Good Tyres Are Vital!

Tyres are the vehicle's only point of contact with the road. The actual area of contact between the car and the road through the tyres is small, roughly equivalent to four size eight men's shoes. Bald tyres - 'slicks' - may be fine for a race car on a dry track, but no good at all for road vehicles on a wet road surface. Tyres treads are designed to pump water from the road surface and provide maximum grip. By the time the tread is worn down to the legal limit they will be unable to perform this task efficiently and MUST be replaced.

RoSPA recommends that worn tyres are replaced with an equivalent new unit well before the legal minimum tread limit of 1.6mm is reached - ideally as soon as they reach 3mm.

The following information is provided as a guide when selecting new tyres and to give you more insight into the tyres you have fitted to your pride and joy. Kingswinofrd Tyres can supply all the major brand tyres shown

Tyre load speed capacities

Different tyres have different speed and load capacities. It is important that your tyres are the correct type for your vehicle, and that you do not exceed the maximum speed or load recommended for those tyres.

The following load speed tables give maximum speed and load capacities for all tyres manufactured in Europe.

 Tyre Structures

This section will help you identify the main components in a tyre's structure.

• The inner liner is a special air-tight rubber lining attached to the inside of the tyre, used instead of a tube.

• The tyre sidewall adds rigity yo to the structure, protecting the carcass and improving ride quality by allowing the tyre to expand and compress with the terrain.

• The apex helps to minimise bead distortion and reduce impacts to it.

• The tread is the part of the tyre in contact with the road. It not only has to provide grip and cornering stability but must resist abrasion, cutting, and impacts, as well as withstand high temperatures.

• The bead fixes the tyre to the rim and secures the end of the cord. It is coposed of a bead wire and rubber core.

• A tyre groove is a channel within the tread that improves driving stability, pulling ability, and braking ability.

• A tyre belt is made of steel wire or textile fabric. It acts as a reinforcement, reducing the impacts sustained from the the road and helping to maintain stability by widening the tread in contact with the road.

• The tyre shoulder is the section from the edge of the tread to the upper [art of the sidewall. It needs to offer good heat dispersal

• The tyre carcass is the inner cord of the tyre that supports the weight and absorbs impact. As such it has to resist fatigue caused by the constant flexing and compression.

• The chafer prevents direct contact between the wheel rim and the cord to protect the cord