Tyres

Our very lives depend on the relatively tiny patch of rubber that is the contact between our tyre and the road surface. It doesn't matter how many nifty safety features carmakers fit to our cars, if the tyre/road contact patch isn't at its optimum the effectiveness of systems like ABS brakes and anti-skid systems is reduced.There are ways to look after our tyres to keep them working at their best... and things to avoid. To start with, our roads are littered with debris, broken glass, screws and nails left behind by lazy builders, timber that's fallen from trailers, rocks and lots of other nasty stuff. There are also potholes, broken edges and other road hazards. Most are clearly visible, so avoid driving over them whenever possible. . keep your tyres correctly inflated.An under-inflated tyre flexes more, which creates more heat, increases the rolling resistance and wear. Over-inflation can reduce tyre life, lessen grip and make tyres wear irregularly. . driving at high speed can result in a higher temperature build-up in the tyre, which in extreme cases can lead to blowouts.Drive at a lower speed. . don't overload your tyres. The load index is shown on the tyre sidewall and this relates to the load capacity of the tyre. Overloaded tyres can overheat, and blowout in extreme conditions. Take care of your tyres and they will take care of you when you need them most.Make sure you have the right tyresThe speed and load ratings for your tyres should match those of the original tyres that came with the car, you should never fit a tyre with a lower speed rating or load rating than the manufacturer recommends for the car.Maintain the right tyre pressureBoth under-inflating and over-inflating can wear your tyres out more quickly -- and can damage them more easily. Under-inflated tyres will wear out faster because they overheat. They also have a greater surface area contact with the road, which means increased rolling resistance -- and more fuel used. Over-inflated tyres can undermine road handling.Check your tyres regularlyDon’t just check the tyre 'by eye' - and kicking it won't tell you much, either. Use a tyre pressure gauge to regularly check all the tyres at least once a month, and once a fortnight is even better. Make sure you check the spare tyre as well. Do the pressure check when the tyres are cold, as the heat of driving will raise the pressure reading.Check the tread pattern to see that it meets the minimum 1mm tread depth -- although it's better to change the tyres long before they wear down to that level.Make sure you use valve caps to prevent road debris from damaging the valve, which could make it impossible to refill your tyre.Look for damageHave a thorough look for splits, bulges, cracks, and any objects stuck in the tread. If you see something like a nail or screw embedded in the tyre, do not pull it out. Drive carefully to a tyre retailer or service mechanic and let them remove it.Tyre plugs should only be used for emergency repairs. If you have to use one, drive to a tyre specialist as soon as you can and have them inspect the tyre.

At the recent 40,000 km service on our 2010 Honda Accord Euro I was advised that all four tyres were dangerous and needed immediate replacement. All were badly worn and "chewed" out on the inside and not easy to see. The dealer's only response was to ask if the vehicle had been driven on dirt roads, which it hasn't, no explanation of the likely cause was offered or discussed. On taking the vehicle to Goodyear they also asked exactly the same thing regarding dirt roads and were unable to give an explanation either! We believe it is a more widespread problem with this car and we told Honda so when they called to follow up up on the service satisfaction, but we've heard nothing back from them.

Many ‘behind the scenes’ videos are tedious productions with a conga line of people nattering on about the car – and not enough of the car itself.Audi shows us how to do it right with backgrounder footage for their recent dual video giving us a look at the tyre-warming preparation for the main action. No surprise then, that the backgrounder is just as exciting as the main event, in which the RS6 Avant duels champion free-runner Damien Walters.The man is armed with paint balloons, the machine is armed with a stonking 412kW/700Nm 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, a 0-100km/h time of 3.9 seconds, a top speed of up to 305km/h. And a paint grenade. Watch the Audi RS6 Avant warming the tyres video here. Watch the Audi RS6 Avant Duel video here. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

What could cause the sort of wear on one of the BF Goodrich LT 235/70 R 16 All Terrain Radial tyres on my 2003 Land Rover Discovery TD5? Could it be a faulty tyre or the balancing?

When I got my 2012 VW Passat was serviced at 17,000 km I received a written report that my tyres needed replacing, and that VW was aware that there was a problem with the tyres on that year's model. I've never bought a new car to find that the tyres needed to be replaced around 20,000 km. Both the dealer and VW told me they were not covered by the warranty. This has really put me off buying another VW. Is there anything I can do?

The level of road noise in my 2009 Ford Focus hatchback is very high when travelling on highways at speed. I need to replace the original Goodyear 205/55/R16 91V tyres with new ones and was wondering if you could suggest tyres that would be quieter.

- Airless tyres could make cars puncture proof- Small US company outsmarts the world's biggest tyre makers- Originally designed for the military, it's for the public from 2014The sci-fi solution hasn’t come from one of the world’s biggest tyre companies – which have been working on similar technology for almost a decade – but a company that makes off-road buggies.French tyre maker Michelin first showed an airless tyre in 2005 and Japan’s Bridgestone followed in 2011, but a US maker of all-terrain vehicles, Polaris, appears to have pricked their hopes to be first to market.Polaris says it will have airless tyres available for the public to buy in 2014, while Michelin and Bridgestone are yet to even confirm if the technology will make it into production.Polaris recently bought a company -- Resilient Technologies -- which had originally developed the airless tyres for military and off-road buggy use. But Polaris has been so encouraged by validation testing of the technology it wants to make it available to the public.A “honeycomb” web of hexagon-shaped partitioned rubber makes up the tyre’s core and prevents it from collapsing. The key differences in the designs of the three tyre makers are the shapes of the webbing and the type of rubber used.The airless tyre is also effectively bulletproof and road-spike proof, which could be a boon to security forces -- and a headache for police if the tyres ever become widely used.No price has been listed yet, but industry experts forecast the tyres will initially cost up to $1000 each -- and the tread will still wear out at the same rate as a regular tyre. There is no sidewall on the demonstration tyres but those made available for the public to buy will likely have sidewalls and look like normal tyres.The company claims its airless tyres provide a smoother ride over bumps than conventional tyres, and they’re quieter.“There is nowhere for the sound to pool, so there’s no humming or drumming like there is with a standard pneumatic tyre,” Polaris business development representative Joaquin Salas told Fox News in the US.According to the Star Tribune newspaper, Wisconsin inventor Ali Manesh sold the 12-man Resilient Technologies firm and the airless tyre technology to Polaris so they could sell them on the mass market.“We developed the idea, had a design and proved that it worked. But we could not take it into full production,” Manesh told the newspaper.“So Polaris took it from there. I am grateful because that is my baby. I am glad that somebody grew it.”This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

My 2010 Mazda CX7 is not yet 3 years old and has only done 26,000 km and already I need four new tyres. I am a mum of two, so I don't go hooning around Sydney or flying around corners or anything like that. Mazda has told me that it is about right for soft compound tyres, but I would love to hear your thoughts.

Since fitting four new Bridgestone tyres to my VE Commodore earlier in the year I have travelled 15,000 km, mostly on the highway with cruise control. The front tyres are fine, but the rear tyres now need replacing as they are down to the indicator. The tyre company where I bought the tyres told me that this is a common problem with the VE. Yet my mechanic said he has never heard of this, but did however hear about cheap and nasty tyres being imported and labelled as brand name tyres. Any further insight you may be able to provide would be appreciated.

The stated tyre pressure for my Toyota Corolla is 32 psi, but when I go to my local tyre people for puncture repairs, or new tyres they set the pressure at 36 psi. Which is correct, or more beneficial for the tyres or the car? Or is this a trade lurk to increase the wear on the tyres, so as to create more business for them?