Under Pressure!
By Mick Farmer. In our training courses, we constantly emphasise the importance of tyres. Inspections are vital to the continued performance of vehicles and if you don't have time to inspect your vehicle fully, then at least check your tyres.
Why? Look at the place where the tyre touches the ground and estimate how much is making good contact with the road surface. You will find that it is about the size of your open hand. Essentially, four of these hand prints are keeping your vehicle in contact with the ground.
Tyre Pressures: Whichever tyres you run on your vehicle, it is imperative that they are at the correct pressure. There is a lot of conflicting information on tyre pressures - but it is very simple!! Run your tyres at the pressure the vehicle manufacturer recommends for the size and type of tyres you have fitted. Do not go by what is written on the tyre - for instance, your tyre may have written on it "50 psi cold". This means that that tyre can safely hold a maximum pressure of 50 pounds per square inch. DO NOT INFLATE TO THIS PRESSURE!!
Why Cold? You get a true pressure reading when the tyre is "cold"; which is why tyre pressures should be checked first thing in the morning. As soon as you start to drive the air inside the tyre begins to heat up due to the friction between the tyre and the road surface. Air expands as it gets warm and therefore, with no where to go, the tyre pressure goes up.
How To: Once you have figured out your correct tyre pressures, you need to maintain them at that pressure. No problem you say "I'll just nip down to the nearest fuel station." Unfortunately, in Uganda the gauges in fuel stations can be inaccurate, sometimes wildly out, or the person operating the machine (could be the forecourt attendant or the driver) does not fully understand the scales displayed.
Your best bet is to buy yourself a good quality tyre pressure gauge. A "pen" type fits into a glove box easily and as long as it is kept free from dust etc., it will keep its calibration for years.
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