Balik kampung tyre checklist: what to check before the drive home

Before you drive home for Hari Raya, Chinese New Year or Deepavali, check your tyre pressures when the tyres are cold, using the loaded figure for a full car. Then check the tread, the date code and the spare or sealant kit, and save the emergency numbers in your phone.

A balik kampung drive can mean a full car, a long highway run and heavy festive traffic. Here is a checklist you can run through the day before you leave.

Check pressures when the tyres are cold

Michelin Malaysia says to check pressure when the tyres are cold, meaning driven under a mile at low speed or parked for at least three hours. Driving heats the tyres and raises the pressure, so a reading taken after a drive will look higher than it really is.

What to do: Check first thing in the morning, before you drive, or at a petrol station very close to home. Use a gauge on all four tyres.

Find the right figure for your car. Michelin Malaysia says the recommended pressure is usually on a sticker in the driver's side door, in the fuel filler flap or in the vehicle manual. The front and rear figures may not be the same.

Use the loaded pressure for a full car

Michelin Malaysia describes a standard pressure and a loaded pressure, to be used when the vehicle is particularly loaded, for example when going on holiday. A car carrying the whole family and a boot full of luggage and gifts is exactly that case.

What to do: Look for the loaded figure on the door sticker or in the manual, and inflate to it, cold, before you leave. When you are back to normal driving, return to the standard figure.

Do not overload the car

Michelin names overloading the vehicle beyond tyre and vehicle ratings as one of the causes of blowouts. Each tyre has a load rating, a code that corresponds to the maximum load a single tyre can carry. Michelin Malaysia adds that your vehicle also has a maximum permissible axle load, separate from the tyre's capacity.

What to do: Check the load limit in your owner's manual. If the car is full of people, think twice about the extra boxes.

Check the tread

Tyres have treadwear indicators, small raised bars in the main grooves. Michelin says that when the tread wears down to these indicators, which are 1.6 mm deep, the tyre has reached its minimum tread depth and should be replaced.

What to do: Look across the whole width of each tyre, not just the middle. If the tread is level with the bars anywhere, replace the tyre before the trip.

Check the age

Tyres age even when the tread looks good. Michelin Malaysia says the manufacturing date is in the last four digits of the DOT code, printed on the sidewall near the rim. The first two digits are the week and the last two are the year, so 4714 means the 47th week of 2014. Its general advice is to replace car tyres after five years, or have an expert check them at least once a year, and not to exceed ten years.

What to do: Read the date code on every tyre, including the spare. Our guide on how to read your tyre size shows where to look.

Look for damage

Michelin says cuts, cracks, bulges or blisters on the sidewall may indicate structural damage, and that sidewall damage cannot be repaired. It also lists impact damage from potholes or road hazards as a cause of blowouts.

What to do: Walk around the car and look at each sidewall. Do not start a long trip on a tyre with a bulge. If you are unsure, have a tyre professional look at it before you go.

Check the spare or sealant kit

Michelin Malaysia says the spare tyre also needs checking regularly, even if it is not used daily. Michelin applies its ten-year limit to spares as well, because spares age whether or not they have been used.

If your car has a sealant kit instead, check the date on the bottle. Kia's owner's manual, as one example, says not to use the sealant after its expiry date, and not to use the kit on sidewall punctures. Check the instructions for your own kit.

What to do: Check the spare's pressure and date code. Make sure the jack, wheel brace and locking wheel nut key are in the car, and that they are not buried under the luggage.

Plan your rest stops

MIROS has advised festive travellers to plan their journeys, expect to spend more time on the road, and rest enough before or during the trip, using the highway rest and service (R&R) areas. Drivers should not force themselves to carry on when tired.

What to do: Use your R&R stops for a quick walk around the car as well. Look for anything stuck in a tyre or a tyre that looks low. Remember the pressure will read higher when the tyres are hot. Michelin Malaysia says pressure rises by about 0.1 bar for every 10°C, and that you should not let air out of hot tyres. Re-check when they are cold.

Know what to do if a tyre bursts

The method is simple. Michelin's advice is to hold the steering wheel firmly with both hands, because a blowout pulls the car towards the failed tyre. Do not slam on the brakes. Ease off gradually, steer towards the shoulder as you slow, and brake gently once the car is slow and running straight.

Once you have stopped, passing traffic is the next danger. Our guide on what to do when a tyre bursts covers each step, including what to do once the car is stopped.

Save the numbers before you leave

• 999 is Malaysia's emergency line. The government portal lists the agencies connected through it, including the Royal Malaysia Police, the Fire and Rescue Department and the Ministry of Health. Use it only for genuine emergencies.
• PLUSLine, 1-800-88-0000, is the number PLUS lists for emergencies on its highways.
• Your insurer's or recovery provider's number. Save it in your phone, along with your policy details.

The government portal says the 999 system locates the caller so help can be sent quickly. On the highway, also note the nearest KM marker so you can say where you are.

A quick checklist

1. Pressures checked cold, at the loaded figure
2. Load within the car's limit
3. Tread above the wear bars across the whole width
4. Date codes read on all tyres, including the spare
5. No cuts, cracks or bulges
6. Spare inflated, or sealant within its date, with the tools in reach
7. Rest stops planned
8. 999, PLUSLine and your recovery number saved

When checks are not enough

Good checks lower the risk of a burst, but debris or a pothole can still damage a well-kept tyre. The Tyron Multiband is a band fitted in the wheel well, under your normal tyre. If a tyre bursts, it keeps the flat tyre on the rim, so you keep your steering and brakes while you pull over, and you can drive a medium distance at reduced speed to a safe stop. It does not prevent punctures or bursts, and it does not replace any of the checks above.

You can read how it works, or get a quote before your next trip home.