Under Preasure

In order to properly maintain tire pressure, you will want to carry a tire pressure gauge which is correctly calibrated. You can take your gauge to a reputable tire dealer and they should have a master gauge to check the accuracy of your gauge. Checking tire pressure will be essential to the performance of your vehicle. Keeping tires properly inflated will offer longer life, smoother ride, quicker steering and better fuel efficiency. Maintaining proper tire pressure is important as under inflation and over inflation can create unwanted issues such as premature tread wear and potential tire failure. In order to get the most out of your tires it is best to check your tire pressure each day unless you have a built in or aftermarket Tire Pressure Monitoring System.


If you’re not sure what the actual pressure should be on your tires, you can go to any one of many manufacture tire websites which will provide you with a load/inflation table. Remember that the inflation pressure listed on the sidewall of the tire is the maximum cold inflation pressure for the tire. This is not the recommended tire pressure and to learn about the recommended pressure for your specific application, be sure to reference the proper load/inflation charts as suggested above. Also, cold pressure will be referred to as the pressure at an ambient 70 degrees. Keep in mind, when checking your cold pressure that every gain or loss of 10 degrees F equals a 2 PSI loss or gain in tire pressure. This means that a tire with 95 PSI at 70 degrees will read 97 PSI at 80 degrees or 93 PSI at 60 degrees.


After operating the vehicle on the highway, it’s impossible to check the cold tire pressure as the tires are now warm. What you can do is compare the pressures of similar wheel positions. Do not be alarmed as the pressures will be much greater than the cold pressure. Never deflate the tire at this point thinking that it’s underinflated as this is normal.


Checking your tire pressure daily with a properly calibrated gauge along with consulting your tire manufacturer’s website for the proper pressure and tire care and the investment of a Tire Pressure Monitoring System can go a long way to providing long term wear for your tires. Remember, it takes much less time to check than to replace.