When we fit your new tyres, they will be inflated to the correct tyre pressure.

Maintaining this tyre pressure will help prolong the life of your tyres, improve the handling and safety of your vehicle, and contribute to maximum fuel economy.

The recommended tyre pressure for your vehicle will be listed in the manufacturers handbook but if this is not to hand why not ask one of our expert tyre technicians who will be happy to help. Once you have the details to hand, make a note and keep this in your glove box.

Air is lost naturally at the rate of approximately two pounds per month so check your tyre pressure at least every 4 weeks. In the summertime when the road temperature rises, the rate of loss increases so you can even check your pressure every two weeks in hot weather.

We don’t recommend the use of portable tyre pressure gauges. It’s a fact your tyre pressure will become lower over time anyway and using small hand gauges can be very tricky; it is easy to deflate your tyre by a couple of pounds when using these gauges so this just compounds the problem.

The pressure in your tyres also changes when the tyres are warm and all manufacturers recommended pressures are based on the pressure in a cold tyre. For this reason, always check your tyre pressure at a petrol station as close to home as possible and “always” before you embark on a long distance trip.

Under inflation and over inflation is equally bad as the diagram at the top of the page shows:

Dangers of under inflation

Causes excess wear on the inside and outside edges of the tyres reducing the life of the tyre by up to 25%. Under inflation even by 6psi can weaken the tyre’s internal structure and eventually lead to tyre failure.

The amount of tyre in contact with the road is reduced so the driver will experience a significant loss of steering precision and overall handling. The tyre will heat up and increase the rolling resistance so fuel economy could be affected by as much as 5%.

Dangers of over inflation

Causes increased wear around the centre area of the tyre. The amount of tyre in contact with the road is reduced so handling can be impaired. The steering can feel very light causing drivers to overcompensate in emergency situations.

Is there any situation when a tyre should have more or less air added?

There is definitely no reason to under inflate your tyres. However, if you are embarking on a long journey with a full compliment of passengers and a boot full of luggage it does make sense to add a couple of pounds to the rear tyres.

Remember to correct the pressure when you get back to base though.