A Guide to Tyre Care: Balancing, Tyre Pressure and Replacing the Wheels

BALANCING

Tyres must be balanced every 10,000-15,000 km, as well as after repairs. Tyre imbalance manifests itself in the vibration and bouncing off the car. Also, at certain speeds, the vehicle’s steering wheel begins to tremble in a particular range.

To more accurately determine whether the tyres need balancing or not, it is necessary to raise the wheel under test with a jack to rotate freely. After that, you need to spin the wheel and let it stop by itself.

After the wheel has come to a complete stop, mark the tyre’s bottom point with chalk. Then you need to repeat this operation ten times. If the chalk marks are scattered all over the tyre, then the wheel is well balanced, and the cause of the vehicle vibration should be looked for in the other wheel. If the chalk marks are grouped in one place, it is necessary to slightly deflate the tyres to balance the wheel.

Then, using the pliers, bend the spring holder and remove the balancing weights from the wheel (if any), after which you should spin the wheel counterclockwise, and when it stops, you need to draw a vertical line on the tyre with chalk at the top point of the wheel.

You then need to spin the wheel again, and when it stops, draw a vertical line with chalk. The two chalk lines will form an angle with the apex at the center of the wheel. After that, you need to draw the formed angle’s bisector, dividing the rise into two halves.

On both sides of the third line, you need to install small (no more than 30 g) balancing weights. The balance weights are attached to the wheel using their spring holders, which go under the tyre’s bead. After installing the weights, you need to spin the wheel again, and if, after stopping it, the weights take the lower position, then their mass is sufficient.

If the weights are in the upper position, they must be replaced with heavier ones (up to 40 g) and then spin the wheel again and make sure that the weights stop at the wheel’s bottom. After the mass of the balancing, weights have been determined, their position must be finally determined. It is necessary to move them at equal distances from the centerline so that, as a result, the wheel, after spinning, stops in a variety of positions.

TYRE PRESSURE

After balancing, the wheels should be inflated to the required pressure. Besides, it must be remembered that wheel balancing is carried out only on the front hubs. Tyre pressures should be checked once a month and before every long ride. Check the tyre pressure only on cold tyres.

The tyres are inflated to the required pressure in two steps.

First, the tyre’s pressure is brought to 50% of the required value, then you need to knock a little with the tread on the ground, completely deflate and then pump up the pressure again to the necessary value.

Inflating the tyre in two steps avoids wrinkling and pinching the tube in the tyre. Each brand of car has its own standards for the pressure in the front and rear tyres.

  • When driving in a sporty manner, it is recommended to increase the tyre pressure by 0.2 kg-s / cm2.
  • In winter tyres, the pressure should also be increased by 0.2 kg-s / cm2.
  • After a long trip, the tyre pressure should not drop by more than 0.2 kg-s / cm2.

The most significant tyre wear is caused by a sporty driving style with sharp acceleration and deceleration. Car tyres can be used until the depth of the profile reaches 1.6 mm. However, to increase safety, it is recommended to change tyres already at a profile depth of 2.0 mm.

REPLACING THE WHEELS

FourCreeds says when visually inspecting the tyres, it is necessary to identify all cuts and set their depth. For this, you can use an ordinary screwdriver. If the scratches are deep enough to reach the cord, moisture can enter the tyre inside, which will erode the cord. Pitting on the cord can cause the work surface to peel off the body and the tyre to burst. Therefore, it is necessary to replace a tyre with deep cuts, delamination and swelling as soon as possible.

When replacing a wheel, it is recommended to use a wrench with an adjustable tightening torque since unscrewing and screwing the wheels with a regular wrench can cause stress in the brake drums. It is best to drive the vehicle before noticeable wear on the front tyres appears.

The front tyres are then swapped with the rear tyres. As a result of this replacement, it is possible to achieve approximately the same service life for all tyres. It is not recommended to change only one tyre; it is best to change them in pairs.

Less worn tyres are always fitted at the front.

Tubeless tyres are designed for the right roads and high speeds.

If installed incorrectly, as a result of an imbalance of the wheels and incorrect tyre pressure. Tyre wears often occurs, which differs from normal wear, uniform over the entire width. If there is increased wear on the sides of the profile, this results from lower tyre pressure. If the middle tread tracks are worn out the most, then the cause of the wear is the increased tyre pressure.

Tyres that carry weight and do rough work are prone to wear outs. This is the reason most truck tyres wear out quicker than passenger tyres. If you are a truck driver, consider getting a high-quality truck tyre such as Falken RI151.

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