When you have imported a new or used car, there are several things you can do to make it look as good as new. However, when making these changes, just remember that it’s the tyres that keep it moving. They suffer the greatest abuse—they hit potholes; carry all the weight; and come into contact with dirty, grimy, and hazardous material. Therefore, you must know a few tips on getting the most life out of your car tyres.
First, unless you understand how tyres are made, you will never understand how to keep them safe, like on the unpaved roads of Zambia. Let’s look at the cross section of a car tyre.
Your car tyre is not only made of rubber, as many people tend to think. Rather, it is made of a mix of materials like steel, natural rubber, synthetic rubber and/or high technology fabrics. In the inner edges of the tire, there is the bead, which is actually high tensile steel, that helps hold the tyre to the rim. This bead is also responsible for holding the weight of the car. Without the steel bead, the tire would just crumple under the weight of the car.
After the steel bead, there are layers upon layers of fabric (not rubber). This is not a common fabric like cotton, but rather, it is high durability material. Laid on each other in layers called plies, each ply is bonded to the preceding one by natural rubber. The importance of using rubber is to enclose some air inside to give the rubber some bounciness.
A few tips that will help you get the most life out of your tyres
1. It starts with the tyres that you choose. If you buy second hand tyres, they will wear out faster than if you buy new ones. Keep this in mind when you buy.Another factor to consider is whether you should buy tires with deep or shallow treads. If you will do a lot of off-road driving, buy off-road tires, which have deeper treads and are a bit softer for gripping. For fast driving, high-performance cars, buy sports tires that are harder and will not wear out as fast.
2. Despite government efforts to pave the roads of Zambia, much still needs to be done. If you must, exceed the pressure limit of your tyres, slightly though, to lengthen their lifespan. If you normally do 35 psi, go up to 40 psi. This way, you will be able to keep the sidewalls of the tyre from coming into contact with rough roads. Remember, the sidewalls are not reinforced with steel, and therefore, they can wear out fast. Protect them by inflating the tires with a little bit more pressure.
3. Some people advise tyre rotation after every 8000 km so that the front tyres (for front wheel drive sedans) do not wear out faster than the back tires. It is believed that rotating the tires will prevent you from buying one set of tires before the other. If the tires wear out uniformly, you can replace them all at once. Most tire manufacturers will prescribe when the tires should be rotated and even if they don’t, you can still get good advice from experts.
4. Unbalanced wheels can cause the tyres to wear out unevenly. Thus, some tyres will be higher, causing your vehicle to ride roughly on the already rough roads of Zambia. If you drive a lot, it is recommended that you have your wheels balanced once annually or after every 24000 km, whichever comes first.
5. Mind how you drive! And here lies the crux of the matter.
- People who take corners at high speeds are likely to have the front tyres of their car wear out faster and unevenly—mostly caused by steering too fast.
- Do not drive too close or with your tyres against the curb because this will wear away the sidewalls of your tyres.
- When you are doing a three point turn, do not steer the car while it is stationary, because then you might cause small chunks of the tyre to flake away. Steer only when the car starts moving.
For Zambians, the best buy is something that is a cross between off-road and normal tyres.
Is this article written by Clive Chirwa?
I will write on “How to make your President last”.
@nostradamus LOL! You should do that and use the points in this article I think will they work for Presidents too. E.g rotating your tires and or your president after a certain number of kilometers or years
Somebody help me. Is it tire or tyre?
It also crossed my mind if it was Chirwa behind this article or not.
@MM Le Grand Patrol Wa Zabanga. Both are correct. Americans write “tire,” while the British prefer “tyre.”
Thank you for the information.
After all is said and done, we shall need a new man in Zambia as President. This I can see happening pretty soon because President Sata is only human and not immortal. Sooner than later, he will be no more…
It is for this reason that I suggest that we quickly assemble another team; a very good and talented team of men and women to take Zambia forward. Unless we do this soon and transparently, collectively and indeed maturely, I fear for mother Zambia; we will succumb to various pressures from our enemies who want our country to fail and end up in turmoil.
