Which type of tyres are on your vehicle?
UK tyre safety charity TyreSafe is urging drivers to get into the habit of carrying out regular checks.
Correct air pressure is essential to ensure safety on the road. If the tyres are under- or over- inflated they have less contact than when they’re properly inflated and can cause handling problems while driving. Incorrect air pressure will also add to the vehicle’s running costs and reduce tyre life.
TyreSafe research shows up to £1billion could be being wasted by motorists in unnecessary fuel bills purely because of underinflated tyres.
TyreSafe is highlighting the message as part of October 2020’s Tyre Safety Month (UK) with an animation called ‘The Good, The Bad and The Underinflated’, which can be viewed at TyreSafe.org or on YouTube. The animation is part of this year’s campaign which asks, “are your tyres ready for ACTion?”.
To correctly inflate a tyre, owners should first check their tyre size. This can be found on the sidewall of each tyre and will be a sequence of numbers and letters such as 195/55 R16. On modern cars, the front and rear size maybe different, and if that is the case both have to be taken into account. The appropriate pressure will be found in a chart in the handbook, fuel filler cap or one of the front door pillars.
An accurate pressure gauge should be used to check each tyre’s pressure and inflated to the correct level. This will need adjusting should the vehicle be driven fully loaded rather than with just a light load.
To help owners, TyreSafe has a new app available through Google Play and the Apple App Store which will help guide them through the process. The app also allows them to store the tyre size and pressure information, and if they allow notifications, they will receive a monthly reminder to check their tyres again.
Stuart Jackson, chair of TyreSafe, said: “Underinflation is arguably the most common tyre defect. That’s frustrating as it’s in everybody’s interest to ensure pressure is set to the right level. Not only are the risks of an incident reduced, owners also reduce motoring costs.
“As we’re all watching our spending at the moment, it makes sense to ensure tyre pressures are right for the vehicle and its load.
“A monthly check is all it takes. So, if you’re heading back on the road, follow the TyreSafe advice and make sure you’re ready for ACTion.”