Did you know that the condition of your tyres has an impact on the mechanical components of your 4x4? Fitting unsuitable tyres, or mismanaging their wear could potentially damage your vehicle’s transmission. Find out how to avoid any technical problems.

By Published On: 2 June 2021Categories: Tyre damage and wear246 words1.3 min read
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Do 4×4 cars wear their tyres more?

The advantage of 4x4s (4WD and AWD) is that the engine power can be transmitted to each wheel independently. This means that if one of the wheels starts to slip, the other wheels continue to turn giving the vehicle the traction it requires to keep moving.

For this, 4×4 vehicles are equipped with special transmission components such as differentials and/or a viscous coupling unit. These components can support temporary differences in wheel rotation speeds. But, if they constantly have to manage different rotation speeds, this may cause premature and irreversible wear of certain mechanisms.

This is the case when the tyres on an all-terrain vehicle are not exactly the same size due to uneven wear and as such, constantly turn at slightly different speeds. Although the transmission is able to withstand a slight difference in wear between the two axles, as this difference increases more stress is placed on the transmission and it is likely to suffer.

How to maintain your 4×4 transmission?

To avoid damaging the transmission components of your 4×4, just follow these 2 precautions:

  • Always fit identical tyres on your 4×4: same brand, same model, same sizes and same speed and load indices.
  • Maintain the same level of wear on all 4 tyres and change them at the same time.

To ensure similar wear on all 4 tyres, remember to rotate them regularly, following the rotation guidelines specific to four wheel drive vehicles.

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