This is the team of upfront leaders I have in Mind;
1. Gen Godfrey Miyanda
2. Elias Chipimo Jr.
3. Nawakwi Edith (or Inonge Wina)
4. HH (for unity’s sake in southern Province)
Iwee I thought the article was about tyre life, how have you narrowed it to the presidency? Let us stick to the subject at hand especially the fact that we have experienced a lot of road accidents and tyres happen to be one of the causing factors. Leave the leadership of this country to a related artical for now.
No 1 & 3 are a total joke, WE ‘VE HAD THEM BEFORE – & we didn’t like what we saw!!
“Village concept etc etc …”
…Above are the leaders I seem to have ‘faith’ in from the likes of Nevers Mumbas. The rest of the leaders please, add on bloggers, this is our country and only a united Zambia as our home.
Wow, look at that – the old Manda Hill….. and less traffic…… but still rubbish blocking the drainage ditch.
I guess it’s true. The more things change, the more they stay the same?
Look I don’t want to show off
The word is TYRES
Not tires!
Who in the world calls a Tyre as Tire?
Be a driver and then you will know the word people
Thanks
I thought as well. Ichisungu ichi
Tire is US English and Tyre is British.
@Mushota
Killing a fly with a bazooka . Assuming that you have what you claim ?
‘Tyres’, please. Don’t pretend with your Americanisms!
okay, in Zed “ma tayala!!”
The Americans call it TIRE where as the Brits call it Tyre. This is why Mushota wears wigs in preference for the Hair given to her by her creator for free.
UBU FONTINI BA MUSHOTA OR WHEVER YOU ARE, Point HAS WELL SAID IT, HOPE THAT SHUTS YOU UP. TRYING TO APPEAR SHARP & WELL ENLIHTENED IN A LANGUAGE THAT IS ORIGINALLY NOT OURS, THE SPELLINGS ARE BOTH CORRECT EXCEPT ONE IS US AND THE OTHER BRITISH
Ni machamica e wa lembele, does not know the spelling of tyre. forgive him
…me I still have my “dust cover” (fore-skin). If God the creator made it the way it is, who are the Brits to tell me to remove it? It was made for a reason and I will keep it the way it is.
For your information (Mushota), this is why God the almighty put Adam to sleep in the first place and whilst he slept, God then removed a RIB from Adam’s belly and went on to create a LOUD SPEAKER like you….
Interesting anatomy ummh .. Ribs in the Belly?? I need to “repeat” my anatomy classes!
Informative and useful.
Thanks for the informative article.It is interesting to note that cars unite us more than politics!
The other point dear drivers you need to consider is the lifespan of the tyres.Ask for the manufacturing date or look on the side of the tyre,Then add 4 yrs.That is the reason why you must avoid buying tyres on special because they are trying to get rid of the stock as the expiry date nears.
The other point is don’t mix speed tyres and off road tyres on the same vehicle use identical tyres all the time.It affects the performance of the car.Enjoy your driving.
ladies i think your bodies need some rotation so that we can service your bottom further and increase the mileage. don’t forget lubrication ladies.
What a joke? who drives to make tires last?
Intelligent people drive in such a way to make their tyres last longer so as to not be wasteful.
Mulenga, there is nothing intelligent about that. There is very little you can do as a driver to change longevity of tires, almost nothing. So dont delude yourself….and you even think that is being intelligent?
What is wrong with this forum? Someone come up with a worthy article and instead of discussing and offering briljant ideas people are discussing spellings! One wonders how possible that is!!
Back to the article.. Government must make it a Law for all verhicle owners and drivers to change the tyres according to their Life span. Tyres have a life span therefore, producers make everything with a limited and specified time. The other important solution is to have seasonal Tyres like for example in countries with severe winters, when it snows or very cold, some tyres freeze and contract which causes them to tear or bust, thus there are motor laws and police monitor closely. Zambian GRT should, therefore, do a road research to come up with a solution accidents may be reduced. Well done Author!
awsome info for buying and sale a car in uk.
Comment: I Have Enjoyed This Article How Come I Did No About This Thanks To The Author, More Especialy The Comments Woman From The Belly Hahaha U Guz.