Maintaining the correct tyre pressure for your car or driving conditions can save you fuel and it increases the life of your tyres, ensuring safe and efficient braking. It is only that small portion of rubber that connects your car with the road, so correct tyre pressure is important.
Regularly test the tyre pressure of your car, especially before undertaking any long distance travel in your vehicle. Using the air compressor at your local service station is simplest but you can buy a tyre pressure gauge, if you wish.
You can usually find your vehicle’s recommended tyre pressure on the panel at the foot of one of the front doors, in the glove compartment or in the owners manual for your car. You will notice two recommended pressures, one for normal conditions and another for heavy loads.
Most air compressors at your local service station have digital screens that you can set to the pressure required for your tyres. Then it is just a matter of unscrewing the valve protectors and connecting the hose to your tyres. If the machine beeps immediately your tyres are probably fine, just make sure it isn't showing an error. Otherwise, the air compressor will beep at you once the tyre has been inflated to your required pressure. Disconnect the hose, replace the valve protector and repeat on the remaining tyres.
Following this advice will help ensure that the contact area of the tyre is correct for the amount of weight the tyres are carrying (including anything being towed). This can noticeably improve fuel efficiency, handling and braking capability of the vehicle.
