Prepare Your Car for Summer: Avoid Common Tyre Mistakes

With the imminent arrival of summer and holiday travel, road safety becomes a priority for consumers. Tyres, often underestimated, are the only point of contact between the car and the road, playing a crucial role in performance and, above all, safety.

Bridgestone has issued a warning about the most common mistakes in tyre care and usage, offering key advice to ensure your vehicle is ready for the summer season.

One of the most common and dangerous mistakes is driving with incorrect tyre pressure. Whether under or over-inflated, improper pressure leads to premature tyre wear, increases the risk of blowouts, and raises fuel consumption.

It is advised to check tyre pressure (always when cold) at least once a month or before any long journey, consulting the recommended pressure in the vehicle's manual. A simple check can prevent major problems and unexpected costs.

Another crucial aspect to extend the lifespan of tyres and ensure even wear is rotation between axles. Since front and rear tyres bear different loads and perform different tasks, their natural wear is uneven. Rotating them every 10,000 kilometres (or as per the manufacturer's instructions) contributes to greater safety by maintaining balanced behaviour between the vehicle's axles, improving control and stability on the road.

It is vital to be attentive to excessive or irregular tread wear. The law requires a minimum depth of 1.6 mm, indicated by specific markers on the tyre. A simple trick to check this is to insert a one-euro coin into the tread: if the golden edge is visible, it's time to change the tyres. Additionally, pay attention to irregular wear, which can signal alignment issues, balancing problems, or even defective shock absorbers, with tyres acting as "messengers" of these mechanical faults.

Alignment, axle parallelism, and wheel balancing are fundamental procedures often neglected. A misalignment in any of these elements can cause vibrations, irregular wear, and even affect the steering trajectory, severely compromising safety. It is recommended to perform an alignment when changing or rotating tyres, annually, or every 15,000-20,000 kilometres, according to experts from the First Stop chain.

Furthermore, drivers should periodically check the physical condition of tyres and rims for deformations, bumps, cuts, or tears caused by potholes or curbs. Any visible damage can seriously compromise safety, making it essential to consult a professional for a possible replacement.

Bridgestone also warns about tyre ageing: although they do not expire like food, their performance degrades over time. An annual inspection by a specialist is advised from the fifth year, and definitive replacement if they are over ten years old, regardless of the remaining tread.

"We want to highlight the importance of preventive maintenance of all vehicle components, especially tyres," says Adrià Martínez, Engineer at Bridgestone's Technical Department. Martínez concludes by reminding that tyres, along with the braking system (ABS), stability control (ESP or ESC), traction control, and power steering, are key elements of the vehicle's active safety. Therefore, it is essential to "always be alert and drive responsibly" to enjoy a safe summer on the roads.