You might not realise it, but the wheels of your car can affect your vehicle’s performance in more ways than might immediately be obvious. One factor that is commonly overlooked is how much the wheels weigh. To put it simply, the lighter the wheels are, the sharper and smoother the ride.

This is because the wheels are one easy area for motoring manufacturers to reduce the car’s unsprung weight – the weight of the springs of the car when the car is in motion on rough surfaces. If the wheels, and the car as a whole, weigh less, then the car uses less energy to move and performs better.

In motorsports, manufacturers can use magnesium wheels to make the cars super light. On the road, however, these simply aren’t strong enough to withstand everyday pressures – you don’t get many potholes on F1 racetracks, for example!

Many of today’s road cars, therefore, are equipped with aluminium alloy wheels. This strong, versatile material is still light enough to create a high-performance car, but sturdy enough to withstand expected damage. If you’re a motorist who cares about both the look and performance of their car, you can further enhance your vehicle by purchasing a set of custom alloys that achieve the perfect balance between speed and safety.

It’s also important to remember that, even if your car came with the perfect set of alloys, chips and dents incurred over time will reduce its performance. To ensure that your car is at its true fighting weight, why not contact us to discuss alloy refurbishment, or perhaps treating yourself to a brand new, perfectly balanced set.

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If you see your car as primarily a way to get from A to B, considering your tyre health can be a little bit tedious. When all you want to do is hop in and get to work on time, it can be hard to find a spare second to check whether all’s well with the wheels.

Yet checking your tyres is something you owe it to yourself to do. Research suggests that over 160 road deaths in the UK have been attributed to under inflated car tyres in the past 5 years alone, with the true figure perhaps even higher.

With lives at risk, there’s therefore no excuse not to act if you think your tyres might need to be replaced. To avoid uncertainty and help you make the right decision, we’ve created a handy guide to monitoring your tyres and getting the most from them. If in doubt, however, the best thing to do is always to ask a professional. Our experts are always happy to provide advice, so if you do have any questions or concerns simply pick up the phone (0845 370 8881).

1. Check your tyre pressure.
This is easy to do. Simply use a pressure gauge to check the values of each tyre, and then compare these to the recommended levels found in your manual. If the pressure is low, re-inflate the tyres with an air pump, which can be found at most local garages. Monitor the tyres over the next few days to ensure that no rapid deflation takes place – something that could signal a puncture. Don’t forget that tyre pressure contributes to the car’s handling and your ability to control it, so regular pressure checks are an absolute must.

2. Monitor the tread depth.
Using a tread depth indicator, check whether the level is still compliant with UK law, which stipulates a minimum tyre tread of at least 1.6 millimetres. Tread depth is not only a contributory factor towards gaining traction, but it also is a reliable indicator of the overall strength of the tyre. If your tyre tread gets low, don’t hesitate – get them replaced immediately.

3. Read the instructions.
Yes, we know, it’s a bit like asking for directions, but it is genuinely vital that you know how long your tyres are designed to last for. The manufacturer will have supplied you with guidance as to the tyre’s shelf life, and remember that the general consensus is to replace your tyres at least every six years, with no tyre to ever be left on your car for more than a decade.

4. Take care of the wheels, too.
The wheels can, unsurprisingly, have a great effect on your tyre health. It is therefore important to ensure that your wheels are in good shape and balanced correctly. It’s good practice to get them balanced regularly, to ensure they don’t have a detrimental effect on tyres – whether those are old or new ones.

Following these tips will ensure you’re as protected as you can be from tyre-related accidents, as well as ensure that your car can achieve peak performance. If you’re interested in getting your tyres balanced and finding out more about tyre replacements, call into Diamond Alloys at your convenience. We offer FREE wheel balancing as part of the service with any of our acclaimed alloy refurbishment and tyre replacement services.

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The sun is shining and the forecast is good: we may, fingers crossed, be in for a brilliant summer. This is good news for any motorist who enjoys a drive in the hot sunshine, particularly those of us who prefer to ride on two wheels.

Let’s face it, no matter how much of a bike fanatic you are, it’s far nicer to be on the open road with clear skies and sunshine than it is to be riding through a hailstorm!

