Check your tyre pressure!

woman-checks-tyre-pressure-reduce-carbon-footprintFor day 35 of our carbon fast we’ve been asked to check our tyre pressure.

The suggestion reads “Check the tire pressure in your car and fill it to the recommended psi. Low tire pressure means higher fuel consumption. ”

This is something I can definitely improve. I know it makes sense, but I rarely do it.

According to the National Tyre Distributor Association around 90% of tyre pressures were incorrect when surveyed. Well I can safely say that I probably make up part of that statistic!

Apparently under inflated tyres can increase fuel consumption by 5%, PLUS severe under inflation can reduce tyre life by 50%, so that’s really worth thinking about.

If you need to replace your tyres, the old ones cause a lot of toxic pollution and it takes a lot of resources to make new ones.

Checking tyre pressure is so simple, so the next time I’m out in the car, I am going to check the pressure.

What about you? When is the last time you checked your tyre pressure?

4 Comments

  1. tartankiwi on April 19, 2011 at 7:49 am

    Thanks for the reminder, I really need to get onto this…



  2. Preseli Mags on April 19, 2011 at 9:22 am

    My husband checked mine yesterday and does so on a regular basis. He has a long commute so tends to stay on top of anything that makes the cars more efficient. (If it wasn’t for him I think I’d forget!)



  3. Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking on April 19, 2011 at 11:06 pm

    Oh I so agree with this. I am really Blessed because my husband has been doing this for years on our cars. He learned this tip when he was a teenager and has always done it.



  4. Mrs Green on April 22, 2011 at 10:15 am

    Sounds like you’re all doing well. I still haven’t visited the garage yet, but it’s on my ‘to do’ list. Hope you got around to it tartankiwi!