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The essentials

• Tyre size calculator
• Tyre markings
• Alloy wheels: everything you need to know
• Steering wheel vibration: causes and cures
• All about wheel offset (ET)
• All about winter tyres
• Wheel balancing: why, how often and where
• Buying part-worn tyres: step by step

Site pages

• Home
• Tyre size calculator
• About the author
• Search
• Site map

About tyres

• Cross-ply and radial tyres
• What is aquaplaning?
• Running in winter tyres
• Tyre markings
  • Tyre size
  • Speed rating, load index, and tyre season markings again
  • Season markings on tyres
  • Date of manufacture of a tyre
  • Rules for fitting a tyre to a wheel
  • Coloured marks on tyres
  • Retreaded tyres (Retread)
• Run-flat tyres
  • What are run-flat tyres?
  • Run-flat tyres: pressure monitoring
  • Run-flat tyres: repairability
  • Run-flat tyres: strength
  • Run-flat tyres: extra weight
  • Run-flat tyres: characteristics and stiffness
  • Run-flat tyres: road infrastructure
  • Run-flat tyres: the tyre-fitting problem
  • Run-flat tyres: conclusions
• Tread wear
  • How worn is the tyre?
  • Real tread wear on a tyre
  • Uneven tread wear on a tyre

Choosing tyres

• How do you choose tyre width for the season?
• Tyre tests
• Summer tyres
  • Which summer tyre tread should you choose?
  • Summer tyre section width: wider or narrower?
  • What is rubber hardness on the Shore scale?
  • Tyre profile height: what does it affect?
  • When and why do you need rain tyres?
  • High-speed tyres: what are they and who needs them?
• Winter tyres
  • How to choose winter tyres: where to start
  • How does a winter tyre differ from a summer one?
  • Does an off-roader need winter tyres?
  • What is an all-season tyre?
  • Two or four?
  • The same or different?
  • Do you need studs?
  • How to choose winter tyres?
• Winter tyre tread
  • How much does the choice of tread pattern matter?
  • “Off-road” winter tyre
  • High-speed winter tyre, or “European winter”
  • Classic winter tyres
  • Asymmetric tread
• Part-worn tyres
  • Where do people usually buy part-worn tyres?
  • Where do market traders get their part-worn tyres from?
  • Inspecting tyres before you buy them
  • How old is the tyre and how was it stored?

Tyre care

• When should you fit winter tyres?
• Tyre pressure
  • Tyre pressure
  • Low tyre pressure
  • High tyre pressure
  • PSI to bar: tyre pressure
• Tyre storage
  • Tyre storage
  • What are tyres afraid of?
  • Where is the best place to store wheels?
  • Choosing a tyre storage facility
  • How should you store wheels?
• Nitrogen in tyres
  • Inflating wheels with gas
  • Gas in tyres: myths and facts
  • Where do the glowing reviews come from?

Choosing wheels

• How do you choose wheels?
• The differences between expensive and cheap wheels
• Offset, width and diameter of a wheel
• How are alloy wheels made
• Cast alloy wheels
  • How are cast alloy wheels made?
  • How do cast alloy wheels differ from steel ones?
  • How do cast alloy wheels react to potholes?
  • When can you use cast alloy wheels?
• Forged wheels
  • Forged wheels: a privilege of the rich?
  • What are forged wheels?
  • How do you tell forging from casting?
• Replica wheels
  • What are replica wheels?
  • Why are replica wheels so popular?
  • Can you buy replica wheels?

About wheels

• Wheel markings
• Can you use wheel spacers
• Wheel offset (ET)
  • Wheel offset
  • Are deviations in wheel offset acceptable?
  • Why do different trims of the same car use different parts?
  • What forces act on suspension parts?
  • What happens when the offset a wheel was designed for changes?
• Spigot rings
  • Spigot rings for wheels: everything you need to know
  • Why does a wheel need a centre bore?
  • How do you choose spigot rings?
  • Why are there tapered seats on wheel bolts and nuts?

Tyre and wheel service

• How to choose a tyre fitter?
• Beware the impact wrench!
• A cut in the sidewall: repair or scrap?
• Alloy wheel repair
• How often should you balance your wheels?
• Wheel balancing
  • Why are wheels balanced?
  • How accurate does wheel balancing need to be?
  • What kinds of wheel imbalance are there?
  • What level of imbalance is considered normal?
  • What affects the quality of wheel balancing
• Steering wheel vibration
  • Steering wheel vibration: symptoms
  • Steering wheel vibration: causes

Other pages

• How to choose the right tyres and wheels?