How To: Set Your Tyres to the Correct Pressure

Pressure Gauge

What is the Right Pressure for my Car?

The company that manufactured your vehicle decides on the correct pressure for your tyres.  The correct pressure can be found in: your car’s handbook, the sil on the driver’s door or inside the fuel cap.

Checking the Pressure

To check the pressure in your tyres, you will need a tyre pressure gauge, as shown in the photo above.  Remove the dust cap, attach the gauge to the valve and check the reading.

Understanding the Reading

Tyre pressure is either measured in psi or bar pressure.  To convert psi to bar pressure or vice versa, you can use this handy online tool.

Unsure?

If you are unsure of the correct pressure for your tyres, get in contact with Orchard Tyres High Wycombe on 01494 714 715.

The Importance of Tyre Pressure

Why Setting Your Tyres to the Correct Pressure is Important

It is vital that tyres are set to the correct pressure to ensure that:

Your tyres wear correctly – over inflating your tyres will cause the tread around the centre to wear prematurely.  Under inflating will result in the tread around the edges prematurely.

Your tyres do not blow out – if your tyres do not have enough air in them, it could result in a blow out, as the sidewalls are stressed due to heat build up.

You use fuel efficiently – under inflation will lead to poor fuel efficiency due to increased friction.

Winter Versus Summer Tyres

Winter Tyre Tread

Even though it is supposedly the height of summer at the moment (yeah, right), depressingly autumn and winter are not that far away.  Before it starts getting cold, it will pay to consider what tyres you will fit on your car to tackle cold and wet weather.

A significant proportion of accidentsoccur when a vehicle skids off the road in wet or cold weather conditions.  As a result, 60 million motorists in Europe will change their tyres for the winter.

What is a Cold Weather Tyre?

Cold weather tyres are different to tyres used it warmer weather.  When it is cold, cold weather tyres stay supple, whereas warm weather tyres begin to stiffen.  By staying supple, a cold weather tyre performs better than a warm weather tyre as the suppleness of a cold weather tyre in cold weather ensures there is more contact with the road and therefore more grip.

The tread on cold weather tyres is also designed to specifically cope with cold and wet weather conditions.  Cold weather tyre treads deal more efficiently filter water away from the points at which the tyres make contact with the road, which improves grip and stops the car from “aqua planing”, which is a situation where the car floats on the water.

Cold Weather Tyre Advice

For advice on selecting the appropriate tyres for your car to tackle cold weather, please contact Orchard Tyres in High Wycombe.  We are here to help by providing a fast, friendly, value for money service.

Reading the Markings on Tyre Sidewalls

This aritcle will explain what common markings on the sidewalls of tyres mean.

Normal Car Tyre

195/65 R15 79H

195 – means the tyre has a nominal section width of 195 mm
65 – sidewall height
R – radial
15 – fits 15 inch diameter rims
80 – load index
W – suitable for speeds up to 186 mph

Low Profile Tyres

205/40 R17 80W

205 – means the tyre has a nominal section width of 205 mm
40 – sidewall height
R – radial
17 – fits 17 inch diameter rims
80 – load index
W – suitable for speeds up to 186 mph

Speed Ratings

S – 113mph
T – 118mph
H – 130mph
V – 149mph
Z – Over 150mph
W – 168mph
Y – 186mph

When replacing your tyres, you should, in general replace them with tyres of the same or higher speed rating. Higher speed rating are generally indicative of a better quality tyre with more advanced technology and performance.

Here to Help

If you have any queries regarding what the the markings on the sidewall mean, we will be more than happy to help. Orchard Tyres in High Wycombe are here to help by ensuring the tyres we fit on your car are suitable and by providing a fast, friendly, value for money service. Orchard Tyres fits both part worn and new tyres. To find out what we can do for you or to get a quote, please give us a quote on 01494 714 715.

Common Causes of Premature Tyre Wear

Wear caused by incorrect wheel alignment

 

Every tyre has its limits. However, to make your tyres go that little bit further and save you money, you should bear in mind the common causes of premature tyre wear.

Wrong Pressure

It is essential that your tyres are set at the correct pressure to ensure that they both perform and wear properly. The correct tyre pressure varies according to the size of the tyre, the brand, the car you drive and the demands you place on your tyres.

The correct pressure for your tyres can be found in your car’s handbook, inside the car’s fuel cap, stamped into the sil of the driver’s door or in the tyre manufacturer’s pressure handbook.

Deciding on the correct pressure can be confusing. When fitting tyres, we ensure that all your tyres (whether they are remaining on the car or are newly fitted) are inflated to the correct pressure.

Under and Over Inflation

Under inflating your tyres will cause them to prematurely wear in the centre. Over inflating your tyres will cause premature wear around the edges.

Wheel Alignment

It is essential to have your wheels properly aligned otherwise your front tyres will prematurely wear along either the inner or outer edges (depending how misaligned your wheels are).

Tyre Balancing

When you have tyres fitted, whether new or part worn, it is essential that they are balanced. When fitting tyres, we provide this service as standard. Many fitters (including “leading” brands) do not provide this service free of charge, resulting in some customers choosing not to have their tyres balanced. Not balancing tyres is false economy and affects the performance of the car  (unbalanced tyres will cause the steering wheel to vibrate).

Why Tyres Are a Vital Component of Your Car

Tyre function

Tyres are very important; the only contact you have with the road are the four
palm sized footprints of your tyres. In the wet, when navigating bends and when braking, your
tyres are pushed to their limits. Naturally, it is essential that your tyres are up to scratch
to efficiently tackle the demands that are placed of them.

Grooves on tyres squeeze out huge volumes of water when the road is wet. For example, at 60
mph at a water depth of only 3mm, your tyres will be clearing over 2 gallons every second.
Puddles are often 10mm or more deep, which places even more demands on your tyres.

If your tyres are worn beyond safe limits, your car will aquaplane, which could easily result
in an accident, regardless of your driving ability.

Stay on the right side of the law

It is also important to check tyre wear for legal reasons. If your tyres do not have enough tread
on them, they may be illegal. A strict police officer will give you penalty points for each illegal
tyre as well as a fine – four illegal tyres could lose you your license.

For your tyres to be considered legal, they must have a tread depth of at least 1.6mm in a
continuous band around the centre 3/4 of the tyre. However, there is a difference
between what can be considered a “safe” tyre and a “legal” tyre.

What is a “safe tyre?

Research has shown that braking distance deteriorates significantly when the tread left on your
tyre is less than 3mm. For this reason, it is prudent to change your tyres when there is less
than 3mm of tread left.

How we can help

If your tyres have seen better days, do not hesitate to contact Orchard tyres to find out how we can help.
We stock a wide range of tyre sizes and brands, both worn and part worn. We provide a fast, friendly, value for money service, whilst striving to go above and beyond the usual level of service provided elsewhere. Rims and alloys are carefully cleaned, bead sead applied and newly fitted tyres are balanced as standard. Many of our competitors either do not provide this level of service or charge customers extra, which can make your bill significantly more expensive than expected. Orchard Tyres, however, believes that the standard of service provided is absolutely essential as it ensures that newly fitted tyres both perform and wear correctly.