see how they mark their tyres.

2.      Inflation levels?

 Under Inflation;

Prolonged under inflation causes excessive flexing and deterioration of the casing with excessive shoulder wear on either side of the tread area. Damage to under inflated tyres occurs to the cord body, inside the tyre, and is not visible unless the tyre is demounted from the rim.

Driving with an underinflated or overloaded tyre causes the tyre to develop excessive heat. This causes the tyre's sidewall to flex excessively, resulting in higher operating temperatures and possible internal structural damage. All this could cause tyre failure, leading to vehicle damage and/or personal injury. To avoid this, check your inflation regularly, and maintain the proper air pressure as listed on your manufacturing manual.

Over Inflation;

While fast driving might be fun, it is not contribute to your tyres life span. The driving habits that cause the greatest tyre wear are cornering, aggressive starting, and hard braking, fast steering, aggressive acceleration or hitting obstacles in the road, like curbs or potholes, swerving back and forth will also expedite wear, and these are all bad practices that contribute to your tyre life. To undergo these methods of driving causes more stress/pressure on the tyre and causes faster deteriorating. Even thou tyres are tough and durable, they like to be treated gently. Having to face the ground and fight potholes is trouble enough for them.

Uncomfortable and unstable ride with reduced tread surface and road contact, resulting in excessive wear in the centre on the tread area. Many over inflated tyres suffer from impact fractures to the tread area, due to insufficient flexibility of the casing during impact. Damage is not immediately visible unless the tyre is demounted from the rim.

Tyres like other manufacturer’s equipment has their own specific manufacturer's recommendations printed on the vehicle door or in your vehicle's owner's manual, DO NOT USE the maximum limit stamped on a tyre sidewall. The biggest influence on tyre life is inflation pressure. At normal speeds, running tyres at 20 percent under recommended pressure reduces tyre mileage by 16 percent and fuel mileage by 2 percent. Tyres are designed to run at specific pressures based on the total load. To determine the correct air pressure for your tyres, gather information on your actual axle loads and refer to tyre load charts. Standard load charts are available online at most major tyre manufacturers’ Websites. If you operate at higher or lower speeds, use the listed formulas to make the adjustments. In general, pressures need to be higher if the vehicle is operated at a higher speed. Check your tyre pressure every 3,000-4,500 km to keep your vehicle driving smoothly and evenly, and therefore use fuel more efficiently.

Simple note: if possible, Inflate tyres with nitrogen to keep them properly pressurised for longer, and because nitrogen makes them run up to 20% cooler, they last longer, technically speaking for long distance trips and not short distance trips.

3.      Tyre pressure?

 Tyre pressures under normal running time increases, never and I mean NEVER -adjust tyre pressure while the tyres are hot, it is designed by the manufactures to allow the increase when they are in motion, as mentioned with the inflation it is highly recommended to use nitrogen as a substitute for ordinary air to assist with the built up heat while driving.

Most of the tyre damage is aggravated by incorrect tyre inflation pressures. It also contributes to stability of your vehicle, whether it be a commercial vehicle, truck or trailer. Correct pressures are related to speed, load and vehicle performance and are vital for even braking, maximum grip and the most common factor tyre life. Pressure is recommended to be checked every month while it is cold and with a tyre pressure gauge. It is safe to say that tyre pressure should be checked before you take a long distance trips. Don’t make the mistake by thinking that this is a NEW tyre, they deflate a little every month with each trip they take. Ultimately affecting your vehicles control by making every trip a dangerous trip and even attack your fuel consumption. Every vehicle has a manufactures manual and correct tyre pressures can be located to ensure optimal pressure is used for the type of vehicle you are using.

Most road users don’t know that improper air pressure in tyres can lead to a multitude of problems-from uneven and accelerated tyre wear, to structural damage, tyre failure, and even poor fuel usage. Proper maintenance is a good investment because it translates into optimum driving performance, significant cost saving and better fuel mileage.

Note: Check ALL tyres, including the spare at least once a month when they are cold. Inflate tyres to the vehicles manufacturers’ recommendations printed in the manual and keep a tyre pressure gauge in the vehicle in case you hit a pothole or curb, as that can cause a tyre to suddenly lose pressure.

4.      Inflation maintenance program?

Tyre pressure is extremely difficult to maintain because tyres lose air by hitting a curve or pothole or by a leaking valve cap or even small punctures. Valve caps act as a supplementary air seal and MUST be fitted at all times. Failure to fit valve caps allows dirt to enter into the valve core which will result in air loss due to the inner core spring malfunctioning and not allowing the valve to seal. Prevent the inflation leakage and check your tyres weekly for normal or rapid leaks. One addition that you can add is flow-through valve caps that make it easier to check pressure and add air or nitrogen without removing the valve cap. This can be checked by the driver or the mechanic on site depending on the time schedule for the checks. Other fleet owners provide an incentive to check pressure by conducting random checks on vehicle and rewarding the users if the pressures are correct.

