Why You Should Take Your Car Tyres Seriously

Investigations into Hollywood actor Paul Walker's fatal car crash revealed that his Porche's 9-year old tyres had contributed to the accident.

The 'Fast and the Furious' actor's Porsche Carrera GT was travelling at around 150 km/ hour when it crashed and burst into flames.

Tyres are often an ignored part of the car. For many, the responsibilities toward the tyres end with regular pressure checks.

"More than 80 per cent of the accidents that happen are attributed to bad tyres," says auto expert Tutu Dhawan.

Tyres are your car's point of contact with the road, so its importance can't possibly be stressed upon enough. From accelerating to braking to manoeuvring, the tyres play a pivotal role.

"Rubber starts deteriorating from day one, from the time of manufacture, even before you've started driving. Even if it looks good from outside, an old tyre may burst as it starts disintegrating from the inside," Mr Dhawan says.

In high performance cars like the Audis and BMWs of the world, the tyres start deteriorating faster than the mass segment cars, he says.

For high-performance cars tyres should be changed after 2-3 years and for mass segment cars after 3-4 years, he adds.

Highway or long-distance driving with old tyres at high-speeds is even more dangerous than inter-city driving. "The tyres won't go flat. With the heat generated at high speed on highways, they would just blow out," he says.

If your tyres are more than five years old then never hit the highway with them, cautions Mr Dhawan, recalling a personal experience where his tyres blew out when "they otherwise looked perfectly fine from the outside".

Of course, wear and tear also depends on kilometres run, weather, terrain and driving style among other factors.