Check Your Tire Pressure
When your tires are not properly inflated, only certain parts of the tires’ treads make contact with the road. The obvious effect of this is that your vehicle gets less traction. Another is that your tires get uneven wear.
However, the inflation of your tires affects more than just your tires. Your brakes, suspension, and even your engine could benefit from a good tire pressure gauge and regular trips to the air pump.
According to the Rubber Association, under-inflation increases not only tire wear, but also fuel consumption. Handling, acceleration, and braking also suffer - wearing down other parts of your vehicle. In extreme cases, under-inflation can also cause tire failure.
The logical solution then would be to over-inflate tires, right?
Wrong. Over-inflation causes its own share of problems. Again, because of the smaller contact area, handling suffers. On top of this, you get a harsher ride that increases wear on your suspension.
The only real solution is to keep your tires at the pressure recommended by your manufacturer. If you have the stock tires installed, you can usually find this somewhere around the driver’s side door.
Written by Luis on April 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment
July 27th, 2007 at 1:53 am
Not only that, what is really recommended is that tires be kept inflated to the maximum recommended by the manufacturer. Tires are among the most important components of a vehicle from a safety standpoint, yet a majority drivers simply ignore them until a problem arises. Too often that problem can be a serious accident.
February 19th, 2008 at 5:22 am
[...] an odd spot when you least expect it. Also, it would be a good idea to make it a ritual to have the tire pressure checked everytime you fill up to ensure your wheels are running as designed. Uneven wear, cupping [...]
February 26th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
[...] an odd spot when you least expect it. Also, it would be a good idea to make it a ritual to have the tire pressure checked everytime you fill up to ensure your wheels are running as designed. Uneven wear, cupping [...]