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Tyres : How to choose the right tyres for your car?

Tyres : How to choose the right tyres for your car?

Winter tyres, summer tyres, all-season tyres, run-flat tyres or second-hand tyres? How do you select the right tyres for your car?

Tyres are the only contact your car has with the road. An essential item for your safety behind the wheel (and the safety of your passengers), it is important to select carefully and to regularly care for your tyres.
With the huge range of tyres present on the market today, drivers are right to ask some questions before going out and buying them. Florent Perrin and Christophe Bonjean of our technical team share their expertise on the subject and give us some really good advice!

What are the main types of tyres?

Between winter tyres, summer tyres, all-season tyres or all-terrain tyres…the selection is huge. In fact, each type of tyre corresponds to special conditions of use: the characteristics of the rubber change and the tread patterns are different and designed for road conditions based on the season (rain, snow or ice) and the temperature. The markings on the sidewall of your tyre are a guarantee of quality and compliance with precise tyre design technical specifications. These markings help you identify the tyre.

The main tyre types are:

  • Summer tyres: used when the temperature is above 7°C, they offer high performance in terms of grip and safety.
  • Winter tyres: made with softer rubber and a tread design that provides good traction on snow-covered or icy roads. They are identified by a snowflake. The 3PMSF (3-Peak Mountain Snow Flake) marking is a guarantee that this performance is controlled and validated.
  • All-season tyres: carry the M+S (Mud & Snow) marking. These are all-terrain, all-season tyres designed for driving on dry, wet and snow-dusted roads. They are less efficient on snow than real winter tyres. ALD Automotive does not recommend fitting all-season tyres to its drivers.
  • Run-flat tyres: run-flat technology is a puncture-proof option. With reinforced sidewalls, these tyres will allow you to travel up to 100 kilometres at 80 km/h (max.) in the event the tyre experiences a loss of air. However, be aware that only vehicles certified by the manufacturer for use with run-flat tyres should have them.

Where can you find the characteristics and size of your tyres?

Most of the important markings are on the sidewall of the tyre. You can also find some information in your vehicle’s manual or on its certificate of conformity. On the sidewall of the tyre:

  • tyre size;
  • speed and load rating. In winter, you can drive with tyres with a lower speed rating.
  • The date of manufacture: shown after the DOT tyre identification number, it reflects the week and the year. For instance, 3615 means the tyre was manufactured in the 36th week of 2015.
  • the name of manufacturer and the model.

How often should you replace your tyres?

Tyre wear:

Luxembourg law requires a minimum depth of 1.6 mm for the main grooves – this is also the case under French and Belgian law. The law also requires you to fit four tyres of the same type (summer, winter or all-season) on your car. If you are found not to be in compliance during a roadside check, you’ll be fined €145 and 2 points will be deducted from your driver’s license.

However, for reasons of efficiency and performance, we recommend that you replace your winter tyres when the tread depth is less than 4 mm and your regular tyres when the tread depth reaches 3 mm. This is what we do with our vehicles at ALD Automotive.

Maintenance and tyre pressure:

It is strongly recommended to regularly check the air pressure on all your tyres (every month). The correct tyre inflation pressure is indicated on the tyre placard on the driver’s front door jamb or, on some models, on the inside of the fuel door. It is also specified in the manual.

In winter we recommend that you over-inflate your tyres by 10%. Do not exceed. If you have the wrong tyre pressure, your tyres will be subject to abnormal wear and your car will consume more fuel. The wrong tyre pressure increases braking distance and has a negative impact on road handling and your vehicle’s performance in bends in the road.

Since November 2014, all new motor vehicles must be equipped with a TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System) in order to be registered in the European Union. This system notifies the driver of any problems linked to loss of tyre pressure.

How to select your tyres?

What is the right type of tyre for my car?

Selecting a tyre should be guided by a few main criteria:

  • your vehicle model (sedan, utility, 4×4, etc.)
  • your mileage.
  • the season: in Luxembourg, you are required by law to put on winter tyres in winter conditions.

 

Low-cost tyres or top-of-the-line tyres?

You can fit “cheap” (less expensive) tyres but you won’t necessarily get the same performance and grip as you would from a top-of-the-line tyre. In fact, premium tyre manufacturers design their tyres to comply with very complex specifications that meet monitored standards.

ALD Automotive Luxembourg offers premium tyres to its customers (Bridgestone – Pirelli – Continental), and works with approved tyre centres because of the high quality of their services.

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