The Importance of Correct Air Pressure in Tires

The purpose of this report is to persuade the company to post it on our website, to better inform the public of the benefits of checking and keeping the right air pressure in tires. This public service would be very informative and beneficial to keep our roads safe and help the environment by reducing gas consumption and waste in the form of scrapped tires.

The Benefits of Correct Air Pressure

Experts agree that keeping the correct air pressure in your tires is as important as giving your engine a tune-up. In fact, the economic benefits may be even greater. With the right amount of air pressure, your tires wear longer, save fuel, enhance handling, and prevent accidents. Failure to maintain the correct air pressure can result in poor gas mileage, reduce tire life, affect vehicle handling, and cause vehicle overloading. If you consider these factors, then the need to routinely check your tire pressure is even clearer.

Check Air Pressure Routinely

Because tires do so much without appearing to need attention, it's easy to forget about them. However, tires do lose pressure each day, through the process of permeation. In cool weather, a tire will typically lose one or two pounds of air per month. In warm weather, it's common for tires to lose air at an even higher rate. Tires are also often subjected to flexing and impacts that can diminish air pressure as well. So it's important to realize that refilling your tires is as important as refilling your gas tank. In fact, associating the need to refill your tires with the need for refilling your fuel supply can also be a useful reminder. Check the air pressure in your tires every other time you stop to fill up at the gas station. That interval will allow you to check your tire pressure consistently enough to maintain recommended air pressure. Another good 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 tire 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. Over-inflated tires don't grip the road as well. While this may result in slightly better gas mileage it also means less traction and poorer handling. Poor road conditions such as a wet or icy road magnify this problem, making it more likely that you'll have an accident if you're driving with over-inflated tires.

Poorer handling also translates to a rougher, less comfortable ride. When Popular Mechanics writer Ben Stewart over-inflated his tires for a gas mileage test, he reported the car's handling was compromised and the ride was rough and full of vibration. He also found no difference in gas mileage with the