We’d also argue that motorbikes also look better in the sunshine, with their shining paintwork, gleaming alloys and suggestion of a hard, fast ride towards adventure. To make the most of your summer on the road, it’s therefore a good idea to get your bike into shape now – you never know when the good weather and the open road might call.

Diamond Alloys can refurbish motorbike alloys as long as they are already removed from the bike. We have the skills to ensure that we can make them look brand new with a great paint job!

We have many loyal motorbike customers who come back year after year to ensure their bikes are spruced up for summer, so why not call us to see what we can do for you? First time customers are usually amazed by what we can offer: check out this feedback from Josh, who came to us looking to get his alloys refurbished:

“I came in the other day with my motorcycle wheels that I needed acid removal and shot blasted. I would like to point out that the job you guys did was brilliant and the wheels came out really good thank you very much.

Also I found your receptionists very polite and when it came to calling me back they did exactly that. As a business your place is very professional fair priced and clean compared to other tyre/alloy companies. I will defiantly be recommending diamond alloys to my friends. Once again many thanks.”

If you want to get your bike ready for the summer sunshine, simply call us today.

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Unless you’ve been on an advanced driving course, chances are that most of your winter driving knowledge has been picked up from tips and a bit of trial and error. There’s nothing wrong with this per se, but it might mean that you’ve been told one of a series of popular driving myths, many of which can actually put you in danger on the road.

Evo Magazine have written a brilliant online article debunking five of the most common myths, which you can read here.

If you don’t have time to read the whole thing, however, we’ve summarised the main points below:

1. Winter tyres aren’t only for snow. It may seem like too much effort to change your tyres, but winter tyres will actually serve you better in temperatures below 7 degrees Celsius – whether or not there’s snow. This is because their softer rubber gives you better purchase on cold roads, and the extra treads offer greater traction.

2. It’s not enough just to have a 4×4. A four wheel drive doesn’t make you immune to bad weather, and in fact they often have longer downhill braking distances in snow and ice because there’s far more weight of car to stop.

3. Under-inflating tyres do not help traction. In fact, this is far more likely to increase the risk of tyre damage. Always check the manufacturer’s guidelines before adjusting your tyres.

4. Illumination is not inspiration. In tricky winter conditions it can be tempting to go to full beam to get the greatest visibility, but you need to remember that this can be dangerous for other drivers – always switch to a lower light setting when a car is coming the other way.

In addition, fog lights should only ever be used when there is fog.

5. Always clear your car of snow. Although it’s tempting just to wipe the snow off the windows, always clear all the snow off the roof. If you don’t, you might find yourself without visibility after braking sharply!

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It’s easy to think that winter tyres are irrelevant for UK drivers, because of our largely temperate climate, but this is far from correct. Winter tyres are in fact the best possible preparation you can have for driving on snow, and can make your two-wheel drive more effective than a 4×4 with summer tyres.

As evo.co.uk explain, ‘winter tyres make snow-covered roads feel like wet roads do on summer tyres’.

To determine which winter tyres you should be using during this cold spell, the website has tested a number of options in a range of conditions including wet, dry and snow. In case you’re worried about the thoroughness of the tests, they were conducted both in chilly Sweden, close to the Arctic Circle, and in the Contidrom in northern Germany. Test cars were the front-drive VW Golf and VW Tiguan.

The winner, based on the tyre which received the highest overall score after both objective and subjective handling tests, was the Continental ContiWinterContact.

Evo.co.uk describe it as ‘responsive, stable and predictable in all scenarios’. In silver medal position was the Michelin Alpin A4, which the website reported handled excellently in the wet and ‘has no real weaknesses’.

Last on the podium was the Dunlop SP Winter Sport, which acquitted itself very well on the snow and in the wet but lost points for general on-road performance.

And the one to avoid? According to the website’s test of 9 tyres, the bottom-scoring contender was the Linglong Winter-Hero Radial 650, which was described as ‘floaty’ in snow, ‘treacherous’ in the wet and ‘sloppy’…in the dry. Lovely…

Do you need some winter tyres for your car? Call Diamond Alloys on 0845 370 8881 or email us direct and we can arrange and fit them for you.

To read the full, and engaging, review for yourself, visit here.

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