How to Check Tyre Pressure and Inflate Your Tyres

If you’re confused about the best way to check your tyre pressure, you’ve come to the right place. Here at The Hosemaster, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to checking and inflating your tyres to keep you safe. Keep reading to find out more…

Why is tyre pressure important?

Before getting into the step-by-step guide, it’s worth looking at why checking your tyre pressure is important. 

Safety

The most important reason to check your tyre pressure is to stay safe. Your tyres are the only point of contact with the ground in a vehicle, so it’s essential to keep them working effectively. 

Tyre pressure can affect key aspects of driving, like braking distance and steering accuracy - particularly in wet weather. 

If the tyre pressure is too high, your tyres have less contact with the road which could increase the risks of an accident. Too low, and your risk of punctures increases, as well as the instability of your drive.

More economical

Aside from the safety concerns, checking your tyre pressure regularly could help you save money in the long run.

Tyres wear irregularly when they’re not inflated correctly, so they may need replacing sooner - which can cost you a lot of money over the years. 

Plus, underinflated tyres have an increased rolling resistance, which means they require more power to keep moving. This can impact your fuel consumption, costing you money and more trips to the petrol pumps.

How often should your tyre pressure be checked?

Since checking your tyre pressure regularly can help you in the long run, it's well worth the extra effort. The RAC recommends checking your tyre pressure at least every month to ensure they’re working at peak efficiency.

Completing a regular tyre pressure check will also help you spot any issues with your tyres earlier, reducing the risks of slow punctures and helping you stay safe.

Below, we’ve listed some additional key times you should check your tyre pressure.

• Before and after long drives - especially when you’ve been transporting a heavy load or caravan, as this can affect your tyre pressure.
  
  
• A change in weather - cold weather can affect your tyre pressure, so it’s worth doing additional checks when the season turns or after a cold snap.
  
  
• After rough terrain - monitoring your tyre pressure after a drive on uneven ground can help you spot punctures that you may not have noticed otherwise. 

How to check your tyre pressure

The first step is to find out what the correct tyre pressure is for your car. This changes from model to model, so it’s worth finding out what is right for you and keeping that information somewhere accessible. 

You can typically find the recommended tyre pressure for your car written in the driver's door, on the dashboard, or in the fuel cap. Barring that, you should be able to find it in the manual (usually stored in the glove box).

When it comes to checking your tyre pressure, follow these easy steps:

1. Make sure your tyres are cold before trying to check your tyre pressure, because warm tyres can give you an inaccurate reading.
2. Remove the valve cap and insert your tyre pressure gauge in until you can’t hear a hissing sound.
3. Compare the reading given to the one recommended for your car and decide whether your tyre pressure needs increasing or decreasing.
4. Replace the valve caps (or move to inflation or deflation - see below).
5. Repeat for all 4 tyres.

Top tip - using a handheld tyre pressure gauge could be a lot easier than going to the petrol station every few weeks.

Shop now - Digital Tyre Pressure & Tread Depth Gauge

Digital tyre pressure gauges are simple to use and highly accurate. Plus, having your own device means you can check your tyre pressure more frequently, especially when you’re coming back from a long drive.

PSI, Bar, and kPa - What do they mean?

Part of knowing how to check your tyre pressure is understanding which measurement you need to use. Whilst PSI is the most common way to measure tyre pressure in the UK, it’s worth knowing about the others just in case you need them.

PSI - this is an imperial measurement that stands for pounds of force per square inch, and is the standard unit for the UK and USA.

Bar - this is a metric unit for pressure, and more commonly found in European vehicles. For reference, 1 Bar is approximately 14.5 PSI.

kPa - this refers to a kilopascal, which is 1000 pascals. This is also more common in European measurements, especially for hydraulics.

How to inflate your tyres

Once you’ve completed your tyre pressure check, you may need to inflate one or more of your tyres to reach the recommended value for your vehicle. We’ve provided an easy step-by-step guide for you to follow below.

1. Attach your tyre inflator hose to the valve. Make sure it’s attached securely so that no air can escape.
   
   
2. Turn your tyre inflator on - you should be able to hear the air flowing.
   
   
3. Some tyre pressure gauges will stop the air flow once it’s reached a preset number. If not, watch carefully so you can stop it when necessary to prevent overinflation.
   
   
4. Put the cap back on the valve to prevent the air escaping.
   
   
5. Repeat for your tyres as necessary.

Top tip - go slowly when you’re inflating your tyres. It’s always easier to add more than it is to take air out.

Tyre inflators don’t have to be complicated. Using a dial fitting allows you to carefully monitor your pressure levels as you’re inflating. They also don’t require batteries to read the display, so you can use them anytime.

Shop now - Alloy Tyre Inflator

Alternatively, you may want to consider a tyre inflator that has a built in digital pressure gauge. These allow you to easily see your tyre pressure in numbers, rather than reading a dial, and tend to be backlit for better usability in the dark or low light conditions.

Shop now - DAC403 ACCURA® MK4 Digital Tyre Inflator

How to release air from your tyres

Whilst you’ll more commonly need to inflate your tyres, it’s also worth knowing how to safely do the opposite in cases of overinflation.

To let excess air out of your tyres, you should do the following:

1. Reinsert the tyre pressure gauge with the right fitting for deflating tyres. Or, if you’re at the petrol station, make sure you’re using the right hose.
   
   
2. Input your desired PSI/Bar number.
   
   
3. Press down to release the air, and monitor your gauge until you’ve achieved the value you need.
   
   
4. Reattach the valve cap to stop excess air escaping.

Find the right tyre pressure gauge for you at The Hosemaster

We hope you find this guide for checking tyre pressure useful, and have learnt some handy tricks for inflating your tyres.

If you’re looking for more convenient ways to maintain your tyres, explore our range of tyre inflation equipment today. At The Hosemaster, we have plenty of high-quality options to make checking your tyre pressure a cinch. 

Shop tyre inflation equipment at The Hosemaster now

For more news, information, and product advice, check out The Hosemaster blog…

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