Importance Of Keeping Tyres At The Correct Pressure

Keeping tyres inflated to the correct pressure is important for a number of reasons. Safety – Correct tyre inflation is essential for your safety on the road. Excessive heat builds up inside under-inflated tyres making them much more likely to suffer from a dangerous blowout. Equally, vehicle handling, cornering, acceleration and braking are all adversely affected if tyres are not inflated to the correct pressure Fuel economy – when tyres are under-inflated, their rolling resistance increases which means they need more energy or fuel to make them turn. If in any doubt, think about how difficult it is to push along a wheel barrow with a flat tyre compared with one correctly inflated! By ensuring your tyres are properly inflated you will maximise your fuel economy and minimise your CO2 emissions. Calculations from one TyreSafe member found that when tyre are under-inflated by 20% (around 6psi), 3% more fuel is use. Tyre wear – When a tyre is under-inflated, its contact patch with the road surface is concentrated towards the two outer edges of the tread. This leads to rapid wear on the shoulders and reduced tyre life, further increasing your motoring costs. By running tyres at 80% of the recommended pressure, tyre life is reduced to around 75%. If the pressure falls to 60%, then you may achieve as little as 35% of your tyre’s potential mileage.