Experts specified main mistakes made during tire changing

Replacing summer tires with winter ones doesn’t raise questions for most drivers. However, it is possible to make mistakes even in such a seemingly simple procedure. And some of them can be really dangerous, that’s why if you have already changed tires, check whether everything was correct.

Inappropriate storage 

Inappropriate storage is one of the most common mistakes made in the process of tire changing. There are clear guidelines to follow when it comes to tire and wheel off-season storage. They should be stored in dry, cool and well-ventilated premises. Tires without rims should be placed on the floor, tires with rims should be stacked up or suspended to avoid the contact of the rubber parts with the floor.  

Violation of storage conditions leads to deformation of the rubber and latent defects that finally may cause a tire blow-out when under load. It is very dangerous! Still, even being aware of it, a lot of drivers disregard the rules: they store wheels and tires on the balconies or in unheated barns which is absolutely inappropriate.

Old tires

Attention must be paid to the tires manufacturing date. Not everyone is aware of the fact that automobile tires have a limited service life – 5 years from the date of manufacture. Certainly no one denies that tires can be used for a longer period of time, but in this case, it is the consumer himself who should decide whether further use is possible or not. Usually the condition of the rubber is an indicator.

It is worth to buy “fresh” tires, especially if they are all from the same batch. Sometimes a driver is happy to buy used tires which look seemingly good, but if their service period has long expired, they can be unsafe for further use.

Curved rims

Most car owners have two sets of wheels and rims. In winter, it is quite common to see cars with distorted rims. The drivers justify it by saying that in winter such rims don’t strike the eye because of dirt and snow on the road. However, the use of curved rims can be dangerous as it leads to car unbalance and excessive load on bearings, rod ends and other components of undercarriage and suspension. Lopsided rim can also cause air bleeding in tubeless (vacuum) tires. In such case the tires should be constantly pumped up.

Improperly installed tires

Most types of modern tires have directional thread patterns which means that they work in a certain direction. The direction is marked on the sidewall and shows the direction of wheel travel. Tires as well have a "Rotation" mark on them. The tread can be asymmetrical, in which case the manufacturer provides information on the outside and inside of the tire by marking them "Outside" and "Inside" appropriately.  Improperly installed wheels will lead to the problems with steering and rapid tires wear out. Therefore, it is important to follow the marking. 

Improperly tightened bolts

The bolts should be tightened crosswise with a torque wrench. All the bolt torques are specified in the car operation manual. The most commonly used tool is a 115Nm wrench. Do not overtighten the bolts – it will take you a lot of time to unscrew the wheel.

It is important to know that overtightening of bolt treads may cause the wheel come off. This situation may as well happen in case of undertightening.

 

Wheel unbalance

The wheels require balancing every 10 thousand kilometers of mileage. Those car owners who use the wheel assembly, when forgetting to balance the wheels, put the blame for wheel unbalance on distorted rims and the quality of the rubber. This can be true, still regular balancing considerably improves vehicle steerability, driving is getting more comfortable, while undercarriage and suspension units serve longer.

Incorrect pressure

The wheels (front and rear) are usually pumped up to a standard mark of 2 bar in auto service stations. But, such factors as different tire pressures on the front and rear axles and the car load, play significant part. The correct pressure value is marked on a sticker in the door opening and in the car operating manual. Incorrect tire pressure leads to poor steerability, increased fuel consumption and rapid tire wear out.

Wrong choice of a workshop 

A lot depends on the choice of a workshop. A tire shop must be reputable - drivers always come back to a good one.  The absence of customers should alert as reliable service centers are always packed – an appointment should be made in advance, and to squeeze into the schedule between customers can be problematic.

A tire shop where an auto mechanic doesn’t clean the rim before balancing or fastens the bracketed weight on the alloy wheel instead of sticking it on, should be avoided. If something alerts you during your visit to the service center, don’t waste your time, look for a new one, where your car will be serviced according to the rules