Fast Fit Express Blog

The law in Great Britain is very specific when it comes to car tyres. It’s such an important part of car maintenance to ensure that all car tyres are in good condition that to drive with defective car tyres carries a high penalty; currently a fine of £2,500 and a 3 penalty point endorsement per defective car tyres (that’s £5,000 and 6 points for 2 defective car tyres, and so on).

Many people are caught out every year for simply not knowing that they are breaking the law in relation to the condition of their car tyres – but ignorance is not an excuse. It won’t stop you from being involved in an accident and it won’t stop you from ending up with a hefty fine and penalty points on your licence. As set out in the Road Traffic Act 1988, as the driver of a vehicle it is your responsibility to make sure that it is roadworthy and you are liable to face legal action if you do not do so.

Worn or ‘bald’ car tyres are called so because the car tyres tread – which helps you to stop quickly in an emergency – has been worn down to an unacceptable level. Sometimes you can tell by looking that a vehicle has ‘bald’ car tyres, but on the other hand, it can be really hard to tell just by sight alone – especially if it’s a close call. However if you are stopped by a police officer and your tyre tread is found to be below the legal limit, which for cars in Europe (including the UK) is 1.6mm, then you will face punishment as laid out in the first paragraph of this article – so it’s really worth your while to check your car tyres regularly and make sure that they are road-worthy and safe.

How to Check Your Car Tyres Tread:

All passenger tyres have little bars moulded into the tread called ‘tread wear indicator bars’. They can be found in the tread grooves, near the bottom and in several locations on the car tyres. If you look for these bars and find that the car tyres is worn so that any of them are now lying flush with the tread ribs, then you need to replace your tyre as soon as you can. If you can’t tell, or want a professional opinion, just go to a repair garage, they’ll be happy to help you out and usually will do it for free.

Under-Inflated Car Tyres:

If there is wear on both edges of the car tyres, this means that it is likely that your car tyres are under inflated. This reduces the life of the car tyres because it wears away the outside edges of the car tyres and plays havoc with the car tyres durability because the edges get too hot. Having under-inflated tyres also makes your car work harder because it increases the rolling resistance and means you use more fuel than you should do. If you check your tyre pressure and all seems fine, then it might be that the vehicle is misaligned – you will need to take it to a garage to get checked out.

Over Inflated Car Tyres:

If there is excessive wear and tear in the centre of the car tyres, this usually means that the car tyres are overinflated as this makes the middle of the car tyres load bearing and therefore runs it down faster than the rest of it. Again, this will reduce the life of your car tyres and can lead to costly replacements, or worse, being involved in a tyre-related accident. Again, it could be a misalignment issue so if the car tyres pressure is ok, get professional advice.

Worn Areas on the Car Tyres Tread:

Sometimes known as scalloping, dipping or cupping, dips in the tread are usually found on the front car tyres, and are a sign that the wheels may not be balanced correctly, or that the steering and suspension systems need to be checked out.

Unbalanced Car Tyres:

Unbalanced car tyres can lead to problems with not only a vehicle’s suspension system and car tyres, but also to the driver as the constant vibration can lead to fatigue. If you feel any vibration while driving, have your tyre balance checked out as soon as you can.

If You Find a Problem:

If you do find a problem with your car tyres – even a puncture, don’t panic! It might be possible to save the car tyresbut you must go to a professional tyre fitter so that they can measure the damage and make sure that it is within the legal guidelines for repairing and replacing car tyres.

Modern car tyres are durable and quite reliable but there are still several things that can go wrong with them – blow outs and tread separating being the most common faults. Driving over a very bumpy or jagged road, or driving over a nail or some glass can give your car tyre a puncture and in some cases cause it to burst or ‘blow out’.

If this happens you might be driving along quite happily when you suddenly start to realise that something is wrong with your car – maybe it starts to pull to the left or right, or you might just feel a significant change in the way it feels on the road surface. The first thing you need to do is check is that all your car tyres are still in one piece.

So do You Know What to do if You Have a Car Tyres Problem?
The first thing you need to remember is to stay calm. Although it can be scary, dealing with a damaged car tyres are easy if you know what to do and use your common sense. Bear in mind that if you find yourself getting a blow-out whilst driving along in the fast lane of the motorway, you not only have to get yourself to a position of safety, but you have to do so while making sure that you don’t put any of your passengers or other road users in danger.

