Most Common Tire Damages and Their Causes
Tires are expensive, and someone who owns a car knows that this is not something that one can afford to buy every month. It is evident that if you want your car tires to work longer for you, then you need to make some investment of time and maintain the tires. By maintenance, we are of course referring you to the fact that you need to take the tires for regular check-ups to the professionals.
You need to make sure that the tire pressure is always optimum and that you should never be driving with a flat tire etc. The point is that the durability of your car's tires depends on several different factors, and that is precisely why PitStopArabia is here today. Today we are going to discuss a few of the most common reasons that tires get damaged. Hence, you will get to know what measures you need to take for their maintenance.
Tires can get damaged due to several reasons. Sometimes the driver might not even know that he is driving the car with a damaged tire. The reasons include cuts, impacts, bulges, cracks, and punctures. At times, the damage is down to no fault of the driver but because of natural or road conditions. Well, whoever is the culprit, PitStopArabia has summarized the most common tire damages and their causes.
Identification of Bulge or Impact Break
The tires encounter thousands of different obstacles while on the road. And some obstacles are damaging, especially for the carcass which is also known as the casing of the tire. These obstacles cause an impact break. When the cords inside the carcass are destroyed, that is when a bulge appears on the side of the tire. Usually, impact break happens when people drive over speed bumps and curbs etc. at an excessive speed.
Such damages might not be noticeable until you take the tire for proper inspection. But if you keep overlooking these issues, it will all lead you to the risk of complete tire failure at some point. Therefore, PitStopArabia recommends getting your tires checked regularly from a tire professional.
Identification of Cuts
Adverse road conditions (e.g. potholes), sharp objects like stones or glass and other such external influences can put cuts on your tires. Some cuts are small but deep. Other types of cuts are just on the surface of the tire. However, no matter what type of cut it is, if you see cuts on your tires, the wiser thing to do is to take them for a professional, detailed check-up.
If the cut is deep, it can lead to tire failure (tire blowout), and it can also cause accidents. If you are driving at high speed, tire failure can prove fatal.
Sidewall Indentation
The sidewall of a tire is not always equal, and there are going to be differences across the surface. Sidewall indentation is a typical result of radial construction. What you need to do is to get the tire checked and make sure that the sidewall indentation that you are seeing is harmless. Get your tires checked by a qualified tire specialist and make sure that the indentations are appropriately treated for your safety.
Overloading, incorrect tyre inflation pressure, tire wear, manufacturing defects are common reasons for sidewall indentation.
Heat Build-Up
Believe it or not, heat is the worst enemy for your tires. Already your tires are heated up due to friction, and when that heat exceeds a limit, your tires become more susceptible to cuts, structural damage, and wear. What you need to do in this case is that you need to avoid factors that increase the temperature inside the tires.
Like, you need to avoid hard braking, high speeds, overloading, and driving when the tire pressure is low. If you are a frequent traveller or are travelling over a long distance, PitStopArabia recommends taking small breaks in between. While it might delay you a little, but these breaks can give the tires much-needed rest (i.e. cooldown). Hence, the possibility of damage from heat build-up is minimized.
Miscellaneous Tips for Avoiding Common Tire Damage
If you want to prevent premature tire wear, you need to change the position of the tires now and then. All you need to do is rotate the tires regularly. So that no one part of the tire is continuously being exposed to wear and tear. You need to rotate them form powered to a non-powered axle. More information on how to rotate a tire.
The second thing you can do is that you can avoid any obstacles that you know are damaging to the tires. For example, if you see some sharp glass or some stones with sharp edges on the road, try to move your car to another side. Going one step further, either remove those things from the road yourself or call the relevant authority. It can help other unsuspecting drivers avoid tire damage.
Moreover, always use the tires which are recommended for your vehicle. Often drivers buy tires which are not the right size for their car. Hence, the tyres are damaged, and even various components of the car are damaged as well. Consult the owner’s manual to see what the recommended tire size is for your vehicle.
Lastly, use the tyres on surfaces which they are manufactured for. For example, if you are looking forward to driving off-road, use off-road tyres. Do not use your city driving tires for off-road driving. Otherwise, you risk damaging your tyres and your vehicle. A customer came to us complaining that his new tires are damaged. Upon asking what happened, the customer innocently mentioned that he drove the car over a stony surface for a couple of minutes. Please, do not be like this customer!
Final Words
It is all that you need to know about common types of tire damages and what causes them. We have mentioned all the measures you can take to prevent such damages, so make sure to opt for them. Also, always take your tires and your car for inspection regularly if you want it all to stay durable and functional for a long time.