ABU DHABI // Pay out or blowout: that’s the choice facing many motorists as the mercury rises.
Tyres that are older or slightly sub-standard may be just enough to drive you through the cooler months, but road-safety specialists say the hotter the tar on motorways, the better your wheels must be.
And constant checks on air pressure are crucial.
“Ensure that you maintain the tyre pressures at the correct level for the load on the vehicle,” said Simon Labbett, project director at Omani road-safety agency Sheida. “And regularly examine the tyre for uneven wear and damage to the side wall.”
Marian Ocu, 29, a Romanian who works at an oil and gas company in Al Ruwais, said he regretted not having a closer look at the tyres on a car he bought in March 2013.
“When I first collected the car from the dealer I did not imagine its tyres would be old,” Mr Ocu said. “The wheels were shiny and looked brand new.
“At that time I did not know how to check the date when it was manufactured. After one year I noticed that they were very loud, like something was about to fall from the wheel.”
He was told at his workshop that the tyres were old and had become hard, so he them replaced after 30,000 kilometres.
Motorists should replace their tyres every two years or so, said Glenn Havinoviski, a US transport expert.
“If you’ve had several punctures and repairs during the life of the tyre, I would suggest that the tyre is replaced much earlier,” Mr Havinoviski said.
With 75,000km on the clock, Mr Ocu is about to replace all four tyres again before the real heat kicks in.
“They don’t have cracks and the tread depth is fine,” he said. “I do hear some noise from them. I need to replace them with 2016-made tyres as summer is upon us.”
Drivers should choose carefully and, where possible, buy premium-branded tyres from a reliable distributor, Mr Labbett said.
“It is important to keep to the date of manufacture not the date of sale, as tyres degrade from the date they are manufactured,” he said.
Each tyre has a four-figure date code for the month and year it was made. It is normally found at the end of the long Department of Transport number.
“But remember it’s only on one side of the tyre and that side should be on the outside,” Mr Labbett said.
In most climates, tyres will start to deteriorate after five years, Mr Havinoviski said.
“Usually the rubber compound begins hardening or cracking with age,” he said. “In the UAE, due to the heat, it would be wise to select a tyre manufactured no more than six months earlier.”
When replacing only two tyres, the new ones should be on the rear and the part-worn tyres at the front, Mr Labbett said.
“One must have the vehicle tracking checked since poor wheel alignment can cause premature tyre wear and result in adverse vehicle handling,” he said.
Thomas Edelmann, founder of Road Safety UAE, said: “We see tyre debris on a daily basis, indicating the high volume of tyre bursts and tyre disintegration.
“The climate here is taxing, and the high temperatures take the toll on our cars.”
rruiz@thenational.ae
