You should check tire pressure when the temperatures dip down, especially if you live in a colder climate. It is a good idea to have a tire-pressure gauge in your vehicle. You can easily buy an inexpensive, hand-held tire pressure gauge at any auto parts store or major department stores, like Target or Walmart.
Although these have been around for what feels like forever, newer digital gauges can be much more accurate. Take off the valve cap and press the tire-pressure gauge firmly into the valve stem until the device produces a pounds-per-square-inch PSI reading.
Pressure readings are more likely to be higher usually between 2 and 6 PSI higher if the car has been recently driven and the tires are hot. If you do end up checking your tire pressure after driving, you should add a little extra air pressure to account for the artificially high tire pressure reading. If you find your tire pressure is low you will need to add air to the tire. Many gas stations have air pumps that you can use to top off your tires.
Some machines take coins only but most will also accept a credit card for payment. It usually costs a dollar or two to use an air pump — this should give you more than enough time to add whatever air you need to your tires. Tire pressure should be checked monthly. One call is all it takes. You can get a tow, or a new tire and be back on the road as good as new with no hassle on your part. Steering and driving feel are the most obvious ways to tell if your tire pressure is too low, especially if you have had your vehicle for a while and know what it is like to drive.
Vehicles were built to handle a specific way under ideal conditions, and low tire pressure affects these conditions negatively. Sloppy handling, pulling to one side, difficulty keeping the vehicle driving in a straight line, not being able to steer precisely, and a generally unsettled ride can all point to low tire pressure. All of this becomes compounded in adverse weather conditions, and in some severe instances, it can cause the vehicle to lose all traction. Driving with low tire pressure is a fairly common problem, but it is also one of the most dangerous.
Two very serious consequences can occur as a result. This consequence of low tire pressure accounts for several thousand accidents per year. Tire blowouts are the most dangerous consequence of low tire pressure, and they are caused by a weakened tire structure or an excessive amount of wear. Low tire pressure, coupled with the weight of the vehicle and heavy tire loads can cause one or more parts of the tire to suddenly fail.
Most blowouts usually happen without warning, the main reason they can be deadly. If a blowout occurs on your vehicle, it is important to stay calm.
Usually, you will hear a loud bang, quickly followed by a sudden jerk to one side or the other. To avoid an accident, grab the steering wheel tightly, briefly press the accelerator to resettle and realign the vehicle, then let it gradually slow down by itself as you pull to the side of the road. Once the vehicle slows to about miles per hour, you may slowly press the brake to fully bring the vehicle to a stop.
Chances are, your vehicle is equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system. The TPMS low tire pressure indicator is a yellow symbol that illuminates on the dashboard instrument panel in the shape of a tire cross-section that resembles a horseshoe with an exclamation point.
When you continue to drive on a tire with low pressure, you run the risk of tire failure. An incident like this can cause you to lose control of your vehicle at a high speed — endangering yourself, your passengers and others on the road. Have you ever ridden a bike with under-inflated tires?
If so, you know how much harder you need to work to get moving. The same mechanism applies to your vehicle. Low tire pressure forces your vehicle to work harder due to the increased resistance that your under-inflated tires face when moving.
Low tire pressure causes abnormal and uneven distortion in your tire tread. In most cases, tire wear issues caused by low tire pressure can be seen on the tire's inner and outer shoulders.
It's unfortunate because tires are not cheap to replace; whereas inflating your tires can be done virtually free and in minutes! The most dangerous issue caused by driving with low tire pressure is a tire blowout. As mentioned, under-inflated tire sidewalls flex more than usual and cause heat to build up.
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