A vehicle's contact with the road is through the tyres. If special care is taken of the tyres, they won't just improve the handling of the car but they could increase the fuel efficiency.

Tyres are inflated with air and 85% of the weight of the car is supported by the air pressure and just 15% on the tyres. Therefore, the correct tyre pressure is very important. Other important factors are the manufacturing date, load rating, air pressure range, speed rating and size.

Manufacturing Date:
Most of the tyres manufactured across the world have a DOT marking on it for the date of the manufacture of a tyre. For example if it's the 16th week of 2006, it will written 1604 after DOT. Tyres over five years old should be inspected at a tyre dealer from time to time.

Typical shelf life of tyres is five years.

Load Rating:
The entire weight of the car is taken by the tyres, so the load rating is an important aspect. Load Rating of a tyre is always mentioned on the tyre. The load rating is always greater than the maximum possible weight of the car. Hence, load rating shouldn't be much of an issue for the common man.

Maximum Air Pressure:
Every tyre has its maximum pressure rating. Never ever increase the pressure of the tyre above the maximum rating. If the tyre is underinflated, then the tyre will wear out faster. To know what the optimum pressure for your car is, go through your car manual. There might also be a sticker on either one of the front doors or on the inside of the fuel filler flap that specifies the correct pressures.

Fill air when your tyres are cold as the pressure increases if the tyre is hot. So the gauge won't show the correct pressure. If tyres are unde inflated, the tyre wear is more and more fuel is consumed by the car. If they are overinflated, then the tyre contact patch is less than ideal, offering less grip, compromising safety and more pressure is applied on the tyre sidewalls.

Mixing of different types of tyres:
Mixing of different types of tyres isn't safe. As cross ply tyres have a firmer ride than radials, the ride will be uneven and grip will be compromised.

Spare Wheel:
Always carry a spare tyre in your car.

Valves:
New valves should be used when replacing a tubeless tyre. Whenever the tyre pressure is being inspected, watch for leaks from the valve as well.

Wheels and Rims:
The tyres and rims used should have an exact fit, else both the tyre and rim can get damaged.

Tyre Tread Wears:

Sidewall Wear/ Circular Wear: Sidewall wear happens when the sidewall of the tyre tread comes in contact with the road surface. This generally happen when the tyres are under-inflated or the driver is too aggressive over the corners, due to which the sidewalls tend to bend.