Correct Air Pressure

It’s pretty easy to forget or delay checking your tire pressure, but keeping your tire psi at the recommended level is necessary for vehicle maintenance. Normal tire pressure helps with:

• Road safety
• Optimizing tire performance
• Extending tire tread life
• Improving fuel economy
• Improving handling, cornering, steering and stability while driving

At this point, you’re probably asking: what is my tire pressure supposed to be?

Your tires are properly inflated when their pressure matches the pounds per square inch (psi) listed on your vehicle’s tire placard or owner’s manual. The placard or manual should list the appropriate psi for both the front and rear tires, as they may be different. Most passenger cars’ psi requirement will be between 30 to 35 psi, but several vehicles fall outside of that range and every vehicle will have specific requirements.

Good tire air pressure ensures that tires wear evenly, provide a smooth ride, and increase fuel efficiency. Proper inflation also helps keep accidents like tire blowouts or tread tears at bay.

If your tires are threadbare, worn or damaged, it’s time to replace them. Start with Treadwell, our intuitive tire buying guide!

In addition to increasing your savings and safety, proper tire pressure also helps the environment. Most drivers will reduce their tire tread life due to underinflation, some as much as 50%.  When a vehicle is rolling on underinflated tires, the engine has to burn more fuel to power it appropriately. Keeping your tires properly inflated extends their lifespan, keeping more tires out of landfills, Maintaining the recommended tire pressure decreases fuel consumption, preserving natural resources and keeping the environment cleaner.

UNDERINFLATION VS. OVERINFLATION

Avoid driving on underinflated or overinflated tires. Both scenarios can reduce the performance of your tires and cause them to wear more quickly.

Underinflation causes poor handling, fuel inefficiency, and an increased risk of tire failure. Drivers need to be aware that routine stresses, environmental factors and impacts from driving conditions can reduce tire air pressure:

• Weather: Tire pressure reduces by 1 psi for every 10-degree drop in temperature.

• Permeation: Tires also naturally lose pressure over time through permeation, where air escapes from the solid rubber sidewall at a rate of roughly 1-2 psi per month.

• Altitude: Seasonal or altitude changes can also cause a drop in air pressure.

• Road hazards: Debris like small nails, screws, etc., can puncture and embed in your tire tread and then act as an inefficient plug. While still embedded, air pressure could drop at such a slow rate you may not notice.

• Load weight: Underinflated tires pose additional risks concerning the load (the amount of weight) your vehicle can carry. Learn more about overloading and underinflation.

Overinflation causes tires to suffer adverse effects, including a harsh ride, poor handling and irregular wear. Overinflation occurs when tires are inflated with pressure exceeding the recommended psi.

Some drivers accidentally over-inflate their tires after misreading the numbers on their tire’s sidewall. They mistake the maximum pressure for the recommended psi range. Remember to always check the owner’s manual or tire placard for your vehicle’s correct tire pressure.

You can also see in the diagram below that the tire tread will weary differently depending on whether your tires are over or under-inflated. If your tires look like these, give us a call or stop by one of our many locations and we can advise you.

CHECK AIR PRESSURE REGULARLY

It’s best to get into a routine when it comes to vehicle maintenance, and checking your air pressure is at the top of that list. We suggest that you get in the habit of checking your tires, including your spare, every other time you fill your gas tank. Keep in mind that some vehicles require different air pressures on the front and back axles.

Since modern vehicles are now typically equipped with a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System), many drivers feel they can simply wait until their vehicle alerts them to unacceptable tire pressure readings. However, TPMS should not be relied on for routine tire maintenance. Unfortunately, these alerts don't activate until the tires are 25% below their proper air pressure, though the negative effects of driving on underinflated tires can begin with as little as 5% underinflation.

You may have also heard about substituting nitrogen instead of air. We recommend sticking with air but every driver has their preferences.

LEARN HOW TO PROPERLY INFLATE TIRES

Here is how to properly inflate your tires:

• Remove the valve stem caps from all four tires (and keep them safe!)
• Using an air pump or air compressor, attach the nozzle to the valve stem and seal it using the locking mechanism on the head of the nozzle
  • Make sure the nozzle and the valve stem are sealed properly; turn on the compressor and if you hear air escaping, try again
• Turn on the compressor or air pump (it will be very noisy!) and inflate to the proper psi using the compressor/pump’s included gauge
  • Some compressors or pumps can fill to a pre-set psi!
  • If your compressor or pump doesn’t have a gauge, fill for 5-10 seconds and then check with a manual tire pressure gauge
• Once the proper psi is reached, turn off the compressor/pump and remove the nozzle head
  • If you’ve overshot the psi, you can release some air in small increments by depressing the center valve pin (the brass needle in the middle) using a tool, your tire gauge or even your fingernail
• Double-check your tire pressure and then replace your valve stem caps

Additional tips:

• Invest in an accurate air gauge and keep it in your vehicle. Service station air meters are often inaccurate due to abuse or environmental exposure. Don’t assume you can just look at your tires and guess the tire pressure.

• Fill your tires slowly and evenly to avoid overinflation. Slow down when you get close to the psi level you want. Using an air hose, fill your tires slowly and evenly to avoid overinflation.

• Always replace your valve stem caps after refilling your tires. Despite their small size, these caps perform an important function. They keep your valve stems safe and clean, preventing air leakage as you drive.

• Check your tire pressure after any sharp increase or decrease in temperature.

• Develop and stick to a routine for checking your air pressure. Remember to also check your spare tire so you're not caught with an unusable or unsafe spare in an emergency.

WE WILL CHECK YOUR AIR PRESSURE AND INFLATE YOUR TIRES FOR YOU

Need some help making sure your tires are properly inflated? If you are not sure about how to check your air pressure, feel free to drop by your local America's Tire store for a free air check. Just pull into our designated air check area and we'll get you taken care of!

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