The front wheels drive your Mondeo, steer it, take on most of the lateral forces, and when braking do most of the work of slowing down. As a result, the front tires wear faster than the rear tires. Therefore, regularly check the condition of the tires - and it is best when the car is jacked up.
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PROCEDURE |
- Rotate each wheel fully and, as you do so, carefully remove any stone or other foreign matter with a small screwdriver from the slots in the tire tread. If anywhere on the surface of the tire «settled» a piece of glass or a nail, then the frame in this place may already be damaged. In this case, a specialist must carry out an inspection - even if the air has not yet escaped.
- Pay attention to irregularities such as cuts, cuts, cracks and missing parts of the tread pattern. Moisture easily penetrates through damaged rubber into the tire. However, from the outside it cannot be seen with the naked eye. For more security, you can ask a specialist «enlighten» tires. However, this also applies to the case of severe tire wear.
- The tread pattern in summer tires must have a depth of at least 2 mm over the entire working surface of the tire. You can't go wrong here: the remaining tread depth can be seen in several places at once. Wherever you find letters on the sidewall of the tire «twi» (tread wear indicator, rus. tread wear indicator), there are grooves of the tread pattern across the passing webs of the profile - they have an exact height of 1.6 mm. If these cross bars already constitute «unit» relative to the contact surface, replace such tires immediately. And not only because the legislator prescribes it, but also because the dynamic properties deteriorate significantly with a decrease in the tread depth - and mainly - on wet roads. It is better to replace summer tires already with a residual depth of 2.5 mm with new pneumatic tires. Winter tires already at a size of about 4.5 mm lose their «capabilities».
- Check if all tires around the circumference are worn evenly.
- Carefully inspect the sides of the tire: the presence of dents unmistakably indicates damage to the tire carcass.
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TECHNICAL DICTIONARY |
What can «tell» tire wear pattern
One-sided wear: consequences of incorrect bridge geometry. |
Center tread wear: a consequence of frequent driving in the high speed range and with high air pressure in the tires. |
Wear on outer edges (front tires): fast cornering behavior. Check wheel alignment. Rotate the tires on the rims in the direction of rotation or replace them with rear tires.
Outer edges worn more than the middle: Air pressure too low.
Oblique pattern: Indicates incorrect wheel alignment. This most often occurs when the tires are worn on one side.
Heavy wear in the middle of the tire compared to the outer edges occurs due to frequent driving at maximum speed. Tires «inflate» due to centrifugal force, resulting in more wear in the middle than at the edges. This is especially evident on the rear wheels.
Uniform wear over the entire bearing surface: most likely a defect in the shock absorber (tires «dance» on the road surface).
Wear on both sidewalls of tires (distributed around the perimeter): unmistakable indication of imbalance. The wheels need to be balanced.
Presence of areas with heavy wear: Brake plate. Appears during wheel lock braking only in vehicles without ABS.
Wheel imbalance causes the steering wheel to vibrate or the front of the vehicle to shake. Cause: uneven mass ratios on the wheels. Unbalanced tires wear out faster. Therefore, immediately look for a workshop and balance the wheels of your Mondeo.
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Static imbalance A: already noted when the wheel can swing freely when the vehicle is raised high: the center of gravity is completely «moved» down. A wheel with a static imbalance bounces when driving, the shock absorber wears out faster.
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Dynamic imbalance B: appears at high speeds. «Overweight» is located not in the middle plane of the wheel, but is slightly shifted to the right or outward or inward. When driving fast, the wheel trembles and shakes. |
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PRACTICAL ADVICE |
How to properly store tires
After remounting summer or winter tires, the storage of old tires must be properly organized. For this, a dry, ventilated and dark room is best suited. Keep substances such as gasoline, oil, grease and chemicals away from tires - they will corrode rubber over time. - First, mark the direction of rotation and the location of the tire with an oil pencil from the car first aid kit (PP - front right, PL - front left, ZR - rear right, ZL - rear left).
- Remove the tires, clean them with water and a good amount of dishwasher detergent. Dry well-brushed tires and be sure to also remove foreign objects from the tread grooves.
- Lay tires with rims horizontally, preferably on a wooden pallet.
- Tires without discs just put next to each other. Rotate the tires from time to time.
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