When should you increase tyre pressure?
Under normal driving conditions, overinflating your tyres can be dangerous and cause them to wear out more quickly. However, there are certain instances where you may need to increase your tyre pressure such as when carrying heavy loads.
Keep reading to discover how heavy loads can affect your tyres and how much you should increase your tyre pressure.
How do heavy loads impact tyres?
Carrying heavier loads can cause tyres to compress, leading to decreased air volume and lower tyre pressure. As a result, it’s a good idea slightly increase your tyre pressure to accommodate for the extra load.
Examples of when you may need to carry a heavier load include if you have a car full of passengers or carrying lots of heavy luggage. If you fail to increase your tyre pressure during these instances, you run of the risk of rapid deflation or even blowouts.
Correctly inflated tyres are essential for maintaining stability, handling, and fuel efficiency. Both over and underinflated tyres can wear out unevenly and become more prone to damage, so it’s important to ensure you inflate them correctly.
After you’ve unloaded your vehicle, it’s important to make sure your tyre pressure is back to the normal level.
How much should I increase my tyre pressure?
Optimal tyre pressure varies across vehicle makes and models. As a result, you should always check your vehicle handbook for your recommended tyre pressure as this will specify the exact pressure needed for regular driving and when driving with heavy loads. You may also find the right tyre pressure for your vehicle inside the driver’s door or inside the fuel cap.
We recommend checking your tyre pressure when your tyres are cold as this will provide a more accurate reading. When driving long distances, tyres can become hot, so you should leave them for a few hours to allow them to cool before checking the pressure.
It’s a good idea to check your tyre pressure once a month to ensure it’s sufficiently inflated or before any long journeys.
Check out our blog on how to check your tyre pressure for more information.
What happens if I overinflate my tyres?
Overinflated tyres during normal driving conditions can cause a range of serious issues, leading to them to wear out more quickly and resulting in compromised safety on the road. Increasing your tyre pressure too much can impact braking performance, steering, handling, and fuel economy. These impacts can lead to less traction on the road and could cause your tyres to blowout.
As a result, increasing your tyre pressure should only be done in exceptional circumstances, such as carrying heavy loads.
Discover more about the effects of overinflated tyre pressure.
The key thing to remember is that tyre pressure must be correctly inflated to prevent wear and reduced traction. If you’re worried about the state of your tyres, call or book a free tyre check online and one of our friendly technicians will be happy to take a look.
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