How often should you check your tyre pressure

23 May 2019     16 people

The short answer to this is that you should check your tyre pressure every two weeks, while your tyres are cold (i.e. you haven’t driven on them in several hours). Checking the tyre pressure on your vehicle is just one of the many checks required to ensure that you are taking proper care of your vehicle.

There are a few good reasons why you should ensure your tyres are always inflated to their optimum PSI (or pounds of force per square inch). Your tyre pressure affects how your vehicle handles corners and how much time it needs to break in an emergency, as well as how much fuel it uses.

When should you check your tyre pressure?

When your tyres are cold

The tyre pressures given inside your driver’s manual is given for cold tyres. Friction between the tyres and the roads when the vehicle is being driven causes the tyres to heat up. So, ‘cold’ means that the vehicle should not have been driven for a couple of hours.

When your tyres heat up, the pressure inside of them naturally increases. This means that if you inflate your tyres while they’re hot, they won’t be the correct tyre pressure after you’ve inflated them.

Every two weeks

It is generally thought that tyres should be checked once a month, but this is the bare minimum. For your tyres to be inflated to an optimum level, we would recommend that you inspect and check the pressure every two weeks.

This is also the perfect opportunity to check their tread wear, along with irregularities such as glass, nails or bulges in the tyre walls.

Before and after driving long distances

It’s important to check your tyres before driving long distances because during a long journey their pressure is likely to be in flux. Ensuring they are inflated according to your manufacturer’s specifications; will mean they are in the optimum state to handle the journey.

Check your tyres after a long journey to correct any changes in pressure caused by the journey and outside temperatures. If you’re checking your tyre pressure after a journey, wait a few hours after completing your journey so your tyres have time to cool down first.

Checking your tyre pressure couldn’t be easier. All you’ll need is the specific recommended tyre pressure for your vehicle, which you can find using our tyre pressure finder, a pressure gauge and a tyre inflator. 

Jack Underwood

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