Tire or Tyre?

As we all know, the spelling of some words differ due to American and British English so both Tire and Tyre are respectively right.

A tyre/tire is a rubber covering, placed around a wheel to form a flexible contact with the road.

American rapper, The Game sitting on a tire wrapped around a gold spoked rim/wheel (Nigerian artistes don't seem to have clean enough tyres to sit on)

As large as a car may be, the only thing connecting it to the road is the tyres. The perturbing thing is, just a little part of the tyre makes contact with the road at a time,The Contact Patch.

Tyres are a critically yet largely ignored component of any car. Attention is only paid when it brings our cars to a halt (hopefully only our cars).
This is an avoidable gamble.
For those who are fortunate to own (buy,rent or even steal) brand new cars. The brand new tyres come as default, so for the next couple of months or years they wouldn't need replacing. Noticed I said months?

Lifespan of a tyre
Well that's because there isn't any specific time or period within which tyres must be changed, it all depends on usage. Some people can cover 50,000km in 6 months, others would cover same in 6 years (not forgetting that some of us can't resist the slightest opportunity to burn rubber).

Not saying that tyres die but the rubber starts to degrade some years after its manufacture regardless of whether they have been put to use or not. When this happens, it loses its flexible properties, the treading is more prone to breakage when the powerful forces from hard acceleration,braking,cornering and maneuvering come into play.
In summary,a general nightmare.

                                                           
When should tyres be changed?
It's advisable to change all tyres at once and most importantly,with the same brand.

What difference does it make?
Tyres of different brands and sizes affect efficient braking. This goes without saying, it is incredibly dangerous.
Also, it affects the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)causing car performance to be severely altered.

Maintenance Tips
*Periodically Rotate your Tyres
This is the practice of moving the tyres from one position to another, this allows the tyres wear evenly and saves you money by delaying replacement. (would soon explain how this is done properly because of the pattern and type of tyres)

*Maintain The Right Tyre Pressure
You can check your tyre pressure with a tyre pressure guage

The max pressure a tyre can be inflated to is written on the sidewall. e.g MAX. PRESS. 44PSI

DO NOT TO INFLATE MORE THAN THIS NUMBER! as excessive pressure increases the chances of puncture from all the "stones" used to fill potholes in some parts of our Wonderful Nigeria,although close to or at this pressure decreases tyre wear and gives the driver a better feel of the road as the tyres send majority of the road force to the suspension BUT that could take its toll on the suspension if its not built for performance.

Meanwhile,low tyre pressure reduces fuel efficiency and an increase in tyre wall movement which can be detrimental during an emergency maneuver. On the bright side, when going off-road, the tyre pressure is sometimes lowered resulting in wider contact with the ground and reduces chances of getting bogged down.

Whats the right Tyre Pressure for your Car?
Its written on a sticker on the driver's door on some cars. It's also found in the owner's manual.

More tyre tips and info coming up ....

Thanks for your time