Relationship between Vehicle Manufacturers Recommended Tyre Pressure and Tyre Pressure Used by Vehicle Owners

摘要

This paper studies the relationship between the tyre pressures used by drivers and the vehicle manufacturers recommended tyre pressure. First of all, a survey of vehicles on Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) campus was done to ascertain how tyre pressures of these vehicles deviate from the vehicle manufacturers recommended tyre pressures. Then the survey was extended to other four places namely, Kumasi Polytechnic campus, Asafo, Roman Hill and Kejetia bus depots. The survey showed that most of the vehicles tyre pressures deviate from the vehicle manufacturers recommended tyre pressure. Out of 660 vehicles surveyed in these five areas in the Kumasi Metropolis, 96.52% (637) had their tyre pressures deviated from the vehicle manufacturers recommended tyre pressures. That means only 3.48% (23) of these vehicles had their measured tyre pressures conforming to the vehicles manufacturers recommended tyre pressures. Most vehicles in the Kumasi Metropolis have their tyre pressures deviating from the vehicle manufacturers recommended tyre pressures. Strong education should be given to drivers on the need to use the correct tyre pressures.