Tuesday 23rd March 2004

Pump it Up

Michelin man to lurk in car parks

---

Walk around any car park and aside from some strange looks and an unpleasant amount of litter, broken glass and discarded prophylatics, you're more than likely to find some underinflated rubber of a different sort.

Many motorists pay scant attention to their tyres and are blissfully unaware of the dangers that underinflated tyres can present.

Michelin are to do a spot of car park lurking themselves with their staff hanging around service stations offering free tyre pressure checks to motorists.

The road safety initiative is deisgned to help drivers understand the importance of their tyre pressures being accurate. It's been launched by Michelin in conjunction with Britain’s largest motorway services operator Moto.

Ian Hughes, PR Manager for Michelin UK says: “We want motorists to be more aware of the safety factor of tyre pressures in relation to the important handling, cornering and braking. It is vital to keep your tyres in good condition and at the correct pressures. Driver’s do not take the time to check their pressures so we are offering to do the job for free in this programme to highlight the importance .”

[sublimatica]

Last time I was in France I used an airline at a supermarket which seemed like a far better solution than the British ones.

In Britain, we have a line of hose clamped to a box containing the compressor. At the business end of the hose is the gauge and valve, so the expensive bit of the system is knocking around the floor, getting stolen, dropped and driven over.

The French system has the compressor, gauge and control button in one box and just a hose with a tyre valve clamp at the end, so you take that clamp to the wheel, clip it on, then go back to the compressor box to control the air input. There's nothing to steal, and only a virtually indestructable clamp at the end of the long hose.

This has got to be better for keeping the costs down for the operator, and improving the accuracy of the gauge for the motorist. I don't know why British operators persist with our high-maintenance systems.

[anonymous-user]

Seems like most garage forecourts (well, Shell ones at least) are slowly changing the old style manual valve for automatic ones - select your desired pressure, push the hose onto each wheel in turn and it in/deflates as required to get the chosen pressure.

The problem I haven't yet seen fixed though is that you always have to drag the hose around the car to get to at least one tyre. I'm always scared stiff I'm going to scratch the paintwork up with the hose.

[Munter]

The Local Tesco has exactly the style of device you mention in france. Set the desired pressure on the box and just take the hose to the wheel. One problem is that some funny Barstuard keeps stealing the bit on the end as it just unscrews. ARGH!

[m-five]

How will they know if your pressures are correct? Are they going to take your word for the correct pressure or use their own guide-book?

I ask because whenever I get a tyre replaced I have to inform them of the correct pressure as the Michelin chart on the tyre fitter's wall is incorrect - must relate to the older version of my car as it says a different pressure than is on my B-pillar.

[The DJ 27]

Munter said:

The Local Tesco has exactly the style of device you mention in france. Set the desired pressure on the box and just take the hose to the wheel. One problem is that some funny Barstuard keeps stealing the bit on the end as it just unscrews. ARGH!

Same at our local Sainsbury's. Much better than the old style things where you freeze your hand and can't read the numbers anyway because they're so bloody small

[dejoux]

I hate the new type wherre you set the tyre pressure on the main box.

You cant tell what the tyre pressure was before hand and half the time your not even sure if theres anything going in

[zax]

Living in a relatively trustworthy country has it's advantages! At most gas stations there is a cupboard containing water cans, screen washers and compressed air containers with pressure guage. Just go to the cupboard, grab your air can, walk around the car and do one wheel at a time. When finished, replace on the special hanger in the cupboard which refills the cannister. Job done

And it doesn't cost money, unlike some air pumps in the UK...

[shn]

Surely Michelin checking tyres pressures at motorway service stations is a highly dangerous exercise.
Given that most vehicles when checked will have been running for numerous miles at 70mph the tyres will be hot. Pressures as stated by manufacturers are for cold tyres.

[zumbruk]

zax said:

Living in a relatively trustworthy country has it's advantages!

Yes, but isn't there a legally mandated maximum power/weight ratio for cars in Finland? And monstrously expensive booze?

OTOH, you do have a gorgeous country and even more gorgeous women.