Tyres - Order your tyres now for a fitting at a time of your choice
Often tyres have to be replaced long before their specified life has been reached principally because of rapid or uneven tread wear. The most common causes of avoidable tread wear are:
- Under-Inflating
- Causing rapid wear along the edges of the tread.
- Over-Inflating
- Causing rapid wear along the centre of the tread.
- Faulty brakes or shock absorbers
- Can cause flat bald spots around the tread of the tyre.
- Incorrect wheel alignment
- Will cause rapid wear along the inside or outside edges of the front tyres. If you strike a kerb or hit a pot hole the delicate settings of the steering gear geometry are invariably misaligned which will result in this sort of wear.
- Wear and tear in the steering components can also knock the wheel alignment out of true - so it's vital that you have the front wheels realigned every 3 months or 3000 miles.
Damage Limitation
Cuts, breaks and abrasions to the tyre casing can penetrate deep into the inner fabric of the tyre and can be extremely dangerous - capable of causing high speed blow-outs. However, penetration of the tread by a nail or shard of glass or metal can often be safely repaired.
At Ace Tyres we only a special vulcanised plug patch is used which repairs the tyre to high standard. Don't ever let anyone else attempt to repair your tyre to a lesser standard - it could prove fatal in the event of the repair failing at speed.
Balance
To run true and keep the tread in constant contact with the road, the wheel and tyre have to be correctly balanced. If the vehicle was to be raised on a jack and the wheel spun by hand, an unbalanced wheel would always stop at the same point - with the heavier imbalance being of course at the bottom of the wheel.
On the road, wheel imbalance can actually lift the tyre from contact with the road creating vibration through the steering wheel and causing dangerous problems with steering and braking. Damage to the suspension, wheel bearings and steering components is unavoidable if the imbalance is left unattended.
Your safety is at stake, yet the remedy is quick and simple - your Ace Tyres Falkirk technician will always check and adjust the balance when a new tyre is fitted. However, If you are having other work done - ask the technician to check all road wheels for balance - it could save you pounds - and it could save your life.
Valves
The tyre valve is the most neglected and overlooked component within the wheel and tyre assembly, yet an efficient valve is crucial to the safe operation of the tyre.
Wear on the valve seal, damaged screw threads, dirt and grit in the valve itself can all lead to a dangerous failure of the tyre at speed. Even a poorly sealed valve can cause fairly constant under inflation of the tyre which will reduce the life of your tyre by 25%. As it is impossible, to replace the valve without renewing the tyre casing from the wheel - Ace Tyres Falkirk recommend that the valves are replaced EVERY time a tyre is replaced.
Tyre-Tread
The purpose of the tread on tyres is to allow the tyre to grip in the wet. Huge volumes of water on the surface of the road have to be squeezed out by the tread grooves. For example, at 60mph, with a water depth of only 3mm, the tyre has to clear over 2 gallons of water per second!
And 3mm of water on a rainy day is not unusual. In rain puddles, you will often find as much as 8 to 10mm. If this water is not rapidly dispersed, the tyre will begin to "aquaplane" - a sheet of water builds up between the tyre and the road - and the tyre loses all contact with the surface of the road.
This is exceedingly dangerous. The capacity to disperse water is drastically reduced with low and worn tread depth - so carefully monitor the depth of tread on your tyres - YOUR LIFE could depend on it.
The law demands that tyres have a tread depth of 1.6mm in a continuous band around the centre three quarters of the tyre. These levels represent the absolute minimum and tyres as worn as this should be replaced immediately. To help you judge how much tread you have on your tyres, manufacturers often mould tread bars at roughly 1.6mm. If you can see these bars your tyres are about to become illegal and unsafe.
Tyre Inflating
Check your handbook or our inflation chart and keep your tyres at the correct pressure.
Wrongly inflated tyres will greatly shorten your tyres' life, and could make your car dangerous to drive. Check every two weeks - including the spare - and only check when the tyres are cold, as the pressures increase after the car has been run due to the air inside warming up.
If you have a heavy load - for example before going on holiday - check your handbook and increase tyre pressures as per manufacturers' recommendations. Remember to reduce the pressures after removing the heavy load.
Sidewall codes for regular and low profile tyres
Every tyre shows information pertaining to its manufacturer, size, model etc. The following is an explanation of all the terminology used.
165R13T
- 165 - means the tyre has a nominal section width of 165 millimetres
- R - means radial
- 13 - means it fits a 13" diameter wheel
- T - means it's rated for speeds up to 118mph (l90kmh)
- Other common speed ratings are:
S = 113mph
T = 118mph
H = 130mph
V = 149mph
Z = Over 150mph
W = 168mph
Y = 186mph
You should always replace a tyre with the same or a higher speed rating. In general, the higher the speed rating, the better the quality of the tyres and the more advanced the technology. This is especially true in areas such as steering response, wet grip, cornering power and braking adhesion.
Low profile tyres have a slightly different marking for instance:
185/60R 14H
- 185 - 185 millimetres nominal section width
- 60 - sidewall height is 60% of tyre nominal section width
- R - Radial
- 14 - Means it fits 14" diameter wheel
- H - Rated to 130mph
A standard tyre has a sidewall height which is 82% of tyre nominal section width.
Reducing the % of sidewall height to tread nominal section width (the 'aspect ratio') enables tyres to be wider and put more tread on the road.
Trouble Shooting
| Problem | Cause |
|---|
| Tyres feathering or wearing on the inner or outer edges. |
Incorrect wheel alignment. |
|---|
| Tyres wearing unevenly in patches. |
Faulty or binding brakes or inefficient shock absorbers. |
|---|
| Tyres constantly lose pressure. |
Faulty valve or slow puncture. |
|---|
| Wheel vibration - either constantly or at certain speeds. |
Incorrect wheel balance. |
|---|
| Tyres wearing in the Centre. |
Over inflation. |
|---|
| Rapid tyre wear on driving wheels. |
Harsh acceleration. |
|---|
| Rapid Tyre wear on front wheels. |
Fast cornering. |
|---|
| Wear in the tyre shoulder area |
Underinflation or overload |
|---|
| Patchy tread wear |
Misalignment/ Faulty brakes/ Worn shock absorbers |
|---|
| Wear on one side of the tyre |
Misalignment |
|---|
Puncture repairs
Puncture repairs are carried out in accordance with NTDA and BSAUl59 regulations.
The main points are:
- Tyres can only be repaired in the area marked 'T'.
- For tyres rated 'V' and above, only one repair is allowed.
NOTE: NEVER FIT AN INNER TUBE WITH A TUBELESS TYRE EXCEPT ON A TUBE TYPE WHEEL. MINOR PENETRATION REPAIRS ARE NOT PERMITTED IN THIS AREA.