Inflation Pressure
The tyres on your vehicle are responsible for transmitting all steering, driving and braking forces from your vehicle to the road. Poor inflation pressure maintenance can compromise your vehicle’s performance, and therefore your safety. Regular tyre pressure checks will also minimize the cost of motoring by improving fuel consumption and tyre life.
- Tyre inflation pressures naturally decrease with time as air slowly bleeds slowly through the tyre’s inner liner. For this reason, tyre inflation pressures need to checked and adjusted at regular intervals.
- Correct tyre inflation tyre inflation pressures are essential for optimum tyre grip. Under-inflation (inflation pressures that are lower than recommended), and over-inflation (inflation pressures that are higher than recommended) both compromise tyre grip.
- Correct tyre inflation tyre pressures optimize tyre life.
- Under-inflation increases the rolling resistance of the tyres and therefore, vehicle fuel consumption. Inflation pressure maintenance will minimize vehicle fuel consumption.
- Tyre inflation pressure checks can reveal punctures and other tyre damage that need attention from your Toyo tyre dealer.
- Tyre inflation pressures that are recommended are cold inflation pressures. Inflation pressures need to be checked & adjusted when the tyres are cold, before the vehicle is driven.
- Inflation pressure checks every 2 weeks is considered optimum, every 4 weeks could be considered a maximum interval between inflation pressure checks.
- The vehicle’s tyre placard will include the vehicle manufacturer’s tyre inflation pressure recommendations. On most vehicles the tyre placard can usually be found in the driver’s door jam. On some vehicles the tyre placard may be in the glove-box, under the bonnet or behind the fuel filler flap.
- The vehicle owner’s handbook usually includes the vehicle manufacturer’s tyre inflation pressure recommendations
- Contact the tyre manufacturer for their inflation pressure recommendations.
- Keep in mind that if you have fitted a tyre size to your vehicle that is different from the original equipment tyre size, the tyre recommendations on the vehicle’s tyre placard and in the owners handbook may not be suitable.
Other inflation pressure tips:
Purchase a high quality pressure gauge. This is a one-off purchase that will provide
accurate pressure readings for several years or more.
If your vehicle is heavily laden, higher inflation pressures are recommend compared to when the vehicle is lightly loaded. Don’t rely on the appearance of the tyre to “guess” the pressure, use a gauge. There is only a small difference in the appearance low profile tyres when the inflation pressure is suitable and when the tyre is under-inflated.
Tyre rotations for passenger cars, SUVs and light commercial vehicles.
Regular tyre rotations are recommended to maximize tyre life. Most vehicle manufacturers recommend tyre rotations in the vehicle owner’s handbook and / or as part of regular service.
Tyre rotations are especially important to maximise tyre life on front-wheel-drive vehicles, where tyre wear rates for tyres fitted to the front axle typically have wear rates that are 2 to 2.5 faster compared to the wear rate for the rear tyres.
For most vehicles, tyre rotations are recommended every 10,000 running kilometres, or as per your vehicle owner’s handbook recommendation.
Tyre rotations are also an opportunity for your tyre specialist or motor mechanic to check & adjust tyre inflation pressures, as well as to a chance to inspect the tyres for irregular wear that may indicate that wheel alignment needs adjustment and / or suspension components need careful inspection for wear.
Diagonal rotations are recommended for non-directional and asymmetric tyres, as shown below. This is the preferred method of rotation due to the fact that the passenger’s side front tyre is that fastest wearing tyre on most cars, SUVs and light commercial vehicles. A diagonal rotation will reverse the direction of rotation of the tyres. Reversing the direction of rotation of non-directional or asymmetric tyres will not damage the tyres.
Tyres with directional tread patterns should be rotated from the front to the rear axle only, as shown below. Rotating directional tyres diagonally will reverse the direction of rotation, which should be avoided. Reversing the direction of rotation of directional tyres reduces the tyre’s resistance to aquaplaning.
NON-DIRECTIONAL OR ASYMMETRIC TYRES
DIRECTIONAL TYRES
Balance
You may have noticed the small weights attached to your wheels. These weights are placed on your wheels when tyres are fitted to balance the wheel & tyre assembly and eliminate vibration that may cause ride disturbance as well as ensure optimum tyre performance and wear qualities.
Where your are experiencing ride disturbance due to vibration, contact your Toyo tyre dealer to determine the cause.
Wheel Alignment
Correct wheel alignment is essential for optimum tyre performance and life.
Poor wheel alignment can compromise vehicle handling, tyre life and fuel consumption.
Toyo recommends your vehicles wheel alignment is checked periodically, or whenever tyre irregular wear is evident, whichever comes first.
A wheel alignment can also identify any other vehicle suspension problems that need attention or repairs.
Most Toyo tyre dealers can perform vehicle wheel alignments.
Tyre Inspection
At least once a month, inspect your tyres closely for signs of tyre damage such as cuts or punctures as well as uneven or excessive wear.
When inspecting your tyres, you should also look for any stones, bits of glass, metal, or other foreign objects in the tread or sidewall. These may work deeper into the tyre and cause air loss. If any tyre continually needs more air, have your Toyo Tires dealer check to find out why it is leaking. Damage to the tyre, wheel, or valve may be the problem.
