Although they’re often overlooked, tyres are one of the most important parts of your vehicle. It’s important that you keep them in good condition since poor quality tyres can increase the distance it takes your car to stop, endangering both yourself and other road users. As the only part of your car that physically touches the road surface, it’s natural that your tyres gain some wear and tear, but it’s important to know when it’s time to replace them.

Factors such as your driving habits and the vehicle make and model can impact how long your tyres last. On average, you should get roughly 5 years or 20,000 miles out of front tyres on a front-wheel-drive car, and around 40,000 on rear tyres; this is due to the extra stress on the front tyres for front-wheel-drive cars, and so a helpful tip is to swap your front and rear tyres about halfway through their life to even out the pressure on both.

Signs your tyres need replacing

There are a few key things you can look out for to know when your tyres need replacing.

• Worn-down tread
• Cracks in the rubber
• Air pressure is reducing more quickly than normal

A worn tyre tread is typically the first sign that you need new tyres and is often what you will notice first. Brand new tyres will have a tread depth of around eight millimetres, but this will significantly reduce over time as your tyres rub against the road and create friction. The legal limit for tread depth is 1.6 millimetres, but you should look to replace your tyres before they drop below 2 millimetres, since a shallow tread can dangerously increase your stopping distance.

Cracks in your tyres can occur if your car is left standing for prolonged periods of time, or if it is left in direct sunlight, Regular use of your tyres will ensure that the rubber is pliable and retains a level of elasticity, If the tyres are stood still for too long, especially in direct sunlight, then they can dry out and crack.

Losing air pressure gradually is perfectly normal, even in brand new tyres, but excessive deflation may be a sign that you need to replace your tyres. Air loss can be a sign of weakness in the rubber, as pressure could be lost through cracks or the seal around the alloy.

How to find the age of your tyres

If you’ve bought a car and don’t know the age of your tyres, there’s a quick and easy way to be sure. Every tyre is embossed with a series of markings, one of which is something called a DOT code. This code tells you the exact age of your tyres, and here’s how to find it:

• On the tyre’s sidewall, look for a code beginning with DOT
• Identify the final four digits in this code; for example, 3721
• The first two digits indicate the calendar week that the tyres were produced, while the last two denote the year of production; for our example, the tyres would have been produced in the 37th week of 2021.

Replacing your tyres

When it is time to replace your tyres, look no further than John Delany Motors. Established in 1980, we’ve grown to be the largest independent garage in Stockport. We offer tyre fitting at our MOT Centre Stockport, as well as servicing, repairing, and maintaining any make and model of vehicle, so check out our online booking system or give us a call on 0161 477 6266.