How long should I wait for tyres to cool before checking pressures?

Question

I understand that we should keep our tyres inflated to the nominal pressures stated in the vehicle handbook. They always state that the tyres should be inflated when cold. How long in time / mileage, does it take for tyres to become too warm to inflate?

Asked by Steve Davies

Answer

It’s best to keep a tyre pressure gauge at home and get into the habit of checking cold tyre pressures every couple of weeks – maybe at the weekend before using the car.

Michelin recommend waiting two hours after a journey before you check tyre pressures unless the journey was only a couple of miles at low speed.

If you’re checking tyres on a petrol station forecourt in the middle of a journey then as a rule of thumb add 4 or 5 psi to the (cold) pressure figure quoted in the handbook.

Answered by Edmund King AA President [09/2014]