Auto advice: how do I know my tyres are safe and when should I replace them?

Our motoring editor answers your questions on looking after your car tyres

Checking your tyre pressure frequently is important for your safety as tyre pressure can affect your car’s handling, braking and fuel efficiency. — © Getty Images/Science Photo Libra

Geraldine Herbert

What simple checks should I carry out on my tyres? Checking your tyre pressure frequently is important for your safety as tyre pressure can affect your car’s handling, braking and fuel efficiency. Don’t forget to check your spare, too. The legal limit for tyre-tread depth is 1.6mm, however, this is the bare minimum and it is strongly recommended that tyres are changed when the tread is reduced to 2mm-3mm. While examining the tread, look for signs of uneven wear or damage such as cuts, cracks, splits, punctures and bulges. Remember, it is an offence to drive with defective or worn tyres.

How can I find how old my car tyres are? On the side wall of the tyre is a four-digit number, eg 2417. The first two digits of the code represent the week of production during the year (from week 1 to week 52) while the second two digits represent the year of manufacture. so 2417 will be week 24, 2017. A tyre that is six years old is a “pass advisory” item at the NCT. This is not a failure, just a precaution, but you should consider changing them.

Should I rotate my tyres? The purpose of regularly rotating tyres is to achieve more even wear on each tyre. Check the car’s handbook first for specific advice about your car, but if there is no information in the manual, then the tyres should be rotated every 10,000 to 12,000km. Generally, the tyres at the front of your car will wear out faster than the ones at the back, so changing them frequently ensures they wear more evenly.

When buying new tyres is it worth paying extra for premium tyres? In the current climate, it’s no surprise that about 60pc of tyres that are bought in Ireland are budget ones. But when you are shopping for new tyres, you should always buy the very best that you can afford as the level of grip you have on the road is determined only by the quality of your tyres. Very often, you won’t actually be saving yourself money by buying budget tyres as they tend to wear out faster, they are not as fuel efficient and they give less grip and traction.

Top Tip: A report by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) found that of 858 fatal collisions in Ireland between 2008 and 2012, the tyres were the main contributory factor, accounting for 8pc or 14 deaths a year

Got a question? Email sundaymotors@independent.ie

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