Surely you already know that properly maintained tyres are vital to getting the most out of your vehicle. To help you keep them in great shape, here are seven (7) things we bet you didn’t know about tyres:
- Run-flat tyres can drive for a time without air. Run-flat tyres will go around another 100 miles after losing tyre pressure. They are designed to go around 50 miles when driving at 50mph, but if you drive at slower speeds you can get many more miles out of them. BMW cars use the most run-flat tyres of any car manufacturer.
- Used tyres produce a lot of waste. Every year, more than 300 million used tyres destroyed. To help combat this problem, there are recycling programs that melt the tyre down to be used for creating new tyres and other rubber products.
- Most new cars don’t come with a spare tyre. Many vehicle manufacturers, in an attempt to shed some weight, stopped adding spare tyres in new cars. Instead, they sell them with a patch kit and a can of compressed air.
- A tyre is made up of over 200 different materials. Aside from rubber for traction, there are many different agents and compounds used in tyres to keep them running smoothly. Even the rubber tread contains metals such as titanium and cobalt.
- Airless tyres are a definite innovative possibility for the future of cars. Some companies are experimenting with airless tyres on smaller vehicles such as golf carts. These resemble a wheel and look less like than the heavy, black rubber tyre you’re used to seeing.
- Skinny tyres are becoming popular again. With new technology, skinnier tyres are proving more energy efficient than the wider ones we’re used to seeing everywhere. A narrow tread and high outer diameter reduces energy loss by improving the vehicle’s aerodynamics and rolling resistance.
- Because tyres are filled with air, the outside temperature can affect your tyre’s pressure most than you might expect. On average, experts say that for every 10 degrees (Celsius) of temperature shift, your tyre’s pressure can fluctuate by up to 1.5psi. So as the seasons keep changing, be sure to check your tyre pressure.
