Driving in a bustling city like Sydney comes with a range of challenges that can impact not only your vehicle, but also your tyres. Whilst mobile tyre services are available to make the situation of a tyre puncture much less stressful, it’s still worth doing all that you can to prevent tyre damage in the first place.
Let’s take a look at how city driving can take a toll on tyres, and what you can do to maintain your tyres for as long as possible.
The effects of city driving on tyres
Whilst it may seem you spend much of your time idling in traffic in the city, you probably don’t think about the many small driving experiences that incrementally wear down your tyres. Here’s a list of things that can damage your tyres when driving on Sydney roads.
Starting and Stopping in traffic:
When you drive in Sydney city or in surrounding suburbs, you’ll frequently stop and start your vehicle at traffic lights, or when traffic clogs up. Acceleration and deceleration, believe it or not, put stress on your tyres and can lead to early tread wear. Stop-and-go traffic also leads to increased friction on the road, and hence more heat on your tyres, which can wear your tyres down. This is why it’s so important to drive carefully, and to have the right set of tyres for city driving conditions.
Poor Road Surfaces:
A prime factor that leads to accelerated degradation of your tyres is poor road surfaces. Though we are pretty lucky in Australia to have decent roads, we still encounter roads that could be in better condition. These may be roads undergoing improvements, or neglected roads that might not receive maintenance for some time. Regardless, a poorly-maintained road with potholes, rough or uneven surfaces can damage your tyres, and lead to uneven or premature tread wear.
Road Debris and Hazards:
City roads can be littered with debris, sharp objects, and other hazards that pose a threat to your tyres. Broken glass, nails and screws can all end up on our streets or in private driveways, especially after road maintenance or building construction, and it’s easy to damage or puncture your tyres if you drive on these materials.
Traffic Congestion:
Prolonged idling on Sydney’s roads can cause tyres to overheat. Add to it the heat of Sydney’s roads during the summer months, and you have a situation where the structural integrity of your tyres is compromised, leading to the risk of blowouts. Moreover, slow vehicle movement in congested traffic reduces the effectiveness of tyre rotation, causing specific areas to wear down faster than others.
Challenges with Curbs and Parking:
Navigating tight parking spaces in the city, and street curbs, can make protecting your tyres a difficult process. Any impact with the curb or with pillars in parking lots can result in sidewall damage, which again, impacts the structural integrity of your tyres. Additionally, rubbing against curbs when performing parking manoeuvres can cause wheel alignment issues, and misaligned wheels will ultimately impact your tyres by causing uneven wear and tear.
Environmental Factors:
Our city streets aren’t always kind to our tyres. City pollution can prematurely age your tyres. Exposure to unknown chemicals can lead to the cracking of rubber compounds, reducing the flexibility and durability of your tyres.
Mitigating the impacts of city driving on your tyres:
There’s a lot you can do to protect your tyres when driving in the city. Here are some practical tips:
Select the Right Tyres:
As a first step, it’s important to have the right tyres for your vehicle and driving conditions. Some tyres are specially designed for urban environments and feature things like reinforced sidewalls and tread patterns that are optimised for stop-and-go traffic. Taking the time to find out which tyre is most suitable for Sydney roads, the climate, and for the way you drive, is worth doing. Additionally, getting expert help from a service like Jim’s Mobile Tyres, who can quickly let you know which make and model of quality tyres will best fit your needs, can make the job of selecting tyres easy.
Seek Regular Tyre Maintenance:
If there’s an issue with your tyres, it’s best if the problem is identified quickly. Prompt attendance to issues can potentially save your tyres and keep them functioning on your vehicle for longer, which ultimately saves you the expense of tyre replacement.
Regular tyre inspections and maintenance can ensure problems like incorrect wheel alignment, uneven tyre treadwear, incorrect tyre pressure, and objects embedded in your tyres can be addressed before they lead to irreparable damage.
A regular tyre inspection can be made more convenient by using a mobile tyre service like Jim’s Mobile Tyres. Jim’s technicians can check and adjust your tyre pressure, check for issues with wheel alignment, rotate your tyres if necessary, and check for any foreign bodies lodged in your tyre that may cause damage.
Avoid Hazards:
We don’t always get a lot of notice before we cross paths with a road hazard like a pothole or debris, however, if you drive at a cautious speed and focus on the road ahead, you can often avoid obstacles that crop up.
If you see an obstacle ahead, slow down and attempt to drive around it, or else drop your speed to limit potential damage.
Then there are the things that are part of the road landscape, but can also cause damage to your vehicle. If you drive fast over a road hump, for example, or park too close to the curb so that your tyres rub against it, you can experience tyre damage. A little extra time and care can help you avoid these problems.
Maintain Proper Inflation:
Having insufficient or excessive tyre inflation for your vehicle, road conditions and driving circumstances can lead to your tyres wearing unevenly. Certain conditions, such as driving on rough or muddy surfaces, may require you to decrease inflation. High-speed driving, or driving with a load, may require more air than usual.
Your vehicle manufacturer will state ideal tyre pressure for different loads and driving circumstances, and you should adjust accordingly. If you’re unsure about what pressure is best, a tyre expert from Jim’s Mobile Tyres can discuss your driving needs with you and ensure your tyres are at their optimal pressure.
Improve your driving Driving Technique:
Adopting smooth driving techniques that minimise abrupt stops and starts is a wise idea if you care about your vehicle. This not only benefits your tyres but also improves fuel efficiency and reduces overall wear on the vehicle. Take your time on the road, allow plenty of room between you and the vehicle ahead, and be extra vigilant at intersections in case someone else fails to stop. Additionally, taking your time when parking or using a reversing camera can help avoid tyre damage in car parks and against the curb.
To conclude…
City driving presents a unique set of challenges for your vehicle, with tyres being particularly susceptible to the rigours of urban environments. By implementing proactive measures you can enhance safety, extend the lifespan of your tyres, and optimise the overall performance of your vehicle on Sydney’s roads. The more consideration you give to your tyres, the more likely they are to last longer, and this is money in the pocket for you.
For all your tyre needs, contact Jim’s Mobile Tyres. We come to you, so our Sydney mobile tyre repairs services are extra convenient. Whether it’s a tyre pressure check, a new tyre purchase or tyre fitting, a tyre puncture repair or tyre rotation, we can do it all at your chosen location in Sydney. Contact us today and let us help you take the best care of your tyres.
