Tyres are your life

Why are tyres important?

Tyre Pressure

1. Safety

When a tyre is under-inflated, heat builds up inside the tyre, which may eventually lead to a blowout. Tyre failure may cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle, which is particularly dangerous on motorway carriageways.

In the event of a tyre failure, super-single tyres can present the driver with a particular challenge in terms of maintaining control of the vehicle.
Other motorists can be put at risk by any tyre debris left on motorway carriageways/roads.
Fitting a replacement tyre on a motorway hard shoulder is a highly dangerous activity.

Correct tyre maintenance can greatly reduce these risks and provide a safer working environment for drivers and fitters.

 

2. Vehicle handling

The tyre is a complex component of a vehicle that has been engineered to work in harmony with the vehicles sophisticated brake, steering and suspension systems. When a tyre is under-inflated, the tyre contains insufficient air to support the weight of the vehicle properly, which adversely affects acceleration, braking and cornering.

3. Fuel economy

By keeping tyres at their correct pressure, drivers can travel further on each tank of fuel and help to reduce CO2 emissions.

• When tyres are under-inflated, the contact patch with the road surface increases, causing increased drag, which in turn places more load on the engine
• The rolling resistance of an under-inflated tyre increases as it requires more energy to return to its original shape after each contact with the road
• Keeping tyres correctly inflated helps commercial fleets to minimise their cost per kilometre rate, while economising on fuel costs.

4. Premature tyre wear

Keeping tyres inflated to the recommended tyre pressure level for the vehicle ensures even tyre pressure distribution, optimum handling, and consequently a more even wear rate, keeping the tyres in service for longer.

• Driving on under-inflated tyres places excess stress on the tyre shoulders, causing uneven wear towards the outside edge of the tread
• Under-inflated tyres also heat up more quickly than correctly inflated tyres, and in extreme cases can lead to tyre failure
• Over-inflation causes high wear in the centre of the tread.

Tread Depth

Current tread depth legislation requires that truck tyres must have a minimum of 1mm of tread in a continuous band throughout the central three-quarters of the tread width and over the whole circumference of the tyre. The same regulation applies to regrooved tyres. The driver of the vehicle is responsible for making sure his/her tyres are legal and in a roadworthy condition. The penalty for driving with an illegal tyre is 2,500 and three penalty points per tyre.

When driving in wet weather, the tread pattern of the tyre helps to evacuate surface water from the road. As the tread begins to wear down, the tyre gradually loses the ability to evacuate all the water from the road surface, which increases stopping distances in the wet. The lower the tread depth, the greater the risk of aquaplaning.

Wheel Alignment

Incorrect wheel alignment may cause the tyres to scrub against the road surface to a greater degree, increasing wear and rolling resistance. If any of the wheels of a 12-wheel tractor and trailer are not properly aligned, the total drag on the vehicle increases. Misalignment may also cause greater aerodynamic drag when the tractor and trailer are not tracking parallel to the direction of travel.

Regrooving

Any tyre regrooving should take place at around 4mm of remaining tread. After regrooving, the 1mm law still applies. It is also law that the tyre is regrooved in the pattern designated by the tyre manufacturer failure to observe this will render the tyre illegal. If any of the tyres cords are exposed during regrooving, the tyre should be disposed of. [N.B. It is important to consider that budget tyres might not be designed with enough extra rubber to regroove tyres.]

Safe Tyre Disposal

Tyre disposal companies can be hired to remove end-of-life tyres and transport them away for shredding. The Tyre Industry Federation Responsible Recycler Scheme offers one such service to fleet companies. It operates under licence by the Tyre Recovery Association and collector members of the scheme can be located by postcode on the website www.tyrerecover.org. After reprocessing, tyre derived products can then be used for various purposes, such as landfill drainage, coastal defence, road surfacing products and childrens playgrounds.

- See more at: http://www.tyresafe.org/tyre-safety/truck-tyre-safety/safety-information#sthash.6qoWhziQ.dpuf

Extracted from : http://www.tyresafe.org/tyre-safety/truck-tyre-safety/safety-information

Regular Maintenance

Some simple maintenance tips, always ensure you at least check for oil/coolant levels every 3/5/7 days, according to your driving load (the more you drive, the more frequent you check)

Maintaining your vehicle ensures it is safe for you and your passengers, as well as other road users. Regular maintenance also helps your vehicle run more efficiently, thereby reducing smoky emissions with the potential to affect our health and environment. Read on for advice on how to maintain your vehicle.

Parts of your vehicle you should check and maintain

Faults such as worn steering components, defective or bald tyres, spongy brakes or faulty headlights may make a motor vehicle dangerous to the driver, passengers or other road users. It is therefore important to ensure you vehicle is regularly checked, maintained and serviced.

Items that need to be checked regularly include:

• Tyres.
• Structural rust.
• Brakes.
• Lights.
• Steering.

Common indicators of faults

• Tyres – ensure your tread depth is 1.5mm or more, check the tyre pressure is correct, and check for damage to the tyre carcass.
• Brakes – check brake fluid levels are correct and seek an automotive professional's help if your brakes feel spongy, need to be pumped, or pull your vehicle to one side when applied.
• Lights – check that your lights work, do not have cracked lenses and that your headlights are correctly aligned.
• Steering – seek an automotive professional's help if your vehicle wanders, has excessive play in the steering or requires continual correction.
• Coolant, oil and windscreen washers – check your coolant, engine oil and windscreen washing bottle levels are correct, according to the vehicle manufacturer's specifications.

Thank you for the continuous support

Over the years, due to your continuous support, https://www.facebook.com/SG.Dekotora has grown to 3000+ likes.

In the mean time, we would like to wish all our Muslim Friends happy holidays!

We have just recently been to Japan and back, so stay tuned for more Dekotora parts to arrive in Singapore!!!!!

The term dekotora is a Japanese loanword from English that is an abbreviated form of the phrase decoration truck. It is used to describe large trucks that have been customized with elaborate artwork, non-structural attachments, colorful lighting, and other modifications. Dekotora have existed in Japan since at least the 1970s, when a number of movies popularized the previously niche vehicles throughout the country. Any type of large truck can be modified into a dekotora, including tractor units, box trucks, and flatbeds. Similarly decorated vehicles also exist in other countries, such as Haitian tap taps, the rustic buses of Columbia and Ecuador, and jeepneys in the Philippines, though these vehicles are typically used for public transport.

Japan has a long history of elaborately decorated trucks, particularly in the northern parts of the country. Some of this was due to a lack of correct replacement parts that resulted in visually unique vehicles, though custom painting and other modifications were also used. Beginning in 1975, a series of movies featuring these dekotora were released that led to an increased interest in the vehicles. Many television shows, manga, and video games have also featured decoration trucks since then, and popular designs have changed throughout the years.