Tyres
Practical tips for taking care of your tyres
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Tyres are the only contact point between you and the road. Failure to take care of your tyres is one of the most dangerous things you can do. Below, we’ve summarised what you need to know and how to stay safe.
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If your contract includes maintenance, we'll replace the tyres if they’re damaged, punctured or below 2mm.
Our booking service is for non-urgent repairs and replacements, for appointments 48 hrs from now.
Simply call your DriverLine number and select the relevant option; we'll then check stock levels for your vehicle within your area and book an appointment for you. Please don't book directly with a tyre fitter.
For urgent requests, please call the Driverline and select the option for 'Tyres' and one of our team members will assist you.
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Top tips
Understand your tyre size & where your locking wheel nuts are
Not all vehicles have the same size or type of tyres fitted. The information you need is on the side of your tyres as the image shows.
A great tip is when you get your vehicle, take a picture of your tyre size. Take a picture of the front and rear tyres as the sizes may differ. This means you always have the details to hand and it saves you needing to look up this information when you need your tyres changed.
Most vehicles are fitted with locking wheel nuts and the fitter will need these to replace the tyre. They are usually in the boot where the spare tyre also is, but it's worth checking that they are there. There isn’t a ‘standard’, so if you don’t have these, it will cause delays and an additional cost when you need your tyres changing.
Check your tyre pressures
Please check tyre pressures when they’re cold at least once a month or before a long journey. You can do this at most petrol stations and it only takes five minutes. You can normally find the right pressure for your tyres on a sticker inside one of your doors (like in the picture).
Many vehicles have a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) which alerts you if your tyre pressure is wrong. Ignoring this warning is dangerous as the tyres can cause blowouts. Over or underinflated tyres need longer braking distances, reduced grip, and they cost you. Underinflated tyres reduce your fuel efficiency and the life of the tyre by up to 25%. You’ll need to reset the TMPS once you’ve inflated the tyres - your vehicle handbook will show you how to do this. The TMPS only checks the pressure in your tyres, not the depth of tread remaining.
Check your tyre tread depth
While you’re checking pressures, it’s a good opportunity to have a look at the tyre’s condition. Legally, you must have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm in a continuous band around the central three quarters of the tyre. To help you judge how much tread you have on your vehicle tyres, manufacturers often mould tread bars at roughly 1.6mm.
At LeasePlan, we change tyres at 2mm as standard, so you should never be on illegal tyres as long as you check them regularly.
Many manufacturers now include a Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) within the grooves of the tyre tread which becomes more visible as the tyre wears down. Whilst these markings are an indicator, always check the tread depth using a tread depth gauge and check your tyres regularly for bulges, wear or other signs of damage. You can also check the tread depth simply by using a 20p coin as the image shows, but if you’re not sure, pop into one of our approved tyre centres and they'll check them for free.
If your contract includes maintenance, we will also authorise replacements when the tyre is damaged or deemed to warrant replacement due to safety reasons. Just call our DriverLine number on 0344 493 7644 and select the relevant option; we'll then check stock levels for your vehicle within your area and get an appointment for you.
FAQs
Run Flat tyres are specially designed to allow you to drive for a short distance with a puncture, even when the tyre is completely flat. This is a temporary, emergency measure allowing the driver to get to a safe place to repair or replace the tyre. Run Flat tyres should not be driven above 30mph and for no longer than 50 miles.
Run Flat tyres are not recommended to be repaired and at LeasePlan we will always replace a damaged run flat tyre.
Usually the markings on your tyre will show if they are run flat tyres but if in doubt call the LeasePlan tyre line and they will be able to advise you.
We know that sometimes a tyre will need changing in an emergency situation such as a puncture where the vehicle is not drivable.
Changing tyres by the side of the road can be very dangerous so if you are going to change your own tyre make sure it is safe to do so and if possible drive to a safe location away from moving traffic.
In these situations, we recommend that you call the LP Assist line and we will send The AA out to help.
They will either change the tyre (if you have a spare) or, during opening hours,they will recover you to the nearest LeasePlan approved tyre fitter to enable your tyre to be replaced.
If a spare is fitted please still call your DriverLine and they will arrange for the damaged tyre to be replaced. This should be done as soon as often the spare tyre may be a ‘space saver or skinny’ tyre that is designed to get you home but not designed for you to drive many miles on.
We recommend checking tyre pressures every fortnight, not forgetting to check to spare as well. This should be done when the tyres are cold, as the pressure in a tyre will increase as it warms up. The pressure settings when the tyres are cold should always correspond to the recommendations given by the vehicle manufacturer or tyre company. You should pay particular attention to any abnormal conditions of use, e.g. full loads, towing a trailer etc. In order to protect the valve and ensure that the tyre pressure is maintained, we recommend fitting a valve cap with an air tight seal.
Driving with tyres at incorrect pressures is dangerous. Under inflation causes heat to build up in the structure of the tyre, which can result in sudden and rapid deflation. This can happen some considerable time after pressures have been corrected.
In addition to maintaining correct tyre pressures, periodic visual checks can prevent problems with your vehicle's tyres:
- Remove any stones or nails that are embedded into the tread, as they can work into the casing and cause damage and possible deflation.
- Oil, fuel or paint can damage the rubber compounds used in tyres. Oil can make the tread rubber swell, reducing the pattern grooves and affecting adhesion. Immediate removal with detergent and plenty of water is recommended.
- Tyre tread wear should be checked regularly. Abnormal wear is often an indication of a mechanical defect on the vehicle, such as incorrect alignment, play in the steering mechanism or high spots on brake drums. In these cases the mechanical parts of the vehicle should be checked as soon as possible.
- Take your vehicle to an expert immediately if you see damage such as a blister, rupture, cut or penetration exposing the casing on the tyre, or if it has suffered a violent impact.
- Speed and driving style: winding roads, rapid acceleration, harsh braking, can all impose undue stresses on the tyre which can reduce the tyre's life (at 120 Km/h a tyre wears out twice as fast as it does at 70Km/h).
- Overloading or under-inflating a tyre by 20% reduces its life by around 26%.
- Shocks: hitting kerbs, driving fast over potholes, large stones and other obstacles can be the cause of tyre damage that is not always immediately apparent.
These are not included as standard and are dependent on your agreement with LeasePlan, so please check your policy.
If you have used the puncture repair kit supplied with your vehicle and need a replacement, you can obtain one from your nearest main dealer. If you have a maintained contract with LeasePlan, we will cover the cost. If not, you will need to purchase this yourself.
If for example the tyre reads 255/40 R20 101V, it would mean the following:
Some vehicles are able to carry greater loads and therefore need a higher inflated tyre pressure reading. Tyres designed for higher loads bear the markings XL (Extra Load) or RF (Reinforced). The tyre load index is the maximum capacity that each individual tyre can carry. It is usually represented in kilograms.
Speed rating refers to the maximum speed a tyre can sustain under its recommended load capacity. These ratings are based on extensive testing carried out by the vehicle manufacturer, and the speed rating should not be exceeded.