Nearly 7 in 10 cars are driving on under-inflated tyres
Over two-thirds of cars are driving on under-inflated tyres, according to a new survey which suggests British motorists are still neglecting their tyres.
Kwik-Fit checked over 2,700 tyres last month and discovered that 69% of them were at least 3psi under the manufacturer’s recommendation. The average tyre was deflated by 5.75psi.
A measly 4% of motorists were driving on tyres that were pumped to the recommended pressure while 1 in 7 tyres were over-inflated by at least 3psi.
Besides using more fuel than necessary, motorists also risk damaging their vehicles with improperly pumped tyres, said Ian Fraser, chief executive of Kwik Fit.
Blow-out
“Under-inflated tyres not only hit hard pressed motorists in the wallet but can be extremely dangerous, potentially leading to a blow-out,” commented Ian.
“With research showing that many service station tyre gauges are inaccurate, motorists may well feel safer coming to Kwik Fit where their tyre pressure can be checked using calibrated pressure gauges for free by a tyre expert.
“If your tyre won’t hold its pressure, there could be a slow leak in the valve or a puncture; these problems are mostly cheap and easy to fix.”
Spare tyres were also an area of concern with the average spare under-inflated by 18psi – verging on half the recommended pressure (44psi).
“For those who are worried about their spare, there’s always nitrogen inflation,” added Mr Fraser.
“Nitrogen molecules are bigger – and indeed drier – than those in normal air, so help keep a tyre at the correct pressure for longer.”
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