Remember the 3P rule: proper tyres, professional service, precise pressure
Are you looking for new tyres and don't know how to choose them? Here are some tips to help you make the best decision. The right choice is road safety, better traction, lower fuel consumption and more effective braking. Tyres can save our lives in a difficult road situation. And properly selected, good-quality tyres can shorten the braking distance even from a few to several meters! It is worth remembering the 3P rule regarding tyres: proper tyres, professional service, precise pressure. For more advice, visit http://www.oponymajamoc.pl.
– Sometimes I have the impression that drivers still pay more attention to the color of the car or the cabin equipment than to the choice of good tyres. And new, good quality tyres will be our best friend on the road. It will allow us to better control the car – especially in unusual or difficult conditions, they may even save our lives. So it is worth spending more time choosing them every few years – when we buy new tyres. Tyres are a technically complex product that must meet opposing requirements – such as grip, durability and resistance to aquaplaning. They have many parameters that we can compare and focus on those that are most important to us – read the results of independent tests and talk to experienced service technicians. Thanks to this, we will not only ensure the safety of ourselves and the family, but also use less fuel, and our journeys will be more comfortable – says Piotr Sarnecki, General Director of the Polish Tyre Industry Association (PTIA).
1. Proper tyres
Proper tyres – means unused tyres, at least of good quality, ensuring adequate grip, braking distance and resistance to aquaplaning. Check the symbols and markings on the labels and remember – the tyre warranty is valid from the date of purchase, not production! The most important thing, however, is not to buy used tyres – you never know their history and microdamages. It is not worth risking this for a small savings – after all, the tyres are supposed to serve us for several years.
If you are buying all-season tyres, pay attention to the snowflake symbol against the mountain (alpine symbol). It means winter approval, which all good all-season tyres have – a confirmation that such tyres can be used in winter in countries where winter tyres are required.
Warranty from the date of purchase
Checking the date of production of tyres does not actually serve any purpose, because the best tyre manufacturers provide warranty for passenger tyres from the date of their purchase, not production. Therefore, carefully secure the tyre purchase receipt – so that you can make a complaint if necessary.
– Remember that tyres are not food with an expiry date! Tyres do not lose their qualities from the moment of their production – and manufactured even a few years ago, they are a full-fledged product and retain all their features and quality. Tyres scuff out during usage, not in a warehouse or in a factory – explains Piotr Sarnecki.
To prove that the tyres stored in the warehouse for several years are not worse than the freshly produced ones, PZPO commissioned TÜV SÜD to conduct a comparative test on the track of tyres of the same manufacturer, of the same model and size, and with the same tread compound composition. 2018 and 2020 tyres were tested on the same car. The test proved that tyres that are several years old can brake just as well as those from the last batch. What's more, to raise the bar, Grzegorz Duda, a well-known journalist and radio driver, tested 2020 and 2017 tyres, also with the same composition from the same manufacturer. The results of these tests also showed that even a 3-year-old tyre retains its performance when professionally stored. And only such warehouses have tyre factories and wholesalers. So it is worth buying tyres from a reliable, official sales channel.
The DOT number is used by tyre manufacturers only to identify the production batch. The date of manufacture is part of this code, which also includes the factory, size and model of the tyre. The code was introduced by the US Department of Transportation (hence the abbreviation DOT – Department of Transportation) in order to have an official international marking to identify the tyre – assigning any other meaning or validity to the date of manufacture is simply a mistake.
Do not buy used tyres!
Used tyres represent illusory savings and a very high risk. After all, tyres are to ensure the safety of us and our family for several years. It is not worth risking life and health for a few zlotys a month – because this is how much you can calculate the amount by which we will reduce the cost of tyres compared to the new set. Meanwhile, microdamages in used tyres can have dramatic consequences – especially when driving fast. Therefore, it is better to buy new budget class tyres than a slightly taller second-hand model.
– We will never know the history and microdamages of used tyres – even if they look great "by eye". To be sure, we'd have to x-ray them – and in my entire life, I haven't met anyone who did this. After all, we do not know if the previous owner drove with the correct pressure and how he stored the tyres. Invisible damage can cause us many unwanted problems, and even cause the tyre to burst on the highway at high speed! Let's be honest - there is no safe place to buy used tyres. Their safe exploitation will not be ensured by neither workshops nor internet sellers. The recycling plant is the only place where used tyres should go, and selling them online is a very bad habit that all responsible sellers and drivers should struggle with – underlines Piotr Sarnecki.
2. Precise pressure – check at least once a month!The correct tyres pressure value provided by the car manufacturer is given in the vehicle manual and very often on the inside lower part of the middle left pillar. Pressure should be measured at least once a month, even if the car has the appropriate sensors – while only 40% of drivers declare that they sometimes check its level. Only 2 days of driving with too low pressure is enough, and we will scuff the tyres as if for a week with the correct pressure. If we do not check the pressure, the tyres will live 3 times less! If the tyre pressure is too low, the temperature of the inner layers rises up to two times – and this is a simple way to burst tyres while driving. Tyres under-inflated by 0.5 bar are as much as 3dB louder and extend the braking distance by up to 4 meters!
3. Professional service
After we have already bought our dream tyres, it is only half the battle. You still need to find a service that will not destroy them during assembly. When choosing a service, it is not worth considering only the lowest price. Cheap and fast service can damage tyres or rims. It is worth remembering that the price of the service also includes the replacement and ongoing servicing of machines, as well as supplementary training for mechanics.
– In Poland, there are nearly 12 thousand. tyre services. Unfortunately, the level of service and technical culture varies greatly. Still there are services that torture tyres mercilessly during assembly – guided by the principle that rubber can withstand everything. Unfortunately, not everything. When forcibly mounted on rarely serviced machines, it is very easy to tear the tyre bead. This is the only point of contact between the tyre and the rim, transmitting all engine and braking forces to the tyre. Such a tear – depending on the size – leads to a loss of pressure in the tyre or even to its sliding off while driving. Of course, as customers, we will not notice any tears, because they will be effectively hidden from us by the rim edge ... Therefore, it is worth checking whether your service is sure that you can replace tyres – apeals Piotr Sarnecki.
The Polish Tyre Industry Association together with the independent certification company TÜV SÜD introduced a system of evaluation and certification professional services based on an independent audit of equipment and qualifications of technical personnel. It is worth choosing workshops with a Tyre Certificate of the Polish Tyre Industry Association, which have been audited and thoroughly checked. Safe service is your safety!
More information: https://certyfikatoponiarski.pl/en/
Informational campaign: www.oponymajamoc.pl
Source: Polish Tyre Industry Association