Regular Tyre Care: Your Key to Stress-Free Road Trips

Regular Tyre Care: Your Key to Stress-Free Road Trips

Whether you are day-tripping from East London to the striking Essex coast or travelling further afield from Bristol to Brighton, for example, you’ll want to ensure your car’s tyres are in good condition when embarking on a road trip. Let’s face it – road trips are all the rage nowadays with specialist routes to accommodate them like the one that hugs the north coast of Scotland or a touring trip around the Lake District. Picturesque staycations are environmentally friendly and pocket-friendly when it comes to family holidays.

Wherever you intend taking your car for a mini-break, what measures should you have in place to ensure your tyres don’t let you down. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know about my obvious and slow punctures recently and the stress it caused. Below I share my tips on how not to be caught out again!

Read on.

Check for Partially Flat Tyres

Tyres that are even just a few PSI beneath the recommended level won’t function as well, causing less grip when cornering and more fuel consumption. Given road trips to places you don’t know as well require better handling, pumping up partially under-inflated tyres makes sense. Even if you’re only driving to Essex or Kent from the capital to visit the seaside, the longer-than-usual journey will mean under-inflated tyres cost you more than they should in fuel.

Ensure Tread Depth is Adequate

Every driver should check the tyres for bald spots. Even one patch of low tread makes tyres illegal to drive on once they get beneath the threshold. For a road trip, you should really replace tyres that are approaching their legal limit before you get too close. After all, driving on balding tyres could get you in trouble with the law. You can also buy quality tyres in London from Elite Direct and remember that doing so could even save your life in an emergency on the road so the investment is worth it.

Have the Wheel Alignment Adjusted

Before hitting the open road for a day trip or holiday, it is often worth having the tracking of your car adjusted so that the wheels align better. This makes handling much better and will prevent unwanted lane drift. If you hold your steering wheel tight to keep in a straight line, then you need the tracking adjusted. What’s more, doing so lengthens the life expectancy of road tyres since they spend less time fighting one another, thereby generating less radial wear.

Don’t Over-Inflate Tyres

You might be tempted to pump your tyres up a bit more than usual ahead of a road trip because you won’t want to reinflate them until you get back. This is a mistake because road trips typically involve taking passengers and luggage with you. If so, your car will be carrying more weight than it usually does which places tyres – especially over-inflated ones – under more pressure. In short, if you want to avoid a potential blowout, then you should avoid this seemingly benign practice.

Check the Spare Tyre

Finally, road trips may require you to fit your spare tyre to get you out of trouble. Take a look at yours to make sure it is roadworthy before you head out of town on your road trip. The last thing you want to discover having jacked your car up at the side of the road is that the spare is no good, after all. Remember to confirm the speed rating and range of your spare so you’ll know how fast and how far you can go before you can replace it with a proper tyre so you can continue the rest of your journey without worries.

By following these simple tyre care tips, you’ll be well-prepared for any road trip adventure. Proper maintenance ensures a safer, smoother journey, allowing you to enjoy the open road with peace of mind. So, take the time to check your tyres and drive confidently, knowing you’re ready for whatever the road has in store.