Car tyres move us.
One thing every vehicle has in common is car tyres. And they are probably the most utilitarian components of any vehicle that most car owners see and, perhaps, maintain. Although the truth is that many of us don’t really pay much attention to our tyres until something happens to them.
A puncture, a flat, or they start to lose their grip – these are situations that cause us to remember the value of our car tyres once again.
However, car tyres are much more than air-filled rubber surrounding metal wheels. And they are what allows your car to move and take you where you need to go.
Care Tyres Move Us: From Rubber Sheets to High-Tech Construction
Pneumatic, or air-filled, rubber tyres have a long history and even pre-date the introduction of the vehicle.
Fittingly, the origins of the now ubiquitous inflatable rubber tyre are found here in the United Kingdom.
As a Wikipedia entry describes it,
“In October 1887, John Boyd Dunlop developed the first practical pneumatic or inflatable tyre for his son’s tricycle and, using his knowledge and experience with rubber, in the yard of his home in Belfast fitted it to a wooden disc 96 centimetres across. The tyre was an inflated tube of sheet rubber.”
The first detachable pneumatic tyre was invented by the Michelin brothers in 1891. The tyre consisted of a tube bolted on to the rim. And here in the UK, as in many European regions, winter tyres are a mainstay and are often fitted with seasonal swaps each fall.
But where did these originate?
According to one source,
“The very first set of winter tires came from Finland in 1934, when Nokian first manufactured tires suited for trucks as a way to ensure that they had a better chance of successfully reaching their destinations.”
Today, vehicle tyres are much more evolved than those innovative covers used back in the 1890s.
Cut-Away Diagram Showing the Typical Construction of a Modern Radial Tyre
Different Tyre Types and Sizes for Different Vehicles
While it would be nice if every car on the road could be fitted with the same size tyre and that wheels and tyre sizes were universal. However, the reality is a bit more complicated.
Wheels, not to be confused with the tyres surrounding them, are manufactured and designed to different diameters. And vehicles are designed with specific diameter wheels in mind. These wheels must then be fitted with tyres of that specific diameter size.
However, the width and height of the tyre can vary for any particular wheel.
As an article from Car and Driver points out,
“Once you choose a tire size for your vehicle, you’ll want to stick with that size when you buy replacements. The reason for this is that a differently sized tire can confuse your speedometer and even cause damage to your vehicle’s anti-lock braking systems and stability system calibrations. This applies to switching to both smaller and larger tires.
Changing to larger tires with an improper sidewall height can cause damage to your vehicle’s suspension system, wheels, and the tires themselves, and can run the risk of incorrect speedometer readings.”
To be certain, one could swap out their existing tyres for larger ones and, in some cases, this may be beneficial. But the wisest approach is to consult with an expert tyre service provider such as Expert Tyres before making those replacements.
What Those Numbers on Your Car Tyre Sidewall Mean
As a car owner, it’s not enough to simply know that our car tyres move us along the road. We should understand what size and type of tyres we have.
It is relatively easy to determine the correct size and type of tyres you should purchase when replacing two or all of your car’s tyres. On newer vehicles that still have their manufacturer’s documentation such as an owner’s handbook, that information can be found there.
If, however, you no longer have your vehicle’s handbook at hand, or it was missing when you purchased the car, you can still read your tyre size from the tyre sidewall.
These tyre size markings indicate the specific tyre size, but they can be a bit confusing to most car owners. Here is a diagram and explanatory key from one major tyre producer:
1) The width of the tyres in millimetres
2) Percentage height of the sidewall in relation to the width
3) Radial construction
4) Rim diameter in inches
5) Load index (the maximum load capacity of the tyre)
6) Speed index (the maximum speed of the tyre)
The Right Car Tyres Move Us Best
Remember, too, that along with keeping to the same size tyres, it is critical to only use the same type of tyres that are already on your vehicle when changing just two of them. While our car tyres move us along, they do so best when they are the type.
As one tyre manufacturer warns, the internal construction of tyres fitted on any vehicle must either be radial or bias-ply. Fitting mixed tyre constructions (bias-ply and radial together) for cars, caravans and other light trucks is unsafe and illegal. The only permissible exception is the use of a spare tyre for an emergency.
So, as we’ve noted here already, if you have any doubts about the suitability of any new tyre size or types that you’re looking to purchase, be sure to ask an expert tyre service provider such as Expert Tyres.
Mobile Source for Professional Tyre Services from Expert Tyres Ltd
Because so many of us are busier than ever, it helps to know that you don’t have to drive to a garage or tyre shop. With our expert mobile tyre service, you can have Expert Tyres come to you at your convenience instead!
Whether you simply need new tyres, have a tyre puncture repaired, or it’s time to have us take care of your seasonal tyre swap, you can just ring Expert Tyres. And, since we specialise in convenience, you can choose your new tyres and schedule a day and time for the fitting right on our website.
Expert Tyres serves the Rotherham and Chesterfield areas and the surrounding Sheffield region.
In fact, you can have all your tyre services carried out professionally and conveniently by our mobile Expert Tyre specialists. In addition, we offer great pricing regularly check our prices against our competitors.
Our expert tyre services include regular seasonal tyre swaps, mobile new tyre installation, and our convenient mobile tyre puncture repair service. And because we are a mobile tyre service, we’re able to meet you where you are – whether that’s at your home or your place of work.
Our mission is to always provide our customers with the best quality tyre service at the best price. Our car tyres move us, and Expert Tyres is there to keep it that way.
Expert Tyres is a Brilliant Solution – Your Tyres at Your Convenience!