Van Tyre Safety
Van tyres can have a hard life. We know you rely on your van to earn a living; a van off the road is lost income. To avoid losing a day’s wages there are some easy checks you can do. Firstly it is important to regularly check the tyre side walls. Any cuts or splits in the side walls of the tyres can cause punctures or even blow outs. Older van tyres can perish over time as well. You will see tyres that have perished as they will have small cracks in the side wall. Checking the tyre pressures for the load that you are carrying is equally important. If you have are carrying a heavy load then the tyres will need additional pressure to cope with the weight. Tyre blow outs are generally caused by under inflated tyres. Tyres that are under inflated bounce up and down under speed. This causes the tyre to heat up due to the friction. Once the tyre reaches a certain temperature it can blow out or even catch fire!
The main difference between car tyres and van tyres is the load rating. This rating is the weight load the tyre can take as obviously van tyres are expected to take a higher load.
Several manufactures of van tyres have come out with longer lasting and harder wearing tyres. Bridgestone Duravis are specifically designed for hard wearing commercial use. Whilst these are not cheap tyres some people are reporting that they are getting several thousand additional miles of tyre wear from these tyres. With this in mind it might be worth paying the additional money for longevity of these hard wearing tyres!