Plenty Of Rubber On The Road

It may, on the whole, have been pretty mild this winter (so far!) but we have had some big storms and some terrible flooding. Roads awash with water are dangerous places to be and, since the tyres are the only part of the car in contact with the ground, it is crucial that they are up to the job. Potholes, standing water and the prospect of the dreaded aquaplaning are all potential dangers.

While driving through deep flood water has a wide range of associated risks and should be tackled with extreme caution, smaller areas of standing water may be less easy to avoid but equally dangerous. Vehicles that have low levels of tyre tread are most at risk because they simply won’t be capable of clearing water. The wet stuff can then build up in front of the tyre and the result is aquaplaning an almost total loss of car control. All that can be done is to hold the steering wheel lightly and lift off the accelerator until grip is re-established.

The minimum legal requirement for tyre tread depth is 1.6mm but, frankly, that’s scarcely enough. This is not a car expense that can be skimped. When a tyre is new the tread should be around 8mm so it’s clear that the more tread there is, the better. Therefore it is important to regularly inspect tyre condition; ideally as often as possible but certainly once a month. In particular, owners should look for cuts, lumps or bulges in the tyre and also check the tyre pressures regularly in case the wheel rim itself has been damaged, possibly by potholes and the like.

It isn’t a difficult job to get down on hands and knees and have a visual inspection. Tyre depth gauges are really cheap and readily available from the local motor store. If however you don’t trust your own judgement or are physically unable to do this necessary job yourself then your local tyre fitters will be happy to do it for you. Obviously they are in business to sell the rubber hoops but they will always put safety first and it is in their interests to keep us on the roads. After all, you can’t sell tyres to someone whose car has been written off.