Tyres will lose pressure over time, so check them on a regular basis. Checking pressure once or twice per month is probably not a bad habit. As pressure is affected by heat the tyre pressure should be measure when cold. The manufacture’s recommended pressure should be given in the owners; manual and may be written on the inside of the Driver’s door.

Wheel balancing and Wheel alignment are often confused: your car needs both.

• Wheel balancing optimizes each wheel in isolation. A perfect wheel would rotate on the exact centre and have its weight evenly distributed; wheel balancing may attach weights to a tyre in order to bring it nearer to optimal performance. This process looks at a wheel’s performance in isolation.

• Wheel alignment looks at how the four wheels work together. Wheels are aligned in accordance with the manufacture’s specifications. This usually means the wheels are parallel to each other, a situation that reduces uneven wear and prevents the vehicle drifting to one side. Vehicles used for rugged terrain or racing may have their wheel aligned is a different manner to well performing road vehicles.

Check the depth of the tread. The minimum to be road worth is 1.6 mm, but performance is compromised as the tread diminishes, especially in wet weather. Also check to see that the tread wear is even; uneven wear means alignment or balancing needs attention.

All four wheels are usually identical. On some cars the front and rear tyres are different, but the tyres on each axle are always identical.

Brake Pads

Brakes can be made to last longer, while maintaining good performance, with good driving technique.

Sudden stops put a lot of stress and wear on brakes. The force involved goes up as the square of the speed, which is high school physics. Double the speed means four times the force, which the brakes have to turn into heat.

Look at places where other drivers develop a pattern of slowing down. If you can predict this you can slow down in advance, giving your brakes an easier time.

Carry less weight if possible. This is usually a small matter, but if the luggage is heavy enough to affect handling it will be putting a bigger strain of you brakes. When the heavy load in inevitable you will have to adjust your driving accordingly.

Replace brake fluid on a regular basis, especially on older cars. Replacement fluid is inexpensive, while old fluid attracts water and corrodes the system’s insides. It is worth replacing the fluid to maintain the vehicles performance.

Never compromise safety; if a situation forces you to stop suddenly, then act accordingly. Extending brake life is commendable, but brake pads are inexpensive compared to other components like transmissions, or crashed vehicles.

Talk to you brake pad suppliers if you have any questions.

For Brake pads Sydney based Icer Oceania has a full brake pads catalogue, including European aftermarket brake pads.

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