THE focus of tyre safety month, which runs to the end of October, has been the road safety dangers posed by driving a vehicle with under-inflated tyres.
Yet, according to TyreSafe, over inflated tyres can equally cause problems reducing the tyre’s contact patch on the road making a skid more likely. The smaller contact patch, in addition to reducing grip, also makes for a harsher ride as well as handling problems and increased wear rates leading to earlier tyre replacement.
TyreSafe research indicated that almost 75% of the cars on UK roads have tyres that are under-inflated, however, a significant proportion also have at least one tyre that is over-inflated.
TyreSafe is recommending that drivers consult their handbook to check the correct tyre pressures for their vehicle. However, if in doubt, the tyre safety organisation has teamed up with Experian to offer a way of checking the correct tyre pressures. By logging on here and then typing in the registration number of the vehicle, the tyre pressures for that car are displayed. (TyreSafe: October 18).
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