Experts suggest that should you get a blow out or a tread separation while the vehicle is in motion, you should:

• Keep your eyes firmly on the road and both hands on the steering wheel
• Try to keep the steering wheel in a steady position, making only slight movements.
• Turn on your hazard lights to identify that you are having a problem. If you are on the motorway in any lane other than the inside then don’t do this straight away as it may cause impatient people to undercut you and increase the chances of an accident.
• Try and identify where you can bring the vehicle to a stop, outside the main traffic flow – if on a motorway this will be the hard shoulder, or you may need to just pull up in a lay-by or at the side of the road, avoiding any bends.
• Don’t apply the brake but do take your foot off the accelerator and try to coast – slowing down gently (this is because if you have a faulty car tyres, braking heavily can make your car swerve uncontrollably and cause a collision).
• As your car slows down drive into the identified ’safe’ spot taking care not to rush and keeping a close eye on traffic around you. If you have your hazards on then hopefully other road users will realise you have a problem and will allow you to leave the flow of traffic.
• Park up and get yourself and your passengers out of the car, taking care that you do not put yourself or them in danger from passing cars. Move a safe distance away from the car.

Changing the Car Tyres
First of all make sure it’s safe for you to change the car tyres. If you’re on the motorway, call someone out. Hundreds of people are needlessly injured and killed by trying to carry out minor repairs on their cars while parked on the hard shoulder – it’s just not worth the risk. If you can’t get out of the road (maybe because there’s no hard shoulder or lay-by) then put your hazards on and move a safe distance away from the car while you wait for assistance.

• Find the spare wheel, wheel wrench and car jack. Often housed in a special compartment under the floor of the boot (sometimes the tools are inside the wheel) – lift the carpet and you should see them.
• After making sure the handbrake is on, put the car into first gear (manual) or park (automatic). Figure out where your jacking point is (instructions should be in your owner’s manual) and use the jack to lift the car up just above the ground.
• When removing the wheelnuts you might find it easier to take them off in opposing pairs.
• Once they are all out you can take the wheel off –you might need to give it a knock but make sure you don’t move the jack.
• Fit the spare wheel onto the hub, making sure the holes are lined up and put the nuts back in the same way you took them off.
• Once you’ve got the wheel back on, lower the jack and tighten off the wheelnuts. Once you have changed the car tyres, go to a garage ASAP and get the damaged car tyres fixed or replaced.

Following on from Towbar2u’s recent Tips on Towing a trailer, we have put together a few more to help when dealing with steep grades of road and parking.

Firstly when encountering steep grades you will notice different handling characteristics when towing. On a steep downhill grade the trailer can actually push your vehicle. Anticipate this and downshift and let off the acclerator pedal a little. You may have to use your trailer brakes hand control to slow you but do not ride them. Only tap them intermittently to avoid overheating of the brakes and ultimately, brake failure.. When facing a steep upgrade you should start accelerating early if possible. Again, you may have to downshift and keep increasing your acclerator pedal to compensate for the drag on you going uphill. As you reach the crest of the grade start backing off the pedal. A steep grade will test your tow vehicles limits.

Once you have reached your destination you have to find a place to park your “rig”. It’s best to avoid parking on a grade. The more level the parking area is the better. If you have to park on a grade, it is best to chock the wheels. If you have someone to help, have them guide you into the correct spot. You can not always rely on the mirrors as the trailer may block your view. Once you have stopped, keep your foot on the brake, turn your wheels toward the curb (pointed in on a down hill, out on an uphill), apply the parking brake and then shift into, your lowest gear or into park if using an automatic. This method helps avoid locking your transmission due to the extra load.

If you are on even a small grade and you plan to unhitch your trailer, you must apply chocks to the trailers wheels to avoid the trailer from rolling away when uncoupled. Just having the lift down will not make it stable. Jack stands also come in handy to level your load.

We hope that this article has provided you with some useful information to help when towing your trailer, please always remember before towing anything to have a correctly fitted towbar and that it is correct for the type of vehicle/trailer you will be towing. If in any doubt please contact us, our team of experts at towbar2u.com will happily help you choose and fit the correct towbar and get you on your way. Happy Towing!

Witter Towbars have consistently set high standards for attention to detail, high standards of design and overall workmanship which we believe is second to none.

Below is a short movie showing the lengthly process that Witter Towbars follow to ensure there products are the best and most reliable on the market. Here at Towbar2u.com we are very proud to be able to offer Witter Towbar products to our customers.

OK so you have had your towbar fitted (safely and professionally by towbar2u we hope) and have purchased a new trailer and are eager to get started. To help you on your way here at towbar2u.com we have put together a few safety tips to get you on your way.

Handling:
Towing a trailer will greatly change the handling characteristics of your vehicle. A tip is to firstly practice on a quiet secluded road to get used to how your vehicle responds. Try a few forward and reverse maneuvers to get used to how things feel. Remember when turning your vehicle whilst towing a trailer to compensate for a much wider turn, as the trailer wheels will be much closer to the kerb.

Speed:
Remember to drive at moderate speeds when towing a trailer. Leave plenty of time for your journey so you don’t have to hurry for any reason as this will put less strain on your vehicle and towbar and will help in avoiding breakdowns. Driving cautiously and at safe steady speeds will also help to avoid trailer sway.

