How to maintain your truck tyre?

Author: Rea Setia

Maintaining your tyres regularly will ensure they perform well and last for the life of the vehicle. It's important to check your wheels and tyres regularly for any damage, corrosion, or wear. Even a minor defect in your truck tyre can make your journey bumpier. Here are four quick steps to maintain your truck tyre.

4 quick Steps to maintain your truck tyre1. Check your wheels regularly

As truck drivers, we know how important it is to check your wheels regularly. This habit will prevent you from getting caught in a dangerous situation and keep you safe on the road. It's also important to check your tyres every time you go for a long drive or when there is a change in weather conditions (e.g., rain). Every time before starting a journey, check things like:

  1. Check for damage and bulges on the surface of your tyre.
  2. Ensure that there isn't any uneven wear on either side of each tyre's tread pattern.
2. Find out the correct tyre pressure

Tyre pressure depends on several factors, such as load, speed, and driving conditions. The recommended tyre pressure is usually indicated in your vehicle's manual. If you don't have a manual or aren't sure of its recommendation, ask a professional for help. Once you realize the absolute pressure, follow that and never underinflate or overinflate. As both underinflated and overinflated tyres can cause damage to your vehicle and risk lives. Overinflating a tyre causes it to wear out faster and makes the truck more susceptible to blowouts. Underinflated tyres are also dangerous because they can blow out at any moment when driving on rough terrain or at high speeds.

3. Wheel alignment is the key

Wheel alignment is essential to keep your truck in good condition. It ensures that the wheels are straight and in line with each other. This helps you avoid uneven tyre wear, which can affect the cornering of your heavy truck, as well as fuel efficiency and tyre life.

A wheel alignment will also help maintain safety by ensuring that the steering system remains aligned with the chassis and axle components like shock absorbers and springs. Suppose you have a slightly bent vehicle due to an accident or collision. In that case, getting a wheel alignment done immediately is important to ensure that your heavy truck drives straight again.

4. Use tyre foam to check your tyres

Tyre foam is a simple, effective way to keep an eye on your tyre pressure. You can buy it from any good auto-parts store, and it's easy to use. You only need to squeeze the bottle until the fluid comes out in a stream, then hold it against the tyre wall as you rotate your wheel slowly by hand. The foam will appear through any holes or leaks in the tread within seconds of contact. Repeat with another section of tread if no leaks are visible on this first pass. Once you've finished inspecting each tyre and found no issues, seal up any holes with a patch kit before inflating them again. It'll save you time later down the line!

Apart from the above quick tips, it is also crucial for a truck driver to realize when it is time for a new tyre. If you observe stubborn defects in your light duty commercial truck tyre, you may consider replacing them with new ones. A tyre professional can provide everything you require. You can follow the user manual strictly or visit a professional regularly to avoid mishaps.