Getting into the groove

With the monsoon season hitting several regions with large amount of rain, it is important that you inspect the grooves on your tyres before travelling during this holiday season. Those grooves and patterns etched into your tyres play an important role in giving your car traction in wet conditions. Such grooves act as channels to break and disperse the water from the road surface, making way for the tyre to reach the road surface below for grip. Without them, the tyre would simply float on the water devoid of any traction with the road surface below.Click here to read more.

Read rather than feel

The comical way of checking tyre pressures with a swift kick to the sidewall will not tell you if a tyre is underinflated. Instead, it is recommended to carry a good air pressure gauge in your glove box and use it to check your tyre pressures at least every two weeks or before going on long trips.Under inflation is the leading cause of tyre failures as it causes your tyre to wear unevenly and excessively.Do not rely on subjective methods such as feel to tell if your tyre is underinflated.Click here to read more.

The right tyre changes everything

By using the right tyre, motorists can reduce fuel consumption, increase driving safety and enjoy extended tyre tread life. This is presented by the first Michelin global advertising campaign with the slogan - "The right tyre changes everything". In the new worldwide campaign, launched recently in the United States, Michelin aims to illustrate that its tyres deliver benefits such as enhanced braking power, greater longevity and superior fuel efficiency. Click here to read more.

Replacing tyre

When replacing a tyre, you must always choose a tyre that is in the size specificed by your vehicle's manufacturer.Smaller tyres may not be able to support the loaded weight of a vehicle, while attaching larger tyres may affect your vehicle's handling and performance.Also, your speedometer readings will be inaccurate along with your mileage counter.Tyres should always be replaced with the same size designation or the approved options as recommended by the auto or tyre manufacturer.Click here to read more.

Tyre tread wear

Under normal circumstances, tyre tread wear should be even, from one side to the middle and the other side. If you find excessive wear on one side of the tyre, this could be due to camber or toe-in misalignment, which means that your tyres require an alignment correction. However, if the tyre displays excessive wear on the outer edges compared with the inside tread, this means that the tyre is underinflated and you have to check the tyre's air pressure. Each tyre should display even wear if tyres are rotated regularly.Click here to read more.

Tyre service life and ageing

The tyre industry has long recognised consumers' role in the regular care and maintenance of their tyres. The point at which a tyre is replaced is a decision for which the owner of the tyre is responsible. The tyre owner should consider factors to include service conditions, maintenance history, storage conditions, visual inspections and dynamic performance. The consumer should consult a tyre service professional with any questions about tyre service life. . Tyres are designed and built to provide many thousands of miles of excellent service.Click here to read more.

Falken tyres from Indonesia

Stamford tyres sent 18 Falken authorised dealers and staff for a three-day, two-night trip to Jakarta which involved a factory visit to PT Sumi Rubber Indonesia in Cikampek recently.  The trip was part of a dealer incentive progamme carried out by Stamford Tyres (M) Sdn Bhd, local distributor of Falken tyres.PT Sumi Rubber Indonesia was formed in 1995 as a joint venture between the private companies in Japan and Indonesia.In 1997, PT Sumi Rubber opened its factory in Cikampek where it produces three types of Falken tyres - the SN828, ZE322 and ZE522.Click here to read more.

An air of importance

An important aspect of a tyre's performance boils down to something as insubstantial as the gases it is filled with.The amount of gases which fills the inside of the tyre adversely affects your car's response, tyre wear and the surrounding environment.When the air pressure inside your tyres are below the car manufacturer's recommendations, the car's responses will be noticeably sluggish, making it harder to change direction easily.This will affect your car's ability to avoid any hazard on the road.Click here to read more.

Brilliant all-rounder

Tyres play a big part in determining ride comfort, handling, noise vibration and harshness levels.It is a lesson learnt when bolting on a set of Continental ContiPremiumContact-2.The ContiPremiumContact, designed to appeal to the medium and luxury car market, boasts excellent levels of grip and handling in both dry and wet conditions as well as delivering a quieter and smoother ride.It features an innovation which Continental calls the 3-D groove.Click here to read more.

New tyres

New tyres that you put on your car may feel different from the tyres that were replaced. You should drive carefully until you are familiar with the performance and handling. Take special care when braking, acceleration, cornering or driving in rain. These are the times when any differences will be most noticeable.Click here to read more.