Tyres

The durability of car tyres depends on the mileage, the age of the tyres and the storage. As a rule, a car tyre lasts a maximum of ten years. However, many automobile associations recommend that you replace the tyres after eight years at the latest, as the tyre changes its elasticity and grip with increasing age.
You must also replace the tyres if, despite their young age, the tyre tread depth is no longer at least 1.6 millimetres. This regulation is laid down in § 36 paragraph 2 of the StVZO.

The optimum tyre pressure depends on your car model and the load. You will find a table with information on the distribution of tyre pressure either on the door frame on the driver's side or in the owner's manual of the vehicle. If you are transporting several people with luggage, you must also increase the tyre pressure.
For example, an unloaded small car often needs a tyre pressure between 2.0 and 2.3 bar, whereby the front tyres are inflated more than the rear tyres. If you now drive this with a full load, the recommended values range from 2.5 to 2.8 bars and you need to inflate the rear tires more than the front tires.
I recommend that you check the tire pressure at regular intervals to avoid excessive wear or potential running damage. Especially before long journeys, make sure that the tyre pressure is in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.

To ensure that your car tyres last as long as possible, you must observe the following aspects when storing them:
Store the tyres in a dark, dry and cool place.
Increase the tyre pressure by approx. 0.5 bar above the manufacturer's specifications.
Thanks to a rim tree, you can store the tyres with rims horizontally and on top of each other to save space. For tyres without rims, I recommend storing them upright and vertically.
Before storing, check that the tyres still have sufficient tread depth and have not exceeded their maximum age. You can also remove foreign bodies and look for one-sided wear.

Each car tyre has a marking on the sidewall so that you can read the specifications of the tyre. This is illustrated by the following example with the specifications: 195/65 R15 91T.
Tyre width in mm (195)
Height to width ratio in percent (65)
Tyre construction (R)
Rim diameter in inches (15)
Load index (91)
Speed index (T)
In addition, you will find the correct running direction marked with arrows. The M+S designation indicates that the tyres are suitable for slush and snow.
The snowflake with a jagged mountain in the background is only applied to tyres that are suitable as winter tyres and have undergone appropriate tests. Every winter or all-season tyre produced from 2018 onwards must have such a symbol.

The so-called DOT information provides information about the date of manufacture of the tire. The first two digits refer to the production week, while the last two digits indicate the production year.
You will find the DOT information on the outside of the tyre, impregnated just above the rim. Often the four numbers are framed.

Car tyres consist of a variety of different types of rubber, fillers, plasticizers, chemicals and other materials, such as steel. The choice of components later determines the desired driving characteristics of the tire. Rubber makes up the largest part.

When disposing of old tyres, you must comply with legal requirements. For this reason, you are not allowed to dispose of the tyres in your household waste or bulky waste. Therefore, contact a tyre dealer, a car repair shop or a recycling centre in your area.

The tyre market offers different types of tyres for cars, namely summer tyres and winter tyres, but also all season tyres that don't need to be changed every 6 months and special 4x4 tyres for SUVs and offroaders.

Of course, for motorcycles there are special motorcycle tyres and trucks need extra big truck tyres.