To stay safe on the road your car needs to have the correct tyre pressure. If the tyres are under or over inflated then handling and grip will worsen, potentially causing irregular or unpredictable vehicle behaviour.
The vehicle manufacturers’ handbook contains the correct pressures for your vehicle, as well as it being available inside the fuel filler cap or driver’s door sill. Many tyre retailers will also be able to provide this information. Alternatively, drivers can obtain the correct tyre pressure for their vehicle by visiting our tyre pressure checker and entering their vehicle’s registration details.
Once you know what pressures your tyres should be, which you can check using our calculators, you can then look to measure the tyre’s pressure.
Most modern vehicles come with a TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System), however you can manually measure each tyre’s pressure using either the gauges found at petrol stations or by purchasing an at-home pressure gauge.
We recommend getting your tyre’s pressure examined by a professional should you feel something may be wrong with any of your tyres.
It should also be noted that your tyre’s pressure may need to change depending on whether or not you are pulling a caravan or trailer.
Under inflated tyres are more likely to suffer from excessive flexing and will suffer premature wear on the outside edges of the tyre. The wheel rim and tyre will be more susceptible to impact damage too.
Over inflated tyres result in reduced control of handling and breaking, a reduced area of contact with the road (giving less grip) and accelerated wear on the tread centre. They may also need to be changed more frequently.
The benefits of a properly inflated tyre include improved control of the vehicle, reduced overall running costs, less likelihood of aquaplaning and a longer tyre lifespan.