Driving tests

Why do motorbike tyres wear more on the right hand side?

If you’re in a country that drives on the left, you’ve probably noticed that the right-hand side of your tyres wear more quickly. You’ll notice it more if you have a powerful sports bike and you’re accelerating hard and leaning

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How long should a truck tyre last before it needs to be replaced?

Before we can start to answer the question, we need to look at how tyre wear occurs. Tyre wear is the process by which rubber is worn from the tyre and it reduces the depth of the tyre’s tread. The

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Why do some trucks and trailers have wheels that lift?

What is a retractable axle? Sometimes trucks will have an axle that they can lift up – a retractable axle. If it’s on the tractor unit it’s often called a pusher axle while if it’s on a trailer it’s often

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What are retreads or regrooves and when can you use them?

Retreads or regrooves are tyres which have been used at least once and had new tread or new grooves applied so that they can be used again. They were popular for passenger vehicles a couple of decades ago but fell

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Can you put different sized tyres on your car?

Vehicle tyres have three measurements which are expressed like this: 225/45R17 The first measurement, e.g. 225, is the width of the tyre in millimeters. The second measurement is the sidewall height as a percentage to the overall width (also called

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How to stop a trailer from swinging side-to-side

Trailer sway is when your trailer starts swinging from side-to-side and is out of control. It can happen to any trailer when you are using a tow ball (i.e. a single pivot point) behind the rear wheels of the towing

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Why a quiet car is better for your concentration and driving

When we buy a car we rarely think about cabin noise as being a major consideration in the purchase decision. Unless the car is obviously noisy when we drive it we’re unlikely to think about it. In this article we’ll

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Caring for your tyres

In a car you have four contact patches with the road, each one about the size of your hand. On a motorbike, the contact patches are the size of a credit card and there are only two. In a truck,

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Common mistakes new drivers make, and how to avoid them

Now you’ve got your full licence you’re free to roam this great country and there are thousands of kilometres of spectacular driving to be had. However, you’re still a novice at driving and there will be situations that you won’t

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