17th May 2019
More and more of us are planning of enjoying a staycation in the UK this summer. This means car preperation is vital before you start your journey. We’ve put together this essential holiday season checklist for your car, to help ensure your journey goes smoother and incident free.
Levels: Make sure yours are all tip top
That goes for oil, coolant, water, screenwash and your air levels. Make sure you have enough of each, and check the systems themselves for any signs of blockages or leaks. You should also ensure your battery power level is sufficient, too. The air levels are in reference to…
Making sure your tyre pressures are correct
These will make a huge difference to your driving experience in many ways – from tyre wear to ride quality to fuel consumption and driver safety. All are central to any self-drive holiday or road trip, so make sure yours are right. You’ll find the correct pressures for your vehicle (whether laden or otherwise) either on the inside of the driver door, or the inside of your fuel cap.
Good tyre tread depth is vital
Your tyre tread provides the essential grip you need to safely drive, especially in wet weather conditions. It may be a summer holiday, but we all know from experience that the British weather is prone to downpours – no matter the time of year! Tyre experts, like Merityre and Continental, recommend that you drive on tyres that have at least 3 mm of tread depth. If you don’t, ad drive with less tread depth, you’ll find your grip deteriorates very fast – potentially endangering both you and your passengers.
Make sure you check for the signs of tyre damage
No one wants to sustain a puncture or sidewall blowout, especially when on holiday. Inspect your tyres for any damage before you set off. Keep an eye out for any cuts, nicks, tears, cracks and bulges, as well as for objects that may be lodged in your tyres, such as nails, glass, stones, or other debris.
Fitting self-sealing or runflat tyres offers added driver safety
One way to avoid having to stop because of a puncture is to drive on tyres that have Contiseal™ technology. These automatically self-seal puncture holes (up to 5 mm in diameter) from inside the tyre. This ensures you can continue with your journey, without the need to come to an immediate stop.
Another way is to fit Continental SSRs – their Self Supporting Runflat tyres. If you’re unfortunate enough to sustain a puncture, this tyre (with its extra strong sidewalls) allows you to continue driving for up to another 50 miles, before you need to stop and replace it. This means you can safely continue with your journey and stop at a location of your choice.
One other thing…
Remember, if you’re the kind of person who’s happy to change their own tyre, be sure your car jack and locking wheel nut key are not only in your vehicle, but easily accessible too. Have a great holiday!