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Among the research findings:
• Almost nine in 10 Australian drivers (89 per cent)
cannot say what a tyre’s minimum roadworthiness
tread depth is
• Only one in 10 Australian drivers (11 per cent) know a tyre’s minimum roadworthiness tread depth is 1.6mm
• Four in 10 Australian drivers (40 per cent) check their
tyre
pressure, at best, once every two to three months
• Almost half of Australian drivers (47 per cent) cannot
say or think the suggested interval for checking their tyre pressure is
monthly or less often
The survey results were even more worrying when
compared with the results of a random assessment
of tyres on customers’ cars at Mitre 10 stores.
Qualified tyre fitters checked the
tyres
for inflation
and tread depth, with an alarming number found to
be unroadworthy and unsafe due to a combination of
insufficient tread and incorrect inflation.
The assessment found:
• 68 per cent of tyres were incorrectly inflated
(over or under)
• 32 per cent of tyres did not have sufficient
tread to be considered safe or roadworthy
This month’s Traction would therefore like to provide some tips on
what drivers should be advised to look for on their vehicle….
 Inspect
your tyres fortnightly, when they are cold, and check their pressure
against the placard (found inside the passenger door pillar). Do not
check or adjust pressure when tyres are warm (pressure build up is
normal in warm tyres).
Driving
vehicles with tyres that are under-inflated or have large pressure
differences can be dangerous. It can affect vehicle handling and may
contribute to premature tread wear.
If
your car is heavily loaded or is towing a boat, caravan or loaded
trailer you may have to increase tyre pressure. Follow the advice on
your tyre placard or in the vehicle handbook.
All
four tyres, and the spare, should have at least 1.6mm of tread at
various points across the circumference of the tyre.
This can be assessed by visually examining your tyres
to ensure they have sufficient and legal tread (use the tyre’s tread
wear
indicator, which can be found by using the triangular
sign on the shoulder of the tyre to determine the minimum
recommended
tread depth);
Check
the side wall of all
tyres
for cuts, abrasions, any embedded foreign
objects and bulges; bulges and cuts in tyres may mean
they are unsafe. Tyres like this should be checked by a
specialist.
Clean
dirt from around valves and ensure valve caps are fitted. Valve caps
are designed to protect the valve from potential
damage and prevent air leaking from the tyre.
Check
for un-even tyre wear to ensure wheel alignment and balancing are
correct.
Misaligned and unbalanced
tyres
can cause
vibrations and unevenly worn tyres can affect resistance to
aquaplaning.
We would advise that if you work
in a store environment you use the above
information to help train your team.
May 2008 |
