Providing grip and traction is the main function of car tyres. They perform this function with the help of their tread design and depth. Tyres come with directional, symmetrical and asymmetrical tread patterns according to road and weather conditions. Like different tread patterns tyres come with varied tread depths.
The role of tread is vital for car tyres. Therefore, you have to maintain tyre tread with proper maintenance tips. However, maintenance tips are useful to keep Car Tyres Northampton safe for a long time but you cannot preserve them forever.
Tyres gradually wear down due to several reasons. Due to tread wear, tyres cannot displace water effectively in wet conditions. Moreover, their gripping power goes down even on dry roads. So, bald tyres are highly risky for the driver and other road users.
In this blog, we are going to discuss tread maintenance and bald tyres.
Read and preserve your tyres effectively!
What Are Bald Tyres?
When tyres have no tread left or minimum tread depth, they are called bald tyres. The minimum limit of tread depth is 1.6mm in the UK. It means your tyres must not run on roads after hitting the minimum tread depth limit.
Generally, tread wear occurs in tyres due to the following reasons:
Friction And Heat:
When your tyres move on roads, they generate friction. Frictional force generates heat to degrade tyres quickly. Do not only hot roads degrade tyre rubber but environmental heat also causes tread wear.
Speed And Texture Of Road:
The high speed of your tyres increases the negative effects of heat and friction. Tyres come with speed limits to reduce the negative effects. The texture of the road surface is also important to consider while we talk about the negative effects of heat and friction. Rough road surfaces generate more friction and heat.
Wrong Air Pressure:
A tyre without enough air to perform its functions is called underinflated. This is not a favourable condition because of the risk of uneven tread wear in the side area. If the inflation level in a tyre is above the specified level, your tyre is overinflated. This condition promotes tread wear in the middle area.
Incorrect Balancing And Alignment In Tyres:
Tyres must run on roads with even loads. They would not provide proper handling and stability if they had heavier or lighter areas. If you ignore this condition, results will come in front of you in the form of tyre wear.
Just like balancing, you have to check wheel alignment as well. Uneven road surfaces are responsible for bald wheel alignment that promotes uneven tread wear in tyres. You have to change your tyres if you observe the signs of tread wear due to misaligned tyres.
Warning Signs Of Bald Tyres
Warning signs are important to make you aware of the issue. You must not ignore the warning signals because your ignorance will increase risk factors.
Low tread
Low tread depth is the most common sign of bald tyres. You can check the tread depth in several ways.
Take a penny coin insert it into a groove and let it touch the bottom of the tread. If you can see its heat, your tyres are surely balding.
If you want more precise measurements, use a tyre tread depth gauge to detect signs of tread wear.
Visible Wear Bars
Modern tyres generally come with tread wear indicators. These wear bars become more noticeable after tread reaches the minimum legal limit.
Risks Of Driving On Bald Tyres
Driving with bald tyres is not legal. Moreover, bald tyres are highly risky in terms of road safety.
If you decide to drive with bald tyres, you face the following risk factors:
Punctures And Blowouts
Bald tyres easily lose air pressure because of sharp and pointed objects. Due to heat and a thin layer of rubber, a sharp object easily pierces the tread of your tyre.
Bald tyres easily face tyre blowouts because of the same reasons. Heat is a natural reason for blowouts during the summer season. If you drive your car with bald tyres in the summer months, low tread depth will increase the effects of heat to cause a tyre blowout.
Bald tyres are more easily punctured due to the lack of remaining tread. In addition to the possibility of a flat tire, a puncture could cause a blowout, and might even result in losing control of your vehicle.
Risk Of Hydroplaning In Wet Conditions:
Rainy season and bald tyres make a deadly combination. Proper tread depth is essential to scatter extra water. Therefore, bald tyres cannot provide proper grip and traction in the rainy season and they run on wet roads with the risk of hydroplaning as well.
Poor brakes:
Tyre tread is vital in stopping a vehicle when you apply your brakes. Bald tyres would not perform this task well because of insufficient tread depth.
Poor Grip And Traction:
Holding the road surface effectively is not possible with bald tyres. They do not have proper tread depth to generate the necessary friction. As a result, they can slip at any time due to low tread depth.
Preventive Steps To Avoid Bald Tyres
You can surely preserve your tyres for a long time if you apply the following tips:
Slow down your vehicle, especially on rough road surfaces to reduce heat and friction. Respect the speed limit to use your tyres for a long time.
Do not overload your vehicle because overloading also increases heat and friction to promote tread wear.
Check air pressure, wheel alignment and balancing because ignoring these essential factors is the main reason for uneven tread wear.
Change your Tyres whenever you observe the signs of tread wear. Maintaining car tyres is a good idea but you cannot maintain them forever. So, you must replace your bald tyres with a new set of tyres.
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