Regardless of whether your vehicle is a rental or privately owned, it’s important that your tyres are in a roadworthy condition.

As the leading company for car and van hire in North Shropshire, we understand how important it is for our customers to feel safe whilst driving. So this month, we’re focusing on tyre safety.

We’ve split this post out into some of the most commonly asked questions, so let’s begin.

What is the best tyre pressure?

The best tyre pressure will depend on the vehicle you’re driving, and also the load inside the vehicle itself. If you’re unsure where to find the tyre pressure information, it can be usually be found:

• On the inside of the fuel filler cap.
• In the vehicle manufacturers handbook.
• Inside the driver’s door sill

Remember, the pressure of your tyres should reflect the amount of weight that the vehicle has inside it. For example, a car with a lot of luggage is going to need more tyre pressure compared to a car with only one passenger.

How to measure tyre tread?

It’s a very simple test when you need to check the tread of your tyres. All you need is a 20p coin. When the 20p is inserted into the main tread grooves, the outer band of the coin should be obscured. This means that the tyres are above the legal limit, and you’re safe to drive.

When you’re collecting your rental vehicle, make sure that the tyre tread has been checked before you drive away. If in doubt, then double check during your pre-collection assessment.

What are winter tyres?

Winter tyres are tyres that have been specially designed to cope with ice and snow, keeping you safe in the colder winter months. The main differences between normal tyres and winter tyres are:

• Winter tyres generally don’t harden during the colder weather unlike their summer counterparts.
• Winter tyres have a wider groove and small, narrow slits at the edge of the tread area. These create more grip whilst driving in icy conditions.

How do you change a flat tyre?

As with all vehicle rental companies, Fourways Self Drive covers you in the event of a breakdown. However, sometimes you may want to change a tyre on your own vehicle yourself, and if you’ve never done it before it’s wise to have a practice run first.

• Make sure no one is inside the vehicle.
• Apply the handbrake and put the vehicle is park (for automatics) or in gear (for manuals).
• Block the wheels (to prevent them moving) on the opposite side to the flat tyre.
• Remove the wheel cover, and loosen the wheel nuts. Do not remove them at this point.
• Place the jack underneath the jacking point on a flat piece of ground. If you’re unsure of where the jacking point is, check the vehicle manual.
• Remove the nuts and wheel, pulling the wheel towards you with both hands.
• Replace the flat tyre with the spare tyre.
• Replace all the wheel nuts and the wheel cover, in that order.
• Carefully lift the flat tyre back into the car.

Always consider your safety as a priority, we would never recommend changing a tyre on your own in a dangerous environment, for example on the hard shoulder – always call for help.

What causes irregular tyre wear?

Irregular tyre wear can usually be down to a variety of driving habits, but unfortunately there’s no definitive answer. These habits can be anything from aggressive turning, repeatedly scuffing tyres along kerbs or pavements or under inflation of tyres on one side of the car.

Remember, it’s not just the tyres that you need to check; it’s the rest of the vehicle too. Take a look at these top tips for a long journey to make sure you’re safe on the roads.

Which of our top tips did you find most useful? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so Like our Facebook page here or Follow us on Twitter here. If you’re considering renting a vehicle over the coming months, then get in touch with us here.