Research from the UK TyreSafe Organisation has found that pressure washers can damage the sidewalls of tyres in only 5 seconds.

Pressure washers are commonly used by hand car washes for speed, but the research has shown that after just 5 seconds, there can be damage to the sidewall and degradation. The tyre damage can be even worse if the water is heated or if the pressurized water is aimed at the tyre for some time. The results of damaged tyres can be blow-outs which have been known to cause serious accidents.

The research showed that over 80% of drivers were unaware of the damage that pressure washers can cause to tyres.

However, the width of the pressure washer and the level of pressure can all affect the level of damage to the tyre. If you are going to use a pressure, make sure that you use a light-medium pressure washer and ensure that the jet nozzle is at least 20cm away from the tyre. Also make sure that you use a fan nozzle, not a circular nozzle and ensure that you do not spray the same part of the tyre for more than 5 seconds.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 22nd, 2007 at 9:08 am and is filed under Car Care Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.