How to Prepare Your Car Tyres for a Long Road Trip

Before any long drive — anything over 100 miles, or any motorway journey — take five minutes to check your tyres. Start with pressure. Check all four tyres when cold, before you've driven more than a mile. If you're carrying a full load of passengers and luggage, check whether your manufacturer recommends a higher pressure for loaded conditions (many do — check the door jamb sticker).

Check tread depth in the main grooves and across the width of each tyre. If any tyre is below 3mm, consider replacing it before the trip rather than risking it wearing to the legal limit during the journey. A long motorway drive at sustained speed is hard on tyres.

Walk around the car and look at each tyre. Check for obvious damage — cuts, bulges, or embedded objects. Check the sidewalls for cracking. Make sure the tyres look evenly inflated. If anything looks wrong, investigate before you leave — not in a service station 200 miles from home.

Check your spare tyre too. Whether it's a full-size spare or a space-saver, it needs to be inflated to the correct pressure and in good condition. There's little point in carrying a spare if it's flat or damaged when you actually need it. Some manufacturers specify a higher pressure for spare tyres when they're stored — check yours.

On very long drives, take regular breaks and use them to do a brief visual check of your tyres. Feel the sidewall with the back of your hand — a correctly inflated tyre running normally will be warm but not uncomfortably hot to touch. A very hot tyre can indicate under-inflation or a developing problem.

If you notice any new vibration, pulling to one side, or unusual handling behaviour during the journey, take the next safe opportunity to stop and check your tyres. Don't ignore early warning signs hoping they'll resolve themselves — with tyre issues, they rarely do.