Why tire pressure is so important

Maintaining the correct tire pressure increases tire life, improves vehicle safety and optimizes fuel consumption. You probably knew about this before, but it's time to delve deeper into the topic.

Tire pressure is measured by calculating the amount of air inflated inside the tire. For this purpose, two units of measurement are most often used - PSI (pounds per square inch) or BAR (approximately equal to one physical atmosphere).

To find out what pressure we need to maintain in the tires of our car, we need to refer to the operating instructions provided by the manufacturer. If you don't feel like looking into a thick book, look somewhere around the driver's door hinge, where most cars have a recommended pressure sticker.

Otherwise, you risk damaging tires, increasing fuel consumption and getting into an accident. Below we will look at the main cases:

Low pressure

If the tire pressure is not checked regularly, it can drop very quickly. This in itself would lead to uneven tire contact with the road surface, which in turn would lead to excessive wear on the inside and outside of the tire tread. Inadequately inflated tires can also cause an increase in rolling resistance, which increases fuel consumption and leads to increased carbon emissions.

High pressure

Excessively high tire pressure will be just as bad for them as it is for you. In this case, the contact is very small and leads to a loss of traction and an increase in stopping distance. The load is transferred to the center of the tire and is unevenly distributed, resulting in a shorter tire life.

Correct pressure

In most cases, we cannot tell with the naked eye whether the tire pressure has dropped and whether we need to take care of them. The trend shows that the pressure is dropping by about 0,1 BAR per month (2 psi). In summer, when the temperature rises, the tires lose more air, so in the hot season it is recommended to check the pressure in them more often.

There are three places where you can check your vehicle manufacturer's recommendation for the correct tire pressure for the respective model.

• In the machine book
• At the driver's door
• On the inside of the outer tank lid

It should be borne in mind that the recommendations may indicate different pressures in the front and rear tires, as well as depending on the load of the car.