Handy Tips

What to do if you get a puncture

If you get a puncture, there are three things that can become problematic in getting your car back on the road:

• Do you have a spare wheel?
  Check on a regular basis that the tyre is inflated and meets the legal requirements

• Do you have locking wheel nuts? Do you know where the locking key is?
  Many modern tyres are locked to prevent theft, always ensure you know where the locking key is in case of a puncture.

• Do you have a jack?
  Most car jacks seize up if they are never used, so make sure it is in working order by oiling the thread and wind it up and down to make sure it all works correctly.

Spare Tyres

Space saving spares are designed to occupy less space in your vehicle and are designed to get you home, but not to be used for a long time. The majority of space saving tyres should not be used at high speeds and you should consult your vehicle handbook for specific details.

Run-flat tyres allow the vehicle to be driven at slower speeds for a reduced time if you lose tyre pressure. These are specialist tyres with stronger wheel sidewalls that allow the tyre to support the weight of the vehicle, even after the tyre is flat.

Tyre Pressures

It is important that to have the correct tyre pressures for:

Safety - Tyres that are inflated differently to the advised pressure will not have the same level of grip as tyres that are inflated to the correct pressures.

Economy - Tyres that are not inflated to the correct pressures wear out quicker. Also, if your vehicle has under inflated tyres, they will have a higher rolling resistance - meaning  more tyre in contact with the road surface, more engine energy required to move the car, and more fuel required.

Legal Requirements

The minimum legal limit for depth of the tread on your tyres is 1.6 millimetres, across the central ¾ of the tyre tread (this is around the complete circumference of the tyre).

For safety reasons it is recommended that you replace your tyres before the legal limit is reached. Most car manufacturers recommend that you replace your tyres when they reach 3 millimetres. At 1.6 millimetres on wet surfaces it takes an extra car length (8 metres) to stop at 50 mph than if your tyre tread was at 3 millimetres.