Tyre Maintenance: Maintaining right tyre pressure

  • Mar 2, 2011
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Maintaining the right tyre pressure is vital for a smooth, efficient and controlled ride. Here are some steps to keeping the correct air pressure in your car tyres

Maintaining right tyre pressure

Keeping a tab on the air pressure is not only good for your car and tyres’ health, if done regularly it helps keeping a check on your monthly fuel costs and expenses on new tyres well in control. Here are the factors that are affected in case of over/under-inflated tyres.



1.    Fuel consumption:

An incorrect tyre pressure may lead to reduced fuel efficiency in case of an under-inflated tyre. This is because the car has to work harder to maintain the same speed due to the higher rolling resistance. Tyres should not be over-inflated either. This will reduce your contact patch with the road, thereby decreasing handling.



2.    Expenses:

Keeping the right air pressure also causes less stress on your pocket owing to improved  fuel efficiency and, hence, more miles for your bucks.



3.    Tyre health:

Not following this practice will also eat more tyre tread as it leads to uneven tread wear. Under-inflated tyres have a higher heat absorption factor causing them to over heat.



4.    Care for trees, please:

Lower fuel consumption, achieved by maintaining the correct tyre pressure, has a direct bearing on CO2 emissions, which are lowered as well.



Bear in mind that there is no visual indication to know whether a tyre has the correct air pressure. So, make it a point to get your tyres checked for air every time you visit a fuel station. Every car has a different air pressure, mentioned in the owner’s manual provided with the car. If going on a long journey, do mention it at the filling point that you are doing so.  As has been wisely said, a rupee saved is a rupee earned.

TIP: It is an excellent idea to have a good calibrated tyre pressure gauge in your car to cross check pressures filled up at fuel pumps and garages. It has been found that majority of the gauges at public outlets are haywire.

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