Keep tyres in check
Correct tyre pressure is critical, so why is it that so many vehicles are plying our roads with dangerously low tyre pressures?Because it's hard to know when the pressure's dropped, and it's a pain to check. No longer - screw on a set of Tyrecheckers and all you'll need is an occasional glance at the wheels to see whether you're running safely.
The Tyrechecker unit is an ingenious South African invention, a metal valve-cap replacement with a colour coded pressure indicator. For light vehicles, the Tyrechecker will show green, yellow and red, for heavy vehicles only green and red. Each set is rated to a specific pressure, from 28psi to 80psi in 2psi increments for light vehicles, and 90psi, 95psi, 100psi, 110psi, 115psi and 120psi for heavy vehicles.
When the pressure is greater than or equal to the Tyrechecker's rated pressure (in the case of my set and my car, 36psi), the indicator is green. When pressure drops by 10 per cent, the green indicator cylinder slides down to reveal a sliver of yellow; when the pressure drops 20 per cent, the green indicator slides further to show a red band. It's a simple, traffic-light concept.
The manufacturer recommends changing a set of Tyrecheckers as often as you change the tyres on your vehicle, and offers a 30-day replacement warranty on new sets.
Tyrecheckers are available for every vehicle on the road, including caravans, trailers, bicycles, and motorbikes. Whacking truck tyres with an iron bar used to be the standard method for checking pressure. With Tyrecheckers installed, it can all be done more accurately, and by sight.
Ever since an advanced driving course some years ago, I've been a big believer in maintaining the correct tyre pressure on my car. A 2007 report commissioned by NRMA, The Role of Tyre Pressure in Vehicle Safety, Injury and Environment, concluded that maintaining correct tyre pressure aids handling and braking, improves fuel efficiency and tyre life, and helps to prevent potentially catastrophic tread separations and blowouts. Before every trip out of town, I used to have to drive down to the servo to check each tyre, and now all I have to do is check the Tyrecheckers.
Light-vehicle units are $11 for a two-pack and $22 for a four-pack. Heavy-vehicle units are $8 each and the anti-theft kit for four Tyrecheckers is $3. Everything is available directly from the Tyrecheckers website, http://www.tyrecheckers.com.au/
- Andrew Harris
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