Learning to drive is one of the best things a young person can do with their time. It allows them a level of freedom of the like they’ll never have experienced before, and it also means they’ll be able to help family and friends out from time to time when they need someone with a set of wheels. Even so, the sheer amount of legal requirements and responsibilities you’re expected to adhere to when owning a car can make the whole endeavor a little stressful, especially when it comes to dealing with the upkeep and maintenance of your tyres. At the end of the day, you’d risk causing very dangerous accidents if you blew a tyre whilst driving down the road today, so this is probably a good thing in truth.
So, you’ve come here to learn everything you need to know about making sure your tyres meet legal requirements, right? Well, unfortunately, these requirements can change somewhat from country to country, meaning you should definitely check out the exact details before taking my word as gold. Still, the information contained below this paragraph is almost certain to point you in the right direction. If you live in the UK, it’s 100% accurate – you can hold me to that.
Keeping Original Tyre Fits
Although many “boy racers” might think it’s cool to purchase oversized tyres for their cars, this is actually illegal, and you can get in a lot of trouble for doing so should the police notice. The law in this country states you must replace tyres with exactly the same size and type when the time comes. Obviously, you’re free to try different brands, and I would advise you to do so because prices can vary greatly, but the size must remain the same.
Inflating To The Recommended Pressure
When you buy any tyre, you should be given information about the level of air pressure required to keep it roadworthy. Alternatively, as your car was designed for a specific sized tyre, all this information should be located in your vehicles manual. Now, you could visit a petrol station, pay your money and set the machine to inflate them, but a lot of people nowadays are purchasing their own air compressors, as they find this provides them with the most flexibility (and they don’t have to worry about keeping small change in the glovebox).
Assessing The Tyre’s Tread
Depending on the size of your car, the amount of tread you need to withhold will vary greatly. Still, it’s vitally important you find out this information straight away and make sure you check all tyres at least once every two weeks. If you see that one tyre is becoming more worn than the others, this could mean you have a balance issue (or maybe you’ve just been making too many right turns). Always ensure you change tyres well before the tread reaches minimum legal levels, as you risk accidents and mishaps around this time period.
So long as you follow all my advice and keep on top of things, you should have no trouble staying within the law and keeping the policemen at bay.
Stay safe folks!
