• Do not use household or other detergents to clean your, i.e. Fairly Liquid.
 
• Rinse off any cleaning solutions before moving onto the next wheel.
 
• Clean with a soft, un-abrasive cloth.
 
• Do not use aluminum wheel polish on chrome, painted, or clear coated wheels.
 
• Do not use tire cleaners.
 
• Clean wheels only when they are cold.
 
• Waxing your wheels can help protect the surface and help make future cleaning easier.
• Never use acid based cleaners on any wheel.

Tyre Advice:    Air Pressure

   
• Tyres can be easily damaged if the correct air pressure is not maintained they lose pressure over time which causes irregular tread wear and shortens tyre life.
   
• Fuel consumption and steering control can also be affected if the tyres are under-inflated or over-inflated.
   
• If the tyres squeal when you go around corners at normal speeds you may have low pressure in one or more of your tyres.
   
• Remember to check your spare tyre regularly.
   
• Tyre pressures for your vehicle can be found in the manufacturers manual or try looking for a plate around the driver or passenger door aperture.
   
• Visually inspect tyres regularly. Also check and adjust pressures only when they are cold. Tyre pressures will rise when they are hot. If possible, check pressures with the same gauges to maintain an accurate measure.
   
• Gauges can be purchased from most good car accessory shops.
 

Tyre Wear Indicator

   
• As the tyres wear there performance and grip decreases you can check the tread depth on the tyre by looking at the tyre bars which are small raised rubber notches that run across the tread design and become visible when tyres are worn. We would advise changing tyres at 3mm tread depth as tyre performance drops off considerably after that depth.
       
  
   
• The minimum legal tread depth for tyres is 1.6mm if the tread depth is level with the wear bar this is a good indication that your tyre needs replacing. Do not wait for the tyres to reach the wear bars if the vehicle begins to feel unsafe. Tyres that are below 1.6mm are illegal. This can lead to a fine of up to £2500 3 pts per tyre. Each tyre is treated as a separate offence
 

When do you need to replace the tyres?

   
• Most standard tyres will last around 15,000 to 20,000 miles although this will vary considerably depending on your driving style, road conditions and the type of road you are using. . Tyres on the driving wheels will wear out faster than non driven ones especially on a front wheel drive car Our Advice is to inspect your tyres regularly and replace at least in pairs at 3mm tread depth or if the car is 4wd to replace all 4 tyres at the same time. All mileages are listed as a guide only.
  
  Penalties      
    
  
• If caught you will be liable for prosecution if any tyre on your vehicle has a defect or is below the minimum tread depth of 1.6mm.
       
  
   
• The penalty for this offence is a fine (maximum £2,500) and 3 penalty points on your license you may also face disqualification from driving. Each tyre on your vehicle is treated as a separate offence.
 

Bolt patterns

   
• Wheels are available with varying bolt patterns, and some have more than one bolt pattern allowing them to be fitted to a wider range of vehicles.
  4 x 100
   
• The number 4 refers to the number of holes in the wheel.
   
• The number 100 refers to the diameter of the circle of boltholes measured in millimeters.
   
• Wheels with 4 or 6 boltholes are measured from the centre of one bolthole to the centre of the bolthole directly opposite.
   
• Wheels with 5 boltholes require special tools for accurate measurement.
 

Wheel Offset

   
• The wheel offset refers to the distance between the mounting surface and the centre of the wheel rim.
   
• Positive offset means the wheel is positioned in front of the centre of the wheel rim this tucks the tire into the wing.
   
• Negative offset means the wheel is positioned behind the centre of the wheel rim this causes the tire to protrude out past the wing. Most modern four or front wheel drive have offsets of 35-50. Whilst older rear wheel drive tend to be 10-20.
     
 

Tyre Sizing

   
• Passenger tyre sizes are typically displayed as: 215/35R18 89ZR
   
• 215 is the width of a tyre measured in millimeters from sidewall to sidewall.
   
• 35 is the aspect ratio of the tyre and is measured using the following method: Divide the tyre section height by the tyre section width and multiply it by 100.
   
• R means the tyre has a radial construction.
   
• B means the tyre has a belted construction.
   
• D means the tyre has a diagonal construction.
   
• 18 is the diameter of the wheel in inches.
   
• 89 is the tyre load index.
   
• ZR is the speed rating.
 

Identifying Driving Noises/Vibrations

 
• The tyre may not be seated correctly on the wheel rim.
 
• If a vibration is felt through the steering wheel at around 50-70 mph the front wheels may require balancing.
 
• If a vibration is felt through the seat at around 50-70 mph the rear wheels may require balancing.
 
• The tyres may have irregularities in the wear pattern.
 
• It is possible that the wheel may be damaged.
 
• It is possible that the tyre has a defect.
 
• If you are unsure about any tyre/wheel problems, always consult a professional tyre fitter for advice.