5.      Matching tyres?

Tyres should be exactly the same for optimum tread wear and across the same positions. If a tyre must be pulled due to irregular wear or a road hazard, it should be replaced with a tyre that matches exactly the existing one. Abnormal tread wear will be visible and be an indication of a mechanical defect of the vehicle. Each wear pattern or combinations of wear patterns, will indicate definite mechanical problems i.e. incorrect inflation, misalignment, shock absorber failure, worn stabiliser bushes, play in steering mechanism, high spotting on brakes and tread separation on tyre. It will be necessary to have these faulty items checked and corrected or replaced/repaired.

On dual assemblies, the outside diameters and tread depths should be as close as possible. A good rule of thumb is no more than 2/32-inch tread depth difference between duals. “The more you can do to eliminate variation, the better your tread wear will be. It’s also wise to have the same tread design on both positions of an axle.

6.      Reading tyres?

While hanging around the tyres, take a few minutes to inspect them. Unfortunately, roads are frequently inhabited by jackstones, little rocks or nails, and some of them can end up in your tyres, causing punctures. You can repair some punctures yourself, but it’s always best to visit a trained technician. Tyre tread provides the gripping action and traction that prevents a vehicle from slipping and sliding, so it is essential to check it once a month to ensure safe driving. Consumer reports recommends replacing your tyre when 4/32 of an inch remains. To check this, find the built-in tread wear indicators on the tyre and refer to the manufacturer manual. When the tread is worn down so it’s level with the indicators, it’s time to replace the tyres. While a person is feeling the tread, the entyre tyre should also be inspected for safety-related damage such as cuts, cracks, blisters or bulges. If the damage is severe enough, the tyre will need to be removed. Visually check your tyres for irregularities in tread wear as these could indicate problems with alignment or inflation. Drivers typically don’t check tread wear unless they are having ride problems or the vehicle is pulling one way or another. By then, it’s often too late to prevent premature wear. Regular inspections of tyres can provide a lot of useful information and catch wear trends before they have done too much damage. Problems can be diagnosed by visual inspection or by running a hand over the tread and feeling for abnormalities. Conditions to check for include distortion in the tread, feathering or cupping. If corrected early enough, bad wear patterns can be countered, and tyre life can be extended.

7.      Rotate Tyres?

Moving tyres around takes time and effort. The temptation is to leave them in one position for the life of the tread. But intelligent tyre rotation promotes even tread wear and can net a lot of extra miles in tread life. Vehicles vary between front-wheel, rear wheel, or all-wheel drive. There is a lot of speculations in regards to tyre rotations but we are mainly focusing on front wheels of a Truck. The type of vehicle you use can determine the traction, handling, behaviour in different weather conditions, and many other things. But guess who suffers most because of the downsides of all three respectively? The tyres, of course. They have to bear all the pressure.

This pressure is uneven. On a truck- the front wheels are seen as your steer wheels and faster wear can occur than rear tyres. That’s why it’s best to have them rotated on an average of 10 000 Km.  Drive tyres should be rotated between forward and back positions at least once to even out wear. Rear tyres of a tandem typically will wear quicker than the forward positions. Some drive tyres will also develop heel and toe wear. This can be evened out by reversing their direction. Rotating your tyres frequently helps reduce irregular wear. Check the owner’s manual for information on how frequently to do this and for the best pattern of rotation. Ideally, tyres should be rotated averagely 8000 – 10 000 Km or even sooner when uneven wear appears. To achieve more uniform wear on tyres, and get longer use from them, rotate, balance and align them as recommended in your vehicle owner’s manual.

Note: DO NOT cross rotate (left to right/right to left). Tyres must be rotated from front to back/back to front, thus keeping the tyres on the same side of the vehicle. Be aware that certain vehicles do not have the same sized tyres on the front as are on the rear. Tyre rotation must NOT be conducted in this instance.

8.      Wheel alignment and Balancing?

If all other factors has been checked and regulated within the capability to main the tyre life then another possible reason for rapid or uneven tyre wear can be a most common cause of misalignment and/or unbalance wheel, these two go hand in hand with each other. Always get tyres balanced when installed, as an unbalanced tyre can cause early wear. If the tyres are not running in an arrow straight line, accelerated tread occurs on parts of the tyres, depending on how much toe in or tow out the axles of the vehicle is. If you feel vibration or trembling when steering, or the vehicle drifts to one side, it’s time to get your wheels aligned. If your steering wheel isn’t centred, this could possibly also point to yet another sign your wheels are in urgent need of proper alignment. If new tyres are installed. Visually, you can check your tyres for uneven wear as this can indicate problems with either alignment or inflation. To stay on top of irregular wear, the vehicle should be aligned regularly. Starting a serious alignment program after having none can increase tyre mileage by as much as 30%. 

