As the days get shorter and unfortunately colder, it's important to get into a good winter routine. We don’t just mean remembering your hat and gloves, but checking your car regularly to ensure it's in tip top condition - you’re not the only one that suffers when the temperature drops.
Cold weather can really affect your tyres, taking a few minutes to check them on a regular basis can save you from a winter of discontent.
So what do you check? Here’s our top tyre safety tips to see you through the winter.
Check tyre pressure regularly
Driving with underinflated tyres is dangerous. It can affect the handling of your car, worsen your fuel economy and lead to tyre damage. However, driving with overinflated tyres can be equally as dangerous, resulting in less grip and contact to the road and the risk of bursting. It’s easy to check but remember to wait until your tyres are cold before you do. Simply buy a digital tyre gauge, or check at your local filling station. Your vehicle owners manual will offer the correct pressure recommendations.
Check tyre tread
Bald isn't beautiful in this case. Tyres with a low tread are more prone to punctures, blowouts and can make it difficult to brake. The minimum tread depth on your tyres is 1.6mm. You can check yours by using a tread gauge or the built in tyre tread wear indicator which is located around the tyres circumference.
Check visually for damage
Look at all four tyres and wheel rims and check for irregular wear, bulges, blisters, or damage - anything which may require urgent attention. All of these symptoms could potentially lead to failure or blowout so it is always best to be safe and get them checked out.
It’s so easy to overlook the condition of your tyres. However, in reality, regular safety checks recognising and addressing the problems early on will save you money and time in the future.
Our after sales experts offer a range of services to keep your car in tip top condition this winter from tyre checks to servicing and MOTs.