Replacing tyres on your vehicle.
Introduction.
All drivers should already be aware that not knowing if your auto tyres are below the legal minimum tread depth, or are in some other way deficient, is no defense in law should you be stopped by the police or involved in an accident. It is the individual drivers’ responsibility to check and ensure the roadworthiness of their tyres. If in the past you have found yourself in need of replacing a tyre on your vehicle, you’ll know how frustrating it can be having to drive around finding somewhere that stocks the make and model of tyres that you wanted - and then having to sit around waiting for a fitter to do the job.
Getting replacement tyres over the internet.
The good news is that, like so many other things these days, you can buy tyres over the internet at your leisure. The process is very straight-forward, all you need to do is make sure that you know the width, profile, tyre size and speed rating of the tyres for your auto. You’ll be able to find this information on the wall of your current tyres. Alternatively the information can be found in the vehicles hand-book or from the auto dealer or manufacturers website. Payment can then be made using the usual ‘cards’ and providing a delivery address for the tyres to be sent to. If you’re a car enthusiast you may well have the equipment and expertise to fit the new tyres yourself. However, not everyone is up to changing a tyre themselves. Subsequently, the larger and more reputable online tyre sales websites will also arrange for the new tyres to be fitted. This can be achieved by either arranging for the tyres to be delivered to the mechanic that takes care of your vehicle maintenance for you; or they can recommend to you garages that will carry out the fitting on their behalf. There is also the option of using a mobile tyre fitter, who can do the tyre fitting for you whilst your vehicle is either sitting on the drive at home or parked at work.
Types of tyres available over the internet.
Regardless of the make or model of vehicle you own, an online tyre sales website will be able to source and supply replacement tyres to you; at both a great price and with a speedy delivery time to suit you. Whether you’re after tyres for a family hatchback, a high performance auto, 4x4 tyres for an SUV or even motor-bike tyres; a large and well established online tyre sales company will quickly locate and dispatch the tyres you require. For higher performance vehicles and SUVs it’s essential to ensure that you have the correct speed rating for the tyres on your vehicle. If you bought your vehicle from a used auto dealer it’s a good idea to check that the person who previously owned the vehicle has the correct tyres fitted. So, rather than just reading the existing information from the wall of the tyres check with the manufacturer or the vehicles hand-book. Also, reputable online tyre sales websites will have a ‘help’ section recommending tyres for various autos.
When to change your tyres.
Whilst tyres reaching the national minimum tread depth will act as the trigger for most of us to buy replacement tyres - there are other conditions that can make your tyres unreliable and even illegal. So, although the tyres might not be at their legal minimum tread depth - you could still need to buy replacement tyres. For example, if you’ve had cause to brake fiercely in an emergency you should check all round the surface of the braking tyres. Emergency braking can cause such rapid wear as to remove all the tread creating a ‘bald spot’ on the tyres. If you’ve clipped a side-walk or hit an obstruction in the road like a brick of log of wood, the side wall of the tyre can bulge which is an indication of damage to the inner casing - which will have weakened the tyre meaning you should replace it. Also, when routinely checking your tyres do check across and around the whole tyre surface. Under-inflation, over-inflation, misalignment and excessive wheel camber can all cause uneven wear on tyres; meaning that on one side it may seem OK only to be virtually worn away on the other.