Winter Tyres, Headlights and Car Maintenance Tips

07/10/2018

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Winter tyres, headlights and car tyre maintenance tips for all car owners and what you need to know to get your car ready for winter.

When the weather is about to change to autumn/winter we need to change more than our fashionable outfits to accommodate the cold. Cars like people can change to fit in with the weather. This does come with a few adjustments which all motorists should know about their cars.

Table of Contents

Winter Car Maintenance Tips

Tyres

October through to March you should be using multi-stripe tread pattern winter tyres, not all drivers realise this is relevant for all car types. SUV’s and MPV’s could benefit from specific winter 4wd tyres to ensure safe driving in wetter conditions.

Making regular checks on your tyres will make sure they are performing and safe. It is a small check which could literally save your life. Drivers comparing different tyre brands at tyres.co.uk (or similar websites) can often find options suited for winter performance and varying vehicle types.

Temperature Change

Cold and damp roads can dramatically affect the performance of tyres, leading to an increased accident risk.

Most drivers know that snow and ice can dramatically change their safety on the road and adjust their driving appropriately.

Not all are aware that air temperature is a crucial element in the effectiveness of a car tyre. 7 degrees is that critical digit. When the tyre compounds are below this temperature they harden, therefore providing less grip on the road.

Winter weather tyres tread is made of a different compound tread to summer tyres. To give that extra grip on the roads they are made of more natural rubber and advanced silca compounds. This also helps to prevent the hardening of the tyre. For vehicle owners, ensuring your car is well-prepared for winter conditions—such as having your tyres checked by specialists or scheduling services like Porsche auto repair in Southampton—can make a significant difference in safety and performance.

Motorists and drivers that set off early in the morning or late at night when the temperature drops, are those who need to pay particular attention.

Check for Wear

Tread depth should be checked to ensure it is well above the legal minimum of 1.6mm across the central 3/4 of the tyre, around its entire circumference

This will also allow you to check for any visible damage.

Any bulges, irregularities or scuffs to the tyre wall could be a problem, do not drive with bulges on your tyre.

Did you know you can get new tyres fitted at your own home? This service can save a lot of stress going to garages.

Check tyre pressure

This should be a monthly routine. Also, before any long journeys.

A lot of newer cars have the onboard computer which tells you if the air is needed, I know first hand this isn’t always reliable

Manually checking your tyres at a garage or petrol station is the safest way.

Your vehicle manual will have what pressure your tyres should be.

Here is a car maintenance tips post that you might find helpful.

These are just some checks you can do yourself. You can have some more in-depth checks made at a local garage if you feel you need a second option.

Headlights

Ensuring your headlight bulbs are working is important for visibility.

Some headlights can lose their original shine which can dull the brightness of the bulb as well.

They can become foggy, oxidised or dis-coloured.

Headlight restore, an inexpensive headlight restoration kit, is a great product which brings them back to life.

No tools or additional products are needed. No sanding is needed either, it works instantly. The entire process takes 2 minutes or less.

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