Flat out pumping tyres

More than a hundred drivers whose car tyres were checked at an Auckland service station on Friday didn't have their tyres inflated correctly.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) staff were checking the tyre pressure at Z Greenlane as part of a promotion to encourage drivers to keep their tyres pumped up to save fuel and be safe on the roads. Of those checked, 48 needed to have their tyres inflated to the correct pressure.

"We encountered some vehicles with significantly under-inflated tyres - as little as a third of what they should be. This not only wastes fuel but is an increased safety risk," Liz Yeaman from EECA said.

EECA estimates that drivers can save as much as 16 cents per litre of petrol by making sure tyres are correctly inflated.

Some of the worst offenders were company cars and vans, Ms Yeaman said.

"This waste of fuel is coming straight off the bottom line of the company's profits.

"Incorrectly inflated tyres also increase wear. We found one driver with expensive tyres had one inflated to 79 psi and one at 14 psi, when they should have both been 32 psi."

"Another thing we found today is that many people are unaware of where to find their car's correct tyre pressure recorded. This is usually on the pillar of the car door on the driver's side, on the fuel cap or in the car manual."

More information is available on the Energywise website