UNDER PRESSURE

FB: What are tyre pressures, and why are they important?

Essentially, in a pneumatic tyre the air pressure carries the load, so you, your bike and any luggage or pillions. The load and the force applied through the tyre in conjunction with the tyre pressure define how much the tyre will deflect, and the deflection is the amount the tyre flattens out in contact with the ground when you're on the bike. Tf you increase the load or decrease the tyre pressure the contact patch size will increase, but while a contact patch should be nice and large to offer maximum tread rubber contact with the road surface, it's critical that the pressure across it is as even as possible to give the best grip and even wear. So, if you underinflate a tyre the contact patch shape becomes concave against the road, giving high pressure points at the sides of the contact patch and low pressure points across the centre. The high pressure points will overheat the tread rubber and wear quickly, while the low pressure points won't be offering any additional grip as the rubber isn't being worked enough and will wear more slowly, meaning less grip, and faster, more uneven wear is the result. Underinflation also places excessive demands on the tyre casing with excessive carcass flex, which can lead to complete and sudden failure of the tyre. Twenty-five per cent below recommended tyre pressure is severe underinflation, and if in doubt, a little too hard is much more