Alloys: Alloy wheels are lighter than the steel wheel, they used to be reserved for more premium vehicles but they are now used on most hatchbacks. Alloys use unsprung mass to help with handling by allowing the suspension to interact with the road surface.

Multi Piece Wheels: Wheels can be constructed by sealing two or three components together made up of the wheel face and the rim. Screwing and sealing these parts together can make them heavier and slightly weaker.

Forged Wheels: Forged wheels are typically very strong, they are made by subjecting aluminium to a high heat and crushing it into shape. This makes the wheels light and strong.

Bargain Wheels: There are many bargains on the internet replicating and reproducing wheels. Be careful when thinking of buying imitation wheels as they are often made cheap and could lack important strength.

The post The Different Types of Wheel appeared first on AllCarz.

How quickly a tyre starts to wear depends on many factors such as your driving style, the quality of the tyre and road conditions. The legal limit for tread depth is 1.6mm. The best way to measure the tread of your tyres accurately is by using a tread depth gauge. However, some tyres have a tread wear indicators which are a band of rubber that becomes flush with the tread when the depth has reached 1.6mm.

It is also good practice to check the tyres for uneven wear as this could be a sign the vehicle needs to be tracked. Look out for any objects which have become lodged in the tyre such as nails which can effect its strength. Check and adjust your pressure regularly, some vehicles have their own tyre pressure monitoring system but it still useful to be able to check them manually.

If in doubt, drop in for a free tyre check.

The post When to replace tyres/ tyre thread depths appeared first on AllCarz.

Tyre markings are used to identify the features and the specification on the tyre, as the tyre is the only point of contact with the road it is crucial when replacing your tyres to get the right size and specification of tyre.

The writing of the sidewall of the tyre relates to that tyre to find the information which relates to the manufacturers specification try looking in the vehicle handbook, inside the glove box door or written in the drivers doorway.

To find the size of your tyre look for a short sequence of letters and numbers which look similar to this: 205/55R16 91V

Lets break it down to explain what that means:

“205” represents the tyres width in mm from sidewall to sidewall

“55” is the profile which is the height of the sidewall

“R” is the construction of the tyre R is the most common which means radial construction where the cords extend across the casing in a radial direction.

“16” is the diameter of the rim in inches.

“95” is the load rating this is the maximum capacity of a car for example a load index of 95 means a max load weight of 690kg/tyre.

“V” is the speed rating this is the maximum speed the tyre can sustain. For example V means the tyre can sustain up to 149 miles an hour.

The post Understanding your tyre (car size information/ labelling) appeared first on AllCarz.

If you are in a safe enough space to change the tyre yourself do so, otherwise, call your breakdown assistance. If you are going to change the tyre yourself make sure you have the necessary controls such as a spare tyre, a jack and vehicle handbook to tell you the jacking points of the car.

A flat tyre doesn’t always mean you will need a new tyre. A flat tyre mainly occurs when you have a puncture. A simple puncture can be fixed, however, if a tyre is driven on whilst it is flat the sidewalls can rupture and can unfixable damage to the tyre meaning it will have to be replaced.

To avoid a flat tyre ensure your tyres are properly inflated and try and get into good driving habits to prolong the life of your tyres.

The post I have a car tyre puncture, what next? appeared first on AllCarz.