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

Alhassan, Timothy; Y. Andoh, Prince; Owusu-Ansah, Prince; Alex Frimpong, Justice · 2014 · Crossref

DOI: 10.19026/rjaset.7.558

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study investigates the discrepancy between vehicle manufacturers’ recommended tyre pressures and the actual pressures used by vehicle owners in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana. The research is motivated by the critical role tyre pressure plays in vehicle safety, fuel economy, and tyre longevity. Under-inflation increases rolling resistance, causes overheating, and accelerates tread wear, while over-inflation reduces traction and ride comfort. Despite these known risks, previous studies in Japan and Saudi Arabia indicated widespread non-compliance with recommended pressures. This paper aims to quantify the extent of this deviation in a Ghanaian context to inform policy and driver education. The researchers conducted a field survey across five locations: the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) campus, Kumasi Polytechnic campus, and three public transport stations (Asafo, Roman Hill, and Kejetia). A total of 660 vehicles were surveyed. Tyre pressures were measured using pressure gauges and compared against the manufacturers’ recommended values found on vehicle placards. The data analysis involved calculating the percentage deviation for each vehicle, categorizing results into ranges of under-inflation and over-inflation to determine the prevalence of non-compliance. The results revealed a significant deviation from recommended standards. Only 3.48% (23 out of 660) of the surveyed vehicles had tyre pressures conforming to manufacturer recommendations. The remaining 96.52% (637 vehicles) deviated, with the vast majority suffering from under-inflation. Specifically, 83.49% of all vehicles had pressures below the recommended level, while only 13.03% were over-inflated. At KNUST, 98% of vehicles deviated, with 80% of those being under-inflated. Similar trends were observed at other sites; for instance, at Kumasi Polytechnic, 92% of vehicles were under-inflated. The data indicates that under-inflation is the dominant issue, with many vehicles operating at pressures significantly lower than ideal, sometimes exceeding 30% below the recommended value. The study concludes that the widespread under-inflation of tyres in Kumasi poses serious implications for safety, economic efficiency, and environmental health. Under-inflated tyres increase fuel consumption due to higher rolling resistance, leading to greater expenditure for drivers and increased national demand for imported crude oil. Furthermore, the resulting higher fuel combustion contributes to increased carbon monoxide emissions and associated health risks. The authors emphasize the urgent need for massive public education campaigns to raise driver awareness regarding the importance of maintaining correct tyre pressures to mitigate these safety and economic hazards.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• traffic density