Do tyres run better under pressure?
You have seen how under and over- inflation can cause accelerated tyre wear. You have also learned how they might affect the safety and performance of your car.

The safest course would be to inflate your tyres to the pressures recommended in your car owner’s manual. But remember, such pressures are specified for cold tyres. That is, tyres that are not hot from running.

However, a little more or less air (about 2 or 3 psi) in your tyres than usual could actually improve their performance.

Why overinflate?
Increasing tyre pressures slightly will improve steering response. But too big of an increase would result in reduced traction and stability.

A little extra air pressure will also give your tyres slightly longer tread life and fuel savings. But gross overinflation will increase tread wear near the centre of the tread.

What about underinflation?
Never leave your tyres below the pressures recommended by your car owner’s manual. They are the absolute minimum.

Generally, though, lower pressures give you a more comfortable ride. And because less air in the tyre results in more tyre area coming into contact with the road, low pressures also provide slightly better traction on straight stretches

At the end of the day, how much air you want in your tyres will depend on the sort of driver you are and the type of car you drive.

Remember, it is impossible to gauge your tyres’ inflation pressures just by looking at them. Always use a proper tyre pressure gauge.

And always take the following precautions:-

Check tyre pressure
a. at least once a fortnight
b. whenever you’ re buying petrol
c. before leaving on a long trip or when your car is under heavy load conditions, and
d. before going long distance.

Never reduce air pressures when the tyres are hot from driving. It’s normal for tyre pressures to go up during driving.

Check the tubeless valves. And make sure they have valve caps to keep out dirt and moisture.

Where a car load increase or sustained high speed driving is required, increase “cold” inflation pressures by 4psi or 28 kPa above the recommended “cold” pressure.

Etch this on your mind: It’s the air, not the tyre, that carries the load.