The correct pressure is important both for safety
and for a long tyre life. They must be checked when
the tyre is cold (By cold we mean the ambient outside
temperature where the tyre is to be used). Tyre pressures
must be checked regularly, about once every two weeks.
A drop in pressure can be caused by:
- the natural leakage of air through the walls of a
tyre,
- drops in ambient temperature,
- small perforations that, in a tubeless tyre, may not
lead to immediate deflation but rather deflation over
time, (a slow leak!). This in turn can lead to irreversible
damage due to the tyre running in an under inflated
condition.
Should I put Nitrogen
in my tyres instaed of air?
Nitrogen is commonly used in racing car tyres, because
it has a consistent 'volumetric expansion rate' as the
temperature changes, which means you can predict how
much it will expand as the tyre heats up.
Air, on the other hand, readily absorbs moisture, making
it impossible to predict how much it will expand in
the tyre.
The height of a racing-car tyre is critical and any
error can cause handling difficulties and ground clearance
problems. For ordinary road-users, the potential benefit
is slightly different.
Nitrogen cannot permeate the pores of the rubber as
quickly as the oxygen in air does so tyres filled
with nitrogen are much less likely to deflate. As many
owners don't check their tyre pressures regularly, this
could benefit them.
Maintaining consistent tyre pressure, in line with
the makers' recommendations, helps with wear, comfort,
rolling resistance (hence fuel economy) and noise.