Tread carefully this Queen’s birthday weekend

23 May 2012

Tread carefully this Queen’s birthday weekend

The Motor Trade Association (MTA) is urging drivers to ensure the tyres on their car are properly maintained and in the best condition possible for this coming Queen’s birthday weekend. For many drivers, four patches of rubber, in total covering about 720 square cms of road is all that is keeping them and their car in contact with the road. With the onset of winter and wet roads come reduced grip and a higher likelihood that problems might occur.

Commenting, MTA spokesperson Ian Stronach “They’re easy to overlook, but good quality tyres that are properly inflated and maintained are one of the most effective and cost efficient means every driver has at their disposal for ensuring they reduce the chances of an accident this winter.”

According to New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) figures, tyres are one of the most common items of failure in Warrant of Fitness inspections, with 32 percent of vehicles being failed for having some sort of a problem with a tyre or tyres.

Tyre care need not be difficult or time consuming, but it is important. All tyres must meet tread and condition requirements. Tyres should be checked for wear at least once a month and before and after long trips. To determine whether new tyres are needed, or a balance or alignment is required, owners can simply look at the treads on their tyres for clues.

Stronach says “There are new challenges, even with a product like tyres that everyone thinks they are familiar with. We are increasingly hearing of owners trying to improve the fuel economy of their car by pumping their tyres up way beyond the manufacturers recommended levels. This can be dangerous, and lead to premature tyre wear. It is a false economy all round. Tyre manufacturers work closely with the vehicle manufacturers and the posted tyre pressures are provided for good reason. We advise owners to stick with them.”

Tyres typically last anywhere between 15 and 60,000 kilometres, but this is subject to a large range of factors. It will vary depending on the type of tyre, the area the vehicle is used and the surfaces it is driven on, how it is driven, the vehicle to which it is fitted, whether inflation pressures are maintained and wheel balance and alignment is accurate.

MTA recommends owners use the attached checklist to establish what might be causing problems with their tyres.

For more information on how to read your tyre treads and things to look out for visit www.mta.org.nz/tyrechecklist.

ENDS

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