Why You Should Keep Your Tires Properly Inflated

Author:

Arthur Michaels

Why should you keep your tires properly inflated?

- Save gas

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, underinflated tires waste about 3.3of your fuel expenditure. A total of four million gallons of gasoline are wasted everyday in the U.S. alone.

- Prevent accidents and emergencies

You are less likely to become stranded on the side of the highway by keeping your tires adequately inflated. As described by AAA, 13(4 million of the 29 million) of their calls yearly are tire related. Motorists will most likely wash his or her car over correctly verify their tire pressure even though yearly 660 fatalities are directly related to underinflated tires (‘Research Reveals 85of Drivers Don’t Properly Check Tire Pressure’ U.S. Newswire, April 2005).

- Extend your tire life span

Properly inflated tires wear more evenly and relieve tension on the sidewalls raising the life of your tires and tread. As described by a Goodyear Tire Corporation study: For every 1 PSI drop in inflation pressure, tread wear increases by 1.78 If a tire remains underinflated by 2 PSI over its lifetime, the tread wear would increase by 1.78or about 1600 miles (45,000*.0356). If a tire is underinflated on average by 6 PSI or 10.7 tire life will be diminished by 4,800 miles.
 
How often should tire pressure get checked?
 
Plan to inspect your tire pressure every month or every 1,000 miles. It is near impossible to visually tell if your tire has dropped air. Nonetheless, this is how 25of motorists verify their pressure (Rubber Manufacturers Association.) A tire can drop nearly half of its pressure before it begins to look low. For those who hold off until your tire is visibly low you already wasted gas and caused damage to your tire.

When inspecting your tire pressure don’t disregard your spare!
 
The way to inspect your tire pressure:
 
Check your tire pressure while the tire is cold (driven under one mile after being immobile for a while). Try not to look at your tire pressure after your car has been driven for an extended time. It will provide you an incorrect reading as a result of the heat made from driving conditions. After uncapping the tire valve, clear dirt and debris from the valve with the air from the nozzle. Firmly press the top of the tire gauge to the top of the tire valve and read the pressure. Inflate your tire to your vehicle’s recommended tire pressure. The appropriate pressure generally can be located on the placards situated in the doorjam on the driver’s side door. The placards list the original equipment tire size and the manufacturer’s suggested pressure for the vehicle tires and spare tire(s).

Note: The pressure listed on your own tire is the max tire pressure, not necessarily your vehicle’s suggested tire pressure. Find an air compressor to pump up those tires.

Check out the best air compressors to inflate those tires.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/why-you-should-keep-your-tires-properly-inflated-5157264.html

About the Author

Arthur Michaels invites you to check out PrimePowerTools.com to help you find the right tool at the lowest price possible. You can review Power Tool Ratings or see the top Power Tool Recommendations.