Braking:
It is better to plan ahead when driving whilst towing a trailer because your braking distance will be greatly increased. To prevent any accidents occurring it is essential to avoid harsh braking and to leave enough space to stop in time. Heavy braking can result in loss of control and could lead to the trailer jack knifing.

Travelling:
Driving over a bumpy road or surface can cause an effect known as floating. The way in which to reduce this from happening is to reduce speed. Problems can also occur when dealing with other traffic and wind conditions for example large vehicles can cause wind shifts as they pass you. Always remember to keep a firm grip on your steering wheel and not to panic, if for any reason whilst towing a trailer it begins to sway, try to decrease your speed gently by using the gears not braking sharply.

Overtaking:
When having to overtake make sure you leave extra distance and never overtake when going uphill. Signal well in advance and start to accelerate earlier and remember your vehicle will need much more time to pass when towing any load. Leave plenty of time to avoid oncoming traffic and and leave plenty of clearance around you before moving back into your lane.

Summery:
These are just a few helpful tips to help you when towing a trailer. Remember to always have your towbar professionally fitted before deciding to tow any trailer or other towed vehicle. Brake steadily, plan ahead and keep your speed steady and safe. Towbar2u.com are confident that keeping to these rules will assure that you can keep towing safely for years to come.

Witter Towbars have used the latest in robotic manufacturing technology for over 25 years. The need for continuous improvement using state of the art production techniques and operating systems requires the perpetual replacement of production hardware. The robots were first introduced over 25 years ago and have been replaced several times. The energy efficiency and capacity of the current robots is no longer viable and as such Witter would like to announce the first set of many new fully automatic robotic weld units.

In July 2009 the first phase of the £1.5M investment programme at there Deeside manufacturing facility was completed. The investment highlighted Witter Towbars’ determination to maintain its UK manufacturing presence and its confidence to continue to develop and grow within the UK and Europe. Thanks to there dedicated team of skilled Manufacturing Engineers the first of two state of the art laser cutting machines was installed, commissioned and ready for production in less than a week.

This investment programme has now continued with apace with the installation of the latest robotic welding units now complete in early 2010. These along with new bending equipment and a second laser and further robotic welders due, will ensure that the Witter Towbars available here at Towbar2u remain safety compliant, competitive and up to date with all there main competitors.

In case you will need to tow any four-wheeled vehicles, the use of efficient and reliable tow bars is extremely necessary. Basically, a tow bar is a device used to pull an automotive vehicle. It is attached at the back of the ride and connected to another vehicle that will be pulling it. Typically, tow bars are used along with other accessories like the cables, and safety chains.

Generally, towbars are available in two different varieties – the rigid and collapsible. The rigid bar has the most basic and affordable design. It features an A-design, and requires the towed vehicle to be fully centered behind the coach since its arms cannot be adjusted. Thus, it will be difficult to connect it to the trailer ball. This type of bar is ideal for frugal buyers who are looking for a practical and economical buy. Rigid bars are lightweight, inexpensive and very reliable.

On the contrary, collapsible or detachable towbars are perfect for those who will be connecting and disconnecting them frequently. They feature self-aligning arms that are very easy to engage, even without the help of another person. In addition, you can just hook them up and drive away with ease since the arm will extend by itself, self-center, and then lock for safe towing. This type of bar is very convenient for people who are always on the road.

Since tow bar fittings are sold in a wide range of specifications and configurations, it is highly important that you choose the one that perfectly matches your needs. First and foremost, you have to determine the main use of the bar. Will it be for towing a big caravan or just a small trailer to move some items?

After you have decided on what type of tow bar to purchase, you can now easily select the right towbar wiring kit to be used. Wiring kits are readily available at Towbar2u. They are sold in a vast array of types, lengths, and varieties. For further information please contact us.

Also make sure to only purchase from trusted brand names like the witter and brink towbars. Both of these are well-known tow bar manufacturers that have consistently set the standard for quality, reliability, and value for money.

If all of this seems a bit daunting please contact Towbar2u’s professional fitters by visiting our website and filling in the contact form. Alternatively you could fill in our quotation form and we can give you an estimate via email. Here at Towbar2u we are confident that we have the right make and model for your vehicle, so why not let us take the hassle out of fitting your towbar.

Successor to the award winning EuroWay, the City Crash-tested and TÜV-GS-approved EuroWay G2 carrier includes 11 new and improved functions and features which are sure to make it a big success. To begin with, the EuroWay G2 is extremely light-weight (13kg) and comes with an ergonomic and universal coupling system, which makes tightening the carrier onto any towbar extremely simple. The all-new patented pump buckles mean that fastening the bike’s wheels to the carrier has never been more straightforward, and there is now a foot-operated wide-tilt function enabling convenient access to the car boot even when bikes are secured into place.

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