Hankook Offers US Consumers Tyre Safety Tips

In coordination with National Tire Safety Week, Hankook Tire America Corp. is offering tips and advice to ensure consumers’ tyres are in good working condition for summer travel, reports Tire Review. “Not maintaining proper tyre inflation pressure costs consumers hundreds of dollars during their driving lifetime,” said Bill Bainbridge, director of brand communications for Hankook Tire America Corp. “Even slightly underinflated tyres require more energy and build up damaging heat more quickly. This leads to reduced fuel economy and paying more for gas than you need.”

• Check tyre air pressure monthly and always before a long distance trip. Maintaining proper inflation pressure is essential for driving safety, handling, ride comfort and maximising fuel economy.

• Inspect tyres for uneven treadwear that may indicate signs of mechanical problems, and/or cracks, bulges or any sign of foreign material or trauma that can lead to tyre failure. If you think your tire may have been damaged from hitting a pothole, curb or debris on the road, it should be inspected for damage by a qualified person.

• Check your tyre tread depth. As tyres wear down and the grooves become shallower, they are more prone to hydroplaning (losing grip on a wet surface) and susceptible to flats. Tyres must be replaced before the tread grooves are worn down below 2/32nds of depth. Most tyres have between four and six treadwear indicators at that depth.

• Never overload your vehicle or exceed the tyre’s load carrying capacity when it is properly inflated. Refer to your vehicle owner’s manual or the placard on the inside driver’s door jamb for proper recommendations.

In addition, said Bainbridge, “Tyres that wear unevenly and more quickly as a result of improper inflation will cause consumers to spend more on vehicle maintenance and having to replace tyres more often. A little common sense and a few minutes each month can add up to a lot of dollars saved.”

It’s important to remember that when tyres are underinflated they are overloaded and can be dangerous. For the best accuracy, check your tyres before you do any driving and when they are cold. An inexpensive tyre air pressure gauge is all you need, along with the proper inflation pressure recommendation found on the vehicle placard or in the vehicle owner’s manual, Hankook said.

Selecting the Right Replacement Tyre: Quality is Key

When replacing the tyres that came as original equipment on your vehicle, you should always refer to your vehicle owner’s manual and rely on an authorized tire retailer for advice to ensure that you make the best and safest choice. In fact, there may be multiple tyre options you may want to consider that fit your vehicle, all while maintaining an appropriate tyre size, speed rating, load range, etc.

In addition to size, model and type, there are other qualifications to consider when replacing tyres. Three important factors make up the Uniform Tyre Quality Grading Standard (UTQG) developed to provide consumers with useful information to help them compare passenger car tires based on their relative treadwear, traction and temperature capabilities. While these UTQG standards aren’t perfect, they can help consumers narrow their purchase decision.

“The higher the treadwear rating, the longer the tyre should wear,” said Tom Kenny, manager of tyre development engineering, Hankook Tire America Corp. “Traction represents the tyre’s stopping ability on wet asphalt and concrete surfaces. The highest traction rating is AA followed by A, B and C. Temperature measures how well a tyre dispels heat and how well it handles heat build up. Tire temperatures are rated A, B and C respectively.”

How Many to Replace? 

Most cars require replacing tyres in sets of two or four. It’s rare that one tyre will wear down much more quickly than the other three. “Rotating tires every 5,000 to 7,000 miles and checking tyre pressure regularly helps to ensure that all four tyres will wear down evenly,” Kenny said. “If it is necessary to replace two tyres at a time, make sure the new tyres are mounted on the rear axle to provide better grip, which reduces the vehicle’s potential to hydroplane in wet conditions.”