Flat tyres are one of the most common auto issues experienced by car owners. They can be an absolute nuisance – often leading to breakdowns at inconvenient times and costly tyre replacements.
Most drivers will experience a flat tyre every 30,000 to 50,000 miles. If you’re going through tyres much more quickly than this, you might want to look into some of the potential causes to work out if there is any preventative action you can take. Not all punctures can be prevented, but fortunately many are avoidable with a few routine checks of driving adjustments.
Below we’ll take a look at 7 of the most common causes of punctures and what you may be able to do to minimise them.
7 Common Causes of Punctures
- Potholes
Pesky potholes are a major cause of flat tyres. Your risk of driving over one depends on how well your local roads are maintained – the odd small pothole can be swerved around, but if your local roads look like the surface of the moon, it might be harder to maneuver around them all. Make sure to report potholes to the council and keep following up complaints. Sadly, it’s often the only way to get them fixed! Drive carefully over bad roads to reduce the risk of damage.
- Sharp objects
Nails, rocks, broken glass and other sharp objects can often pierce tyres and lead to slow punctures or blowouts. Avoiding these debris isn’t always possible, but you can reduce the risk of damage by not driving off-road on rocky terrain or by taking caution in areas like industrial areas. Check tyres regularly for embedded objects – if caught early, it may be possible to repair a hole made by a nail rather than having to replace the tyre.
- Kerbs and speed bumps
Driving up kerbs and over speed bumps too fast can often lead to tyre damage. Scraping curbs is particularly known for causing sidewall issues. Take caution when parking and avoid mounting an undropped kerb where possible.
- Overloading
Every car has a recommended weight limit that you should try not to exceed. Going over this can cause wear to the suspension and increase tension on tyres. Quite often, overloaded tyres are less capable of absorbing impact from potholes or speed bumps and they can get hotter when travelling at speed. This leads to a greater risk of blowouts. Avoid weighing your car down with excess equipment and modifications.
- Underinflated tyres
Tyres need to be well inflated in order to retain their shape and not overheat. If you regularly drive on underinflated tyres, you could find that they puncture more regularly. Check your tyres before any long journey to ensure that they have enough pressure. The tyre pressure warning light will usually tell you if they need pumping up, but you can also buy yourself a pressure gauge to see exactly how much air is in your tyres (check this against the recommended tyre pressure on the label on the inside of the driver’s car door).
- Low tread depth
A thick tread helps to provide grip and also provides protection against debris and potholes. If it looks like the tread is very worn and you can barely make out the grooves, it could be time to replace your tyres. Yes, that means splashing out on a new tyre regardless of whether you get a puncture, but it could prevent a breakdown or a dangerous blowout at high speed. This post offers more info on checking tread depth.
- Old tyres
If you rarely drive your car or it’s been parked in a garage for several years, you may think that you’re safe from punctures, but in fact you could be more at risk. Rubber naturally wears over time – most tyres have a lifespan of about 10 years, but some manufacturers recommend replacing them every 6 years just to be safe.
You Can’t Prevent all Punctures
No matter how careful a driver you are and no matter how well you look after your tyres, you may not always be able to prevent a puncture. Sometimes damage and debris on a road is unavoidable. Local climate can also impact the health of your tyres – both very hot and very cold temperatures will speed up tyre wear.
Therefore it’s important to know what to do when a puncture occurs. Most cars have a spare tyre, a jack and a wheel nut remover in the boot. This spare tyre is not designed to be driven on permanently after, but it can allow you to get to a repair centre in your own time without having to call for breakdown assistance. Not sure how to change a tyre? There are many YouTube videos online that you can use to help you.
Don’t have a spare tyre? Or don’t feel confident changing it? Look into mobile tyre fitting near you. Some mobile tyre fitting services are able to attend to 24/7 emergency calls. Just be wary that you may pay more for an emergency fitting that you would if you went to a repair centre or scheduled a call out.
If you’ve got a slow puncture, you can usually fill it up with air and drive to a repair centre yourself. Some cars also have run flats – tyres that you can drive on while flat up to a certain distance, as long as you drive slowly. Just make sure not to underestimate how far away the nearest repair centre is so that you don’t end up causing more damage to the tyre and the wheel itself.
Summary
Punctures can happen for all kinds of reasons. By carefully monitoring road conditions and avoiding/driving slowly over potential dangers, you can often reduce the risk of a puncture. Make sure to also not overload your car, to keep tyres inflated and to periodically inspect the tread depth. Also, avoid driving on tyres that are over 6 years old.
You can’t always avoid a puncture, so make sure you also know how to react when one does occur. This could include knowing where your spare tyre is or having a tyre replacement service you can call upon.
