The air pressure is necessary for the tire to stay inflated and provide a cushion for the vehicle to travel on. Checking the tire pressure regularly is essential to the safety of the car and driver.Ī flat tire is a tire with no air pressure inside. If the pressure falls too low, the tire will become flat. The recommended tire pressure for most cars is between 30 and 35 psi. Do it!įor everything you need to know about buying and maintaining tires, click here.Psi is a unit of pressure which is commonly used to measure the air pressure in a car tire. Checking your vehicle for low tire pressure every month can optimize your car's performance and save you money at the gas pump. Maintaining adequate tire pressure allows your vehicle to deliver the fuel economy, handling, and safety it was built to provide. A TPMS won't alert you to the type of mild to moderate underinflation that can have a mild effect on performance or fuel economy, which you don't want either.
#Flat tire psi driver#
This law went into effect in 2008, so all vehicles that are 2008 or newer have this amenity.Ī TPMS warns the driver when tires are low on air, but this warning isn't issued until a tire's air pressure is 25 percent below the automaker's recommended pounds per square inch. Federal law requires automakers to provide a TPMS as standard equipment. So the difference between summer highs and winter lows can cause a significant loss of tire pressure-another good reason to check pressures monthly.Īt this point, you may be wondering about the value of a tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS). For every ten degrees the temperature drops, tire pressure drops one pound. Also be aware that swings in temperature can affect the pressure in your tires. The tires need to be "cold" for you to get an accurate reading, so take your measurement either first thing in the morning or at least three hours after driving.Īccording to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it's good practice to check tire pressure at least once a month. Compare the tire-pressure readings with the automaker's recommendations.You can use a handheld tire-pressure gauge these are available for less than $10 at an auto-parts store. Check the air pressure in your car's tires.You can find these on the car's driver's-side doorjamb or in the owner's manual. Locate the tire-pressure recommendations provided by your car's manufacturer.There's a quick and easy way to tell if your car has low tire pressure: Getty Images Are Your Vehicle's Tires Underinflated? This damage will shorten a tire's life, leading to premature replacement of this costly vehicle component. This often shows up in unusually heavy wear on both a tire's inner and outer shoulders. Because low tire pressure distorts the tire's footprint-where your car's rubber contacts the road-tire wear can increase dramatically. Low tire pressure also reduces tire life. Low tire pressure robs your tires of the grip and responsiveness they need to help you avoid accidents.
Low tire pressure can be especially harmful during an emergency situation, when you're trying to avoid an accident and you need every ounce of your car's responsiveness and cornering or braking traction. Response to your steering inputs gets slower and sloppy, and braking distances lengthen. The tire is less stable and has less traction. The tread, the contact point with the road, squirms. When a tire is underinflated, its sidewalls flex more than they were designed to during cornering and braking. Low tire pressure hurts your car's handling as well. A tire with less air in it is softer, deflects more readily, and is more easily punctured by the sharp edge of a pothole.īuy Now Low Tire Pressure Adversely Affects Handling Still, even at lower speeds, there are dangers. The biggest chance of this happening is when you're on the interstate at higher speeds there's less of a chance in stop-and-go driving because the tire is turning slowly and not building up as much heat. A blowout is sudden and unexpected and can cause a loss of control that leads to an accident. If this happens suddenly, a blowout can result. If the overheating gets severe, a section of the tire's rubber can separate from its carcass-the mix of fabric and steel that the tire is built on. When air pressure gets too low, the tire's sidewalls flex more, and heat builds up within the tire. Anyone who has ever had the misfortune of suffering a tire blowout knows how traumatic it can be. You absolutely want to avoid letting your tire pressure get too low. Inadequate tire inflation can shorten the life of your car's tires, negatively affect your vehicle's performance, and maybe even cause a tire to fail.
#Flat tire psi drivers#
Many drivers don't give a great deal of thought to tire pressure, let alone worry about low tire pressure-but they should.
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