Driving with under inflated tyres can seriously affect your car’s handling, safety, and fuel efficiency. This guide explains how to spot low tyre pressure, the common risks of under inflation, and what to do to keep your tyres at their optimum PSI for smoother, safer driving.
There are a variety of moving parts that you need to juggle when it comes to vehicle maintenance – from ensuring that your fuel tank is topped up, to checking that your lights are all working and keeping an eye on the state of your tyres.
When it comes to tyre maintenance in particular, tread depth is often discussed as one of the most easily overlooked but important things to consider. However, this isn’t the only part of the tyre you need to regularly check. Tyre inflation is something else that you need to familiarise yourself with in order to enjoy a smooth, safe driving experience.
Keep reading for more on tyre inflation, what it means to have under inflated tyres, and how to check that your tyres are both efficient and safe to drive on.
What Are Under Inflated Tyres?
Every tyre has an optimum inflation rate, based on the vehicle and its weight, and the style of tyre.
If your tyres are under inflated, there are several things that can happen to your vehicle – but more on this in a moment. First, it’s important to understand what under inflated tyres are and how to measure them.
An under inflated tyre is a tyre with not enough air in it. The tyre is bordering on flat – meaning that there is not enough air in it to keep the vehicle moving safely and efficiently.
How to Measure Tyre Inflation
You can often tell when a tyre is severely under inflated simply by looking at it.
However, the best way of checking and ensuring that your tyres are set to optimum inflation is with a tyre pressure gauge – available at most large petrol stations across the UK.
The gauge works by inserting money or tapping your card, then setting the pressure rating to that which is listed on the inside panel of your vehicle’s driver door. Once you’ve interpreted the chart and correctly set the gauge, you can fix the nozzle to each of the tyres and let the machine automatically inflate (or deflate) the tyres to the correct level.
How to Read the Recommended Pressure Chart
Wondering what we mean when we talk about the tyre pressure rating for your vehicle?
This can be found by opening your vehicle driver door and looking at the panel on the inner sidewall. A chart will provide several different tyre pressure ratings in PSI alongside the specifications for that rating. For example, if you regularly travel with heavy loads then the recommended tyre pressure will be higher than if you usually travel with just one individual and no luggage.
Alternatively, tyre pressure can also form part of a regular service and check at your garage, with mechanics equipped with their own equipment to test and measure tyre pressure.
