Reviews
Tyres, brakes and heat on Emirates roads
Heat is hardest on the parts you cannot see working. What to check, what to replace, and which common advice is simply wrong.
Updated 30 September 2026
What extreme heat does to rubber
Tyre rubber ages by chemistry as well as by wear, and heat accelerates that chemistry sharply. In a temperate climate a tyre may reach the legal wear limit long before the compound hardens. Here the opposite is common: a tyre with plenty of tread left can have lost much of its flexibility, which shows up as a harsher ride, longer stopping distances on a hot surface, and a greater risk of failure at speed. Road surface temperature on a summer afternoon can be far above air temperature, and a tyre carrying a heavy car is working hard against both.
The practical consequence is that tyres here should be judged by age and condition as much as by tread depth. Many drivers are surprised to be told that a set with usable tread should be replaced, and some assume they are being sold something they do not need. Look at the sidewalls yourself. Fine cracks in the flexible shoulder area, a slightly chalky appearance to the rubber, or a ride that has become noticeably noisier and firmer over the past year are all signs that the compound has hardened.
Pressure, and the myth of letting air out
There is a persistent belief that tyre pressure should be reduced in hot weather because heat raises pressure. It is wrong, and it is dangerous. The manufacturer's recommended pressure is a cold pressure, measured before the car has been driven, and the rise that occurs as the tyre warms is expected and accounted for. An underinflated tyre flexes more in the sidewall, generates a great deal more heat as a result, and is far more likely to fail. If anything, a heavily loaded car on a long summer motorway run should be at the higher of the two pressures listed on the door pillar.
Check pressures cold, first thing in the morning, before the car has been driven more than a few hundred metres, and check them at least monthly. Include the spare, which is the tyre nobody looks at and the one you need in the worst circumstances. Pressure monitoring systems are a help but they are generally set to warn only after a significant loss, which means a tyre can be well below its proper pressure for a long time without triggering anything. A ten-dirham gauge in the door pocket remains one of the best purchases a driver can make.
Age, cracking and the sidewall
Every tyre carries a manufacturing code moulded into the sidewall, a four-digit number in an oval that gives the week and the year of production. You do not need to decode it precisely to use it: ask the fitter to show you the code on the tyres being sold to you, and on the ones coming off. A tyre that has sat in a warehouse for several years before being fitted has already spent part of its useful life ageing. In this climate, tyres should generally be replaced on age well before the tread runs out, and the interval is shorter than in cooler countries.
While you are looking at the sidewall, check for bulges, which indicate that the internal structure has been damaged, usually by a pothole or a kerb. A bulge is a reason to replace the tyre immediately, regardless of tread. Check also that all four tyres are the same type; mixed tyres on the same axle change the way a car behaves under braking in a way that is hard to predict. On a used car, mismatched tyres often indicate an owner who economised elsewhere too.
Brakes in traffic and on long descents
Brakes suffer here in two specific situations. The first is stop-start traffic in high temperatures, where the discs never get a chance to cool properly and the fluid in the calipers is heated repeatedly. The second is a long mountain descent, where sustained braking puts far more energy into the system than any amount of city driving. Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air over time, and moisture lowers its boiling point; fluid that is fine in winter can produce a soft pedal on a hot descent. Replacing it on schedule is cheap and rarely done.
On a test drive, brake firmly once from a reasonable speed on an empty stretch of road and feel for vibration through the pedal or the wheel, which indicates uneven discs. Then use the brakes normally for a while and notice whether the pedal stays at the same height. On a used car, ask when the fluid was last changed and treat a vague answer as a no. Pads and discs are consumable items whose cost should be part of your budget from the start, particularly on a heavy vehicle with large wheels.
Choosing replacements without guesswork
When it is time to replace tyres, three decisions matter. The first is the load and speed rating, which must meet or exceed what the car requires; a heavy vehicle on underrated tyres is a genuine hazard in this heat. The second is the size, and specifically the sidewall height. Many cars are sold with very large wheels and very thin sidewalls because they look striking, but a slightly smaller wheel with a taller sidewall, where the car permits it, gives a noticeably better ride, costs less to replace and survives a kerb strike far better.
The third decision is the pattern. A quiet touring tyre designed for long motorway distances suits the driving most of us actually do here far better than a performance pattern designed for wet grip in a cooler climate. Ask the fitter what the noise rating is, and be sceptical of any recommendation made before they have asked how and where you drive. Fitting all four at once, having the alignment checked afterwards, and keeping the receipt with the date are simple habits that make the next set easier to judge.
What to take away
- Replace tyres on age and condition here, not only on tread depth.
- Never reduce pressure for hot weather; check cold pressures monthly, spare included.
- Change brake fluid on schedule, and prefer a taller sidewall where the car allows it.
Calm reviews from Sharjah
Take the long way home
If you are about to spend a serious sum on a car, or you already have one that has stopped being pleasant in the heat, a conversation costs nothing. Call, describe how and where you drive, and you will get an honest answer even if that answer is that you do not need any help at all.