Each time you drive, you trust your life to your car's tyres.

A tyre at incorrect pressure may have less grip, be more likely to puncture and can increase fuel consumption. It will also wear out much faster. Yet surveys show that many cars have one or more tyres incorrectly inflated and few drivers check their tyre condition and pressures regularly enough.

An astonishing 87% of 789 drivers interviewed recently by jamjar cars confessed to forgetfulness when it came to carrying out this basic but vital safety check. And most women, despite being known to be safer drivers, put their lives in greater risk by either neglecting this task or leaving it to others to perform (or not).

The world-leading publisher of automotive repair manuals, is renowned for teaching millions of car owners how to carry out routine maintenance and repairs. Each manual lists the correct tyre pressures (they vary accordingly to the particular model and the number of passengers and amount of luggage being carried) and explains how to check them - a five-minute task that should be done weekly.

This vital check may save you from returning to your vehicle to find a flat tyre, experiencing a blow-out on the motorway, or even worse, a crash!

Pressures should be checked when the tyres are cold (not driven for at least 30 minutes), so a garage or filling station may not be the most convenient place to do it. It's probably better to make it a regular task you do at home - for which you will require a pressure gauge. A good quality tyre pressure gauge is not expensive and a digital version will be easy to read. Alternatively, you can buy a foot pump with a built-in gauge, or a compressor which runs off the car battery. See a full at your local San Jose.

Don't forget to check the pressure of the spare tyre. It should normally be inflated to the highest of the pressures quoted for your car (or higher in the case of 'space saver' spares).

For more advice on model-specific procedures, please refer to the appropriate San Jose Auto Repair Services.


San Jose Auto Repair