Tyre Pressure
All the major car manufacturers recommend that you check your tyre pressures at least once a month, or every 3000 miles whichever comes first, however very few of us actually do this simple task even though it could make a huge difference to the way our car handles and also to the cost of running it.
Tyre pressure is important. Keeping your tyres inflated to the correct pressure will greatly improve the life of your tyres, and make your car safer to drive, and will even improve your fuel economy.
Pressure within your tyres is measured by calculating the amount of air that’s been pumped into the inner lining of your tyres. This is measured in PSI (pounds force), or BAR pressure. All car handbooks will have the details of the recommended pressure levels for your tyres. A lot of petrol stations will have air pumps where you can put extra air into your tyres either freely or for a very small fee. Normally these will also have charts by them so you can look your car up and check the pressure there. Also some cars have the details under the fuel cap as well.
When you do check your tyre pressure, you should do this when the tyres are cold – i.e. when you’ve not driven any real distance, as the pressure increases after the car has been run due to the air within the tyre warming up. Reading your tyre pressure half way through a journey can result in you getting the pressure quite wrong. (Don’t forget to check the spare tyre too!).
If you’re driving with a heavier load than normal – for example when you’re going on holiday perhaps, then you should check your car’s handbook and increase the tyre pressure as the manufacturer recommends. Don’t forget however to reduce the pressure again after you’ve removed the heavy load!