Car tyres are unsung heroes. They don’t evoke the same kind of excitement as a purring engine nor do they attract attention like gleaming paintwork. But they provide the vital link between the car and the road and affect the car’s overall performance and safety.

With proper care, you can prolong the lifespan of your tyres, and be rewarded with greater safety, better road holding, more comfort and monetary savings. Here’s what you should do regularly:

Monitor air pressure
The right amount of air pressure can make your tyres last longer, save fuel, enhance handling and prevent accidents. The correct air pressure can be found in the vehicle owner's manual or on the tyre sticker attached to the vehicle door edge.

Air pressure should be checked on cold tyres and not when the tyres are warm after a long journey. You can’t check air pressure accurately by looking at the tyre and judging the appearance of the sidewall. Use a small pocket tyre gauge to check air pressure every fortnight or so.

Make sure that the valve caps on the tyres are screwed on securely to prevent air leakage and prevent dirt from entering the valve pin area. Don't forget to check the spare tyre to make sure you can use it when you need it.

Rotate tyres
Rotate tyres to achieve more uniform wear on all four. They should be rotated as recommended in the owner’s manual or at least every 8,000km to 10,000km.

It is especially important for front wheel-drive cars to have the tyres rotated periodically because the front tyres wear out faster than the rear ones.

Tyre tread
The tread wear indicator is a small, raised bar that runs across the grooves of the tyre tread, marking the minimum allowable tread depth. For optimum traction in wet conditions, tyres should be replaced before they reach the minimum tread depth.

Wheel alignment
Wheel alignment is completely different from wheel balancing. Wheel alignment consists of adjusting the angles of the wheels so that they are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other.

Signs that your wheels are out of alignment are uneven or rapid tyre wear and a car that is continuously pulling or drifting away from a straight line.

Keeping your wheels aligned will prevent tyre wear, increase fuel mileage by reducing road friction and improve handling.

Wheel balancing
Wheel balancing, on the other hand, allows the tyres and wheels to spin without causing vibrations. A tyre is out of balance when one section of the tyre is heavier than the others. Out-of-balance tyres cause a car to vibrate at certain speeds, which can lead to premature, irregular tyre wear, as well as unnecessary wear to vehicle suspension.

Tyre balance should be checked at the first sign of vibration. To balance a wheel, the mechanic mounts the car on a balancing machine, which spins the wheel to locate the heavier part. He will then compensate for the heavy part by attaching a lead weight on the opposite side.