With so many factors to consider when you are looking to buy new tyres, it can be difficult to feel confident that you have made the best choice. Speed Rating, Load Rating, Fuel Economy, Summer Tyres, Winter Tyres, All-season, Asymmetric, Symmetric, Directional...although this vast amount of tyre information available to you could seem overwhelming, it is in fact advantageous when choosing the most suitable tyres for your vehicle.

To help narrow down these factors into the right tyre choice, it would be beneficial to determine your driving style. Your driving style affects the longevity, wear and roadworthiness of your tyres. Are you calm behind the wheel, or slightly erratic? Making a conscious effort to always drive smoothly could prolong the shelf life of your tyres but driving too quickly, hasty cornering and heavy braking will cause abnormal wear and your tyres will need replacing more frequently.

Summer Tyres ensure the maximum safety performance when the temperature is above 7°C, making them ideal from April until September. Their rubber compounds provide good grip and handling on dry and wet roads but only in warm conditions. Winter Tyres have safety features that offer drivers more stability and control on the road, including; additional grooves and sipes that ensure greater resistance to aquaplaning, rubber compounds specifically designed to endure colder conditions and tread patterns that provide enhanced traction in the wet, or the snow.
All-season tyres can be used throughout the year in any weather conditions – these tyres are more suited to calmer drivers.

Homologated tyres are designed specifically for fitment on a particular model of car, a Porsche 911, for example. Developing and supplying homologated tyres for Original Equipment (OE) is a complex process that can take years as these tyres will be designed to ensure that they complement the key features of that type of vehicle.
 

The legal tyre tread depth minimum is 1.6mm and as a driver, it is imperative that your adhere to this requirement. The maximum fine that the police or a court can impose is £2,500 and three penalty points per illegal tyre. This could rise to £5,000 for a goods vehicle or a vehicle that's constructed to carry more than eight passengers. Finally, disqualification from driving is also possible, so why risk it?

Low levels of tyre tread depth will affect the acceleration, cornering and braking of your vehicle, which will create handling problems. The best way to check whether your tyres are legal is the 20p test - find out more here

The 20p test is a quick and easy way to check whether your tyres are legal but it is important to remember to check at least three locations around each tyre as tyres can wear unevenly for a number of reasons, including; aggressive acceleration, emergency braking, under or over-inflation and misaligned wheels. 
 

Protyre offer a range of Free Vehicle Checks across our UK garage network. Free Tyre Checks are available to all of our customers at any of our fast-fit centres.