5 Reason Why Correct Tyre Pressure Matters

Tyres in poor condition are like parachutes with holes. Don’t use them! They’re a car’s connection to the road, a connection that amounts to a single palm print per tyre. Braking, accelerating, grip, cornering – all of these things can only be done safely with properly maintained tyres.

Tyre pressure is a huge factor when it comes to the performance of your car. It’s something we too often push to the back of our minds – something that a mechanic will check at the next service – but, in reality, it’s something we as car owners should familiarise ourselves with and check once a month. Here’s five reasons why.

1. Safety first

If a tyre is overinflated, its footprint (the amount of rubber in contact with the road) is reduced. The smaller the footprint, the lesser the grip, and your ability to control the car is greatly reduced, particularly when it comes to breaking. Overinflated tyres are particularly dangerous in the wet.

An underinflated tyre can lead to a similar reduction in control, specifically to do with cornering. Tyres inflated to the correct pressure allow for more precise handling.

2. Fuel economy

If a tyre is underinflated, its footprint is greater. Because it has more contact with the road, there is more friction, which means the engine has to work harder to spin it. An engine working harder consumes more fuel. Ever had to ride a bike with a flat? Not fun.

3. Tyre longevity

If a tyre is over or underinflated, its lifespan is greatly reduced. In the case of the former, the tyre becomes stiff and rigid and suffers more damage when driven over potholes or uneven surfaces.

In the case of the latter, the simple fact that more rubber is in contact with the road leads to faster wear. Also, underinflated tyres generally have greater wear on the outer edges, or shoulders, and need to be replaced with greater frequency.

4. The environment

Great strides are being taken when it comes to recycling tyres, particularly in the area of road surfacing. But the number of old tyres that make it this far is small. Of the approximately 50 million vehicle tyres that reach end-of-life across Australia annually, 16% are recycled. The fate of the remaining 84% is landfill, illegal stockpiling, the bottom of the ocean or quirky patio furniture. The longer your tyres last (in other words, the fewer tyres you go through in your driving life), the better off the environment is.

As indicated above, incorrect tyre pressure leads to higher fuel consumption, and the environment isn’t a huge fan of petroleum products. Extracting them from the earth is energy-intensive, as is shipping them around the globe. Plus, there’s the occasional oil spill. For those electric car drivers sitting back with a smug smile, think again. This isn’t Europe, where the electricity used to power electric cars is generated from renewables or nuclear energy. This is Australia, so your electric car is actually running almost primarily on brown coal. Dirty stuff. The environment isn’t a fan of that either.

5. Tyre inspection

Checking your tyre pressure means you have to crouch down and connect the hose fitting to the valve stem. While your down there, with your face close to the rubber, it’s a great opportunity to give the tyre a good squiz.

Look for wear or damage to the tread or sidewall. Look for small bulges which are the result of impact damage and indicate weakened rubber, and a higher likelihood of a blowout. Also, run your finger along the grooves to look for the treadwear indicator bar, and make sure it’s still sitting snugly beneath the tread of the tyre.

How do you know what the correct type pressure is? Good question. Usually, the recommended pressures for your vehicle’s tyres will be recorded on the driver’s door jamb. The pressure will sometimes differ between the front and rear tyres, so be mindful of that. Otherwise, check the car’s manual, which should always be kept in the glovebox.

Correct tyre pressure isn’t something to be trifled with, so if you’d prefer to have a professional take a look, don’t hesitate to come by anytime at Eastern Tyre Centre.

Nitrogen Can Help

If you’re the type who doesn’t have the time to check tyre pressures often, or not sure how to operate a tyre pressure gauge at the service centre, then you may want to consider inflating your tyres with nitrogen instead of normal air.

The reason is because normal air or rather oxygen molecules are smaller than the nitrogen molecules and so the pressure loss with nitrogen, which has bigger molecules, is much less than normal air. This means that the pressures in the tyres will remain constant over a longer period and so you would not need to top up the pressures as often.

Eastern Tyre Centre can fill your tyres with nitrogen. It take just 20 minutes and the cost is $10 – $15 per tyre.