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In a recent article, the VACC said to check tyre pressures after the tyres had reached operating temperature. I have always been taught to check pressures when tyres were cold. Has this advice changed and if so when, or is the VACC wrong on this one?
Conventional wisdom has always been to check tyre pressures when the tyres are cold. That’s because the pressure will increase with heat (as the air in the tyre expands). Since the most common problem is tyre under-inflation, measuring the pressures at their lowest (when cold) will help prevent you driving on an under-inflated tyre. By checking the pressures when the tyre is hot, you might be lulled into a false sense of security by a pressure that seems normal, but might be too low when you start the car again tomorrow morning (when the tyres are cold again).
I’d like to know the VACC’s logic in offering this piece of advice but, for the meantime, I’d continue to check tyre pressure when the tyres are cold.
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