Wheels and tires. General information

Tire pressure and general condition of tires should be checked at least once a week. This is especially important as the mileage increases. Always remember that tires are the only part of the car that comes into contact with the road.

Check for cracks, cuts, or other damage to the tire walls. In most cases, there is a violation of the convergence of the front wheels, it should be readjusted.

Excessive wear on both sides of the tire is most often an indication. that the tire pressure has been low for a long time. A similar sign of poor tire care is heavy wear in the middle of the tread pattern. However, in this case, it can be assumed that a car was driven for a long time, the tire pressure of which was too high.

Tires are also easily damaged by running into sharp objects, curbs, etc.

The use of worn tires is against the law. The height of the tread pattern must comply with the value established by law.

If, during regular checks, the pressure in one of the tires drops more than in the others, the reason for this is the presence of a leak in it, the position of which can only be determined by a thorough check in the tire workshop. An air leak can be observed in the area where the tire meets the rim. In addition, valves can let air through. For this reason, it is important that each valve has a cap screwed on that not only prevents dirt from entering, but also acts as a seal to a certain extent, preventing air from escaping. Quite often, after checking the tire pressure, they forget about the valve cap. You shouldn't make such a mistake.

Air can come out suddenly or at night. If this happens during the trip, do not panic. Be sure to try to keep the steering wheel straight and stop the car without depressing the brake pedal. If possible, try to steer the vehicle onto a paved dirt shoulder or, if there is none, steer the vehicle as close to the edge of the road as possible. Sharp turns of the steering wheel can easily lead to a skid. This forces you to immediately use the spare wheel, which, of course, must be debugged and ready to replace the damaged wheel. Your manual will tell you all the details of the wheel change operation.

When changing a wheel on the road, be sure to place a special warning sign behind the car at an appropriate distance from it, and also turn on the all-round signal lighting. Do not lose any of the wheel nuts. After changing a tire, there were cases when a warning sign was forgotten on the road.