Tyre pressure: the free check that saves you 200 pounds a year

Of all the checks you can do on a car, tyre pressure is the cheapest, quickest and most ignored. It takes three minutes and it's free at any petrol station. Yet most drivers don't do it even once a month.

You pay for that in three places: more fuel, tyres that wear out faster, and worse braking when it actually matters. Let's get to the point.

Why pressure matters this much

A tyre is basically an air chamber with tread wrapped around it. The air inside is what carries the weight of the car. If it's underinflated, the rubber flexes more on every rotation, heats up more, grips worse on the shoulders and burns more fuel because the engine has to push against that extra rolling resistance.

If it's overinflated, the opposite happens: only the centre touches the road, that's where it wears, and it grips worse in the wet because it can't shift water properly. There is one correct pressure for your car, and hitting it is 80% of proper tyre care.

How to find the right pressure for your car

The tyre doesn't set the pressure — the vehicle manufacturer does. It's usually printed in three places:

• Label on the driver's door frame (most common).
• Label inside the fuel filler flap.
• Vehicle handbook, under "tyre pressures".

Those labels typically show two values: one for normal use (one or two people, no load) and one for full load (car packed for a long trip). Going on holiday loaded up? Use the higher pressure. When you get back, drop it again.

How often to check

Simple rule: once a month, and before any long trip. And always with cold tyres — car parked for more than an hour, or before you've driven more than a mile.

Tyres lose pressure naturally. It's normal for them to drop 0.1 to 0.2 bar in a month with nothing wrong. If you're losing much more than that — 0.3 bar in a week, for instance — you've got a slow puncture or a faulty valve. That is a genuine fault to look at.

How to do it at a petrol station

Every station has a compressor with a gauge. Some cost a few coins, many are free. The process is:

• Unscrew the valve cap (put it in a pocket, don't lose it).
• Read the current pressure: if it's way below the target, something is off.
• Set the gauge to the correct value from your car's label.
• Press the nozzle firmly onto the valve until the machine beeps or shows it's done.
• Repeat on all four wheels — and the spare, if the car carries one.

At Salpe the check is free

If you'd rather not do it yourself, if the compressor at your usual station never works, or if you just can't be bothered, drop by the workshop. We check and set the pressure on all four wheels in under three minutes, at no cost. No appointment, no strings.

A tyre at the correct pressure saves you 3-5% on fuel and can add 10,000 km to the life of a set. Do the maths and you'll see the monthly check pays for itself many times over. You can also book an appointment if you'd like a fuller inspection.

— The Salpe Team