The air that’s in each of your vehicle’s tyres is what makes up your tyre pressures. You may be surprised but the air pressure and whether it is at the correct PSI can make an astonishing difference to your car in many key areas. Fuel economy, tyre wear, superior handling, reduced braking distances, reduced CO2 emissions and reduced chance of aquaplaning are all elements that are affected by what pressure your tyres are.
All this is of great importance to most drivers, so how do you know that your tyres are at the correct pressure that they should be? This information is generally found in either the vehicle owner’s manual and printed on the ledge inside the driver’s door. Some manufacturers also print tyre pressures on the inside of the vehicle’s petrol cap. Once you have found this information there will generally be an option of normal driving (two passengers) or alternatively driving with a heavy load (a full car of passengers) If you are setting off on holiday and will have all your family in the car and a boot full of luggage it is highly advisable that you check your car tyres are not under-inflated.
The next stage is to check and adjust the tyre pressures accordingly. This is an easy yet essential part of your vehicle’s maintenance. If you have a pump this can be done at home or at most petrol stations. Simply remove the dust cap and fix the pressure gauge on to the valve. The gauge will show numbers as to what the current air pressure is in the tyre and tell you if the tyre is at the correct pressure or if it is under or over inflated. If the tyre requires more pressure simply inflate to the correct pressure, as detailed in your handbook. If the tyre is over-inflated press the valve down to release this a little air and reduce the pressure.
The dangers and implications of not doing this simple check can be huge. Tyre blow outs can be caused by a vehicle whose tyres are not correctly inflated. This happens when the tyre does not have enough air to hold the weight of the vehicle. The sidewalls are therefore compressed which leads them to flex over the normal limits. This causes additional heat which can lead to a tyre blowing out. This can happen whether you are driving on a set of budget tyres or premium tyres and as a driver it is your responsibility to check the pressure of your car tyres on a regular basis. If not you could potentially be putting yourself and other drivers at risk of an accident.