A basic alignment schedule can be created that is calculated by your mileage usage and the types of roads you use. Depending on the roads that you normally drive on, the wheel alignment of your vehicle is a vital and necessary item to maintain. In that case-it is highly recommended to at least check your alignment at least every 30 000 Km or 4 times a year, whichever occurs first based on trucks and trailer, unless you know that you have hit a pothole, or some other object, in which case it should be re-checked or done immediate as a precatory measure. Driver fatigue can be caused by misalignment of your vehicles suspension, especially on a long distance trip. Wheel alignment should be checked on the front axles of a truck and all axles on a trailer. Tyres should always be balance and aligned to ensure that your wheels rotate properly and don’t cause the vehicle to vibrate. Vibrations can damage the tyre and become a safety hazard on the road. New tyres should always be balanced when installed and if you begin to feel them shake have them inspected immediately. Rather not wait until you see the signs for unbalance wheels or misalignment, smaller signs of misalignments can often pass unnoticed, and it’s your tyres that will eventually pay the price. Add this to your maintenance plan and get it done-compared to tyre costs and wheel alignment/balancing costs, this will help you save in the long run.

9.      Top speed and driving style?

Accelerated tyre wear can be caused by high speeds that generated more heat. By keeping your speed consistent you keep your tyre's heat consistent. A silent added bonus is that your fuel usage will decrease.

10.   Suspension components?

Hidden factors that assist with failure to pro-long tyre life could be wheel bearings that is not properly torqued that can caused irregular tyre wear. When removing and refitting a tyre/wheel assembly, ensure that wheel nuts or studs are tightened to the correct torque measurement. DO NOT use air powered equipment to loosen or tighten wheel nuts or bolts. The use of a standard wheel spanner must be utilised and thereafter the nuts or bolts may be tightened/torqued with an accurate torque wrench. Worn shock absorbers can create depression wear on treads and an early trip to the retreater or scrap pile. Fleets will often wait until suspension components are obviously broken or are leaking before they replace them. By then, the tyre damage has already occurred. Replace shock absorbers and other suspension components on a set schedule rather than waiting until they fail. If the problem was already caused, it will not help correcting the damage that was already caused.

11.    Records and Data?

Keep all tyres, including the spare, inspect them monthly. A visual inspection will reveal if they are wearing unevenly, allowing you to get preventative maintenance done to extend their lifespan. You’ll also discover foreign objects that might cause damage if they remain wedged in the tread. Because every fleet is different, there are no easy or fast formulas for tyre management. In fact, copying another fleet’s practices may do more harm than good. Not all fleet uses the same daily routes, don’t load the same volumes and weight, and not everyone has the same focus on their maintenance plans. To manage most efficiently, regular collection of data on your tyres is critical. You should be recording information including tyre inflation pressures, wear trends and tyre mileage at removal. By setting up a manual report or get in touch with your tyre supplier that provided tyre surveys, you can analyse tyre performance and make comparisons with different vehicle configurations and tyre types. When a tyre has suffered a violent impact against an obstacle in the road the tyre must be inspected by a competent tyre technician, as interior damage may be present, which will lead to sudden tyre failure. By changing specifications, you may be able to realize significant gains in total tyre mileage and other performance goals. Clean your tyres, and not just the sidewall to make them look good. Use soap and water to remove foreign substances that might cause the rubber to degrade, you will be able to see any viabilities that should not be there. The more consistent and accurate you are with data gathering, the better the information generated and analyse to ultimately help with your tyre life.

Exsta thought: Weather?

Believe it or not, but weather conditions namely winter and summer can also affect your tyres.

Note that changes in ambient temperature will affect tyre pressures. So, during the colder months of the year, tyres will need to be checked and inflated more often. Temperature changes affect inflation pressure. Inflation pressure in a tyre goes up in warm weather and down in cold weather. Bald tyres can make for a lousy driving experience, but there’s something equally bad: cracks scattered on the sidewalls. This condition is usually associated with natural decay because of aging. Tyres don’t like the sun, it can also happen because of frequent exposure to heat and sun, whose UV rays aren’t vicious for humans only. Store your vehicle in a workshop or garage. If you don’t have one, grow a habit of parking it in shady places.

If you'd like to be part of our awesomeness newsletter, click on this link

Check out our website

Or you can follow and like us on

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
Find us on
Google