Tyres are an extremely critical safety element of any vehicle. Follow these tips if you want to keep your tyres in roadworthy condition for as long as possible:

Ensure proper tyre inflation

When the pressure inside your tyre is too little, the tire gets weakened. This undermines the structural strength of your tyre's sidewalls when you are driving, and this can put the safety of your car at high risk. Likewise, if your tyres are over-inflated, they can easily pop and cause you to lose control of the vehicle. Therefore, you should avoid driving around on tyres with too much air or too little air tyres at all costs.

Since it is difficult to know whether your tyres are either under-inflated or over-inflated just by visually inspecting them, get yourself an air compressor that comes with a built-in pressure gauge. This way, you will be able to ensure you pump the right air pressure into the tyres.

Avoid excess loading

Merely having some storage space in the back of your pickup truck or in the boot of your car does not mean that you should take advantage of that and overload the vehicle. Remember that your tyres are manufactured to carry a specified maximum load when they are correctly inflated. Therefore, any excess load will lead to premature wear down of your tyres, and it can also result in a road accident if the tyres blow out.

Any time you need to transport items that you suspect might be too heavy for your tyres, weigh it first. If the load equals or is less than your tyres' maximum load as indicated on the sidewalls, inflate your tyres appropriately so they are up to the task at hand.

Keep an eye out for potholes

Sudden encounters between your tyres and potholes occur almost every day. The extent of damage that these encounters can cause to your tyres and other components of your vehicle is appalling. These unpleasant encounters will not only cause the sidewalls of your tyres to wear irregularly, but they can also dent the underside of your vehicle and lead to early wear and tear of shocks and struts.

The best way to protect your tyres and other parts of your ride from the threat that potholes pose is to drive carefully. Maintain a safe distance between your vehicle and the one in front so you can keep sight of potholes that may damage your tyres and car. Aside from that, make sure to drive at reduced speeds when traveling on roads marred with potholes.

For more information and assistance with maintaining your tyres, visit a car service shop near you.