Nearly two-thirds of Britain’s motorists use filling station air pumps to inflate their tyres – and they could be putting lives at risk, a Tyre Gauge survey for the IAM Motoring Trust has revealed.
“The danger is that the drive to the filling station increases tyre pressure significantly,” says Tim Shallcross, the IAM Trust’s Head of Technical Policy and Advice. “This means that, although the pressure gauge may be accurate, tyres can be under-inflated by between 12 and 15 per cent. The survey shows that two thirds of motorists inflate their tyres at garages, therefore vehicle and tyre manufacturers should consider changing their recommended settings to ‘warm’ pressure levels.”
The downsides of under-inflated tyres:
- tyres run at a higher temperatures than they are designed for, especially at high speeds; overheating is a common cause of high-speed ‘blow outs’.
- road grip and handling are adversely affected
- fuel consumption increases; remember the link between pounds per square inch (psi) and pounds per mile travelled
“For all these reasons drivers should check the tyre pressure weekly,” says Shallcross. “However, the survey shows that we’re not checking tyres frequently enough, with just 18 per cent of men and 4 per cent of women drivers doing so weekly.”
The era of ‘free air’ at garages appears to be ending. However, charging for air does seem to be improving pressure gauge accuracy. The IAM Trust survey shows more than 80 per cent of air lines to be accurate within 5 per cent or 2psi, a significant improvement on the 2005 check, which found 50 per cent of gauges to be inaccurate. The new survey also shows that 71 per cent of drivers would be willing swap pounds sterling for pounds per square inch, to ensure accuracy and well-maintained air lines.
Most motorists feel that 20p or 50p is a reasonable price to pay for reliable, accurate and clean airlines at a garage. However, if the price were to be £1, just one in eight men would be prepared to pay but almost a third of women think it a reasonable charge.
Until manufacturers provide more useful information, the IAM Trust’s advice is to buy a low-cost digital gauge and a 12-volt air pump, either separately or as one unit, and set the tyre pressures when they are cold, before the car is driven. In spite of improving accuracy, motorists just can’t rely on using filling station equipment to maintain accurate, safe and fuel-efficient tyre pressures.
ends
Media Contacts
Barry Walsh 020 8996 9776 barry.walsh@iamtrust.org.uk
Tim Shallcross 020 8996 9773 tim.shallcross@iamtrust.org.uk
