Questions and answers to the Maintenance and car control

The condition of the tire tread has a direct influence on the driving safety and the driver must regularly
check the tires.
The body of the tire consists of carcass plies which are made from special rubber textile. Carcass plies
absorb the air pressure inside and mechanical stress to which the tire is exposed during travel. The upper
part of the tire is called tread and it has a pattern which is important for driving properties of the tire.
It is important to check regularly the air pressure in the tires to maintain the tire tread in good condition
(air pressure influences the wear of the tire tread) and also the driving technique has an influence on the
condition of the tire.
Some causes of the tire tread damage:
• Bad parking on curbs (it can damage the sides of the tire tread and wheel discs which can
lead to tire leak or imbalance of the whole wheel)
• Insufficient tire maintenance (underinflation, steering-system vibrations, dynamic imbalance
of wheels
• Bad operating conditions (bad driving style, e.g. hard stops or acceleration, which leads to
skidding)
• Hitting sharp objects
• Not slowing the car on bumpy road (it can damage the tire tread, leads to tire leak or wheel
disc deformation)
• Overinflation when pumping the tire with an air compressor ( leads to tire bulging and
deformation of the tire casing, tire air and imbalance of the whole wheel)
• Improper storage of the tire, e.g. during winter period (uneven surface, using hard objects to
support the tire casing etc., it leads to tire deformation and its unusability for the car )
• Technical defect on the car (e.g. brake blocking = damage to the tire in one place,
nonfunctional shock absorber = irregular wear of the tire tread, disaligned axle geometry =
irregular tire wear.
Damaged tire casing is demonstrated on the driving properties, e.g. it leads to one side due to
tire leak, when the casing is deformed the car vibrates and its control is hard.