5 Reasons You Need to Care About Tyre Pressure

Tyres are relatively simple. They use a combination of pressurised air, heavy-duty rubber and an optimised shape to keep vehicles and heavy machinery moving smoothly, but unfortunately, if your tyres don't have the right amount of pressure, you may face issues. Here's a look at why the right tyre pressure is so important, especially when you're dealing with heavy machinery at work sites.

1. Overinflation Reduces Control

When you overinflate tyres, the tyres become rigid. There is so much air inside of them that the rubber stops being flexible and responsive. Additionally, a very small amount of rubber touches the ground when the tyre is overinflated, and that reduces stability. This can be especially dangerous on a work site.

Ideally, you need tyres that can keep your stability over bumpy terrain and lots of potholes. For example, the width of earthmoving tyres makes them perfect for this job. However, if your tyres are overinflated, they become particularly dangerous in this environment, and you become likely to flip your heavy-duty vehicle.

2. The Wrong Pressure Levels Can Cause Tyres to Explode

In addition to reducing control, overinflation can also cause tyres to explode. When there's simply too much air inside the tyres, the air presses against the tyre walls and potentially leads to explosions. However, you can also experience tyre blowouts due to inadequate levels of pressure. When tyres don't have enough pressure, heat can build up inside the tyre, and as the heat expands, it can lead to explosions.

3. Low Pressure Reduces Efficiency

When tyres don't have the right amount of air pressure, their rubber slumps onto the road. The excess rubber on the road takes a lot of energy to turn. As vehicles get their energy from fuel, this drives up the amount of fuel used by your vehicles. On a busy job site with a lot of heavy equipment, the fuel inefficiency created by low tyre pressure can drive up costs significantly.

4. Tyres Wear Out Faster When They Don't Have the Right Pressure Levels

Underinflated tyres wear out quickly because all that rubber gets dragged necessarily against the road's surface. In contrast, when tyres are overinflated, the wrong part of the tyre gets exposed to friction against the road. In both cases, you end up having to replace the tyre sooner.

5. Checking Pressure Levels Is Easy

Although the wrong pressure levels lead to all kinds of issues, it's easy to avoid these problems. You just need to check tyre pressure levels proactively and on a regular basis. The process is fast and easy, and many vehicles even have built-in sensors to make it even easier.

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