Keeping the correct air pressure in your tires is as important as giving your engine a tune up. The economic benefits are perhaps even greater! With the right amount of air pressure, your tires wear longer, save fuel, enhance handling and prevent accidents. If you consider the liabilities of not maintaining the correct air pressure -- poor gas mileage, loss of tire life, bad handling (perhaps even loss of control), and potential vehicle overloading -- then the need to routinely add air to your tires will become clearer.
Keeping the correct air pressure in your tires is as important as giving your engine a tune up. The economic benefits are perhaps even greater! With the right amount of air pressure, your tires wear longer, save fuel, enhance handling and prevent accidents. If you consider the liabilities of not maintaining the correct air pressure -- poor gas mileage, loss of tire life, bad handling (perhaps even loss of control), and potential vehicle overloading -- then the need to routinely add air to your tires will become clearer.
Perhaps because our tires do so much without seeming to need any attention, we tend to overlook this important task. But tires do lose pressure, slowly but surely everyday, through the process of permeation. Generally, a tire will lose one or two pounds of air per month in cool weather and even more in warmer weather. Also, tires are subjected to flexing and impacts that can diminish air pressure. So, think in terms of refilling your tire just like you do your gas tank; actually that's a good reminder, refill your tires every other time you fill up at the gas station. That's the recommended interval. Another time to check air pressure is when the tires are rotated. Many vehicles have different tire pressures on the front and rear axle, so remember to have this adjustment made. Also remember to have the pressure in your spare checked. The space- saver type spare requires a much higher air pressure level than other tires and is virtually useless (due to overloading) at lower air pressure levels.
The correct air pressure may be found in the vehicle owner's manual or on the tire placard (attached to the vehicle door edge, doorpost, glove box door or fuel door). The placard tells you the maximum vehicle load, the cold tire pressures and the tire size recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. If you have trouble, see a local tire dealer for assistance. Another valuable resource is the Tire Load/Inflation Tables. Your nearby tire dealer should have a copy. Not only will this document tell you the correct tire pressure for stock sizes, but it will provide the information on optional plus sizes as well. A good example would be the findings on a Honda Civic with the stock size 185/65R14 recommended air pressure is 28 psi. Plus one size is 195/55R15 with a recommended air pressure of 32 psi. Plus two size is 205/45R16 with a recommended air pressure of 36 psi. Note how the air pressure increases with plus sizing to meet the load carrying capacity for the car.
How can routine air pressure maintenance impact our environment? Consider that fewer tires per year would end up in the landfills and scrap heaps that trouble our ecology. How many tires are we talking about? We estimate that most drivers lose from 10% to as much as 50% of tire tread life due to underinflation. That's a significant statistic. Now consider the extra fuel we burn to push cars along on soft, underinflated tires. Tires do require extra energy to roll if they are under inflated. While the statistics vary widely and inconclusively, the implications are staggering. So maintaining tire pressure is a small line item in our busy daily routines, but it adds up to big environmental consequences. We must all care and take action to do the right thing.