12v Air Compressor

Learning how to check tire pressure correctly is something that everyone that owns a car should do. Under inflated tires are trouble just waiting to happen.

That low tire that you are riding around on could be causing your tire to wear prematurely. Low pressure creates excessive friction from the road surface, heating the tire. The extra heat softens your tire. The tire wears out faster.That premature wear in turn could cause a blow out resulting in an accident.

Checking tire pressure regularly can save you quite a bit of money in the long run too!

Tires that are low waste fuel. How much you ask? It is estimated that low tires waste approximately 5 million gallons of fuel per day! Yikes! That means that more than 2 billion gallons are wasted per year. All because of low air pressure.

So I think you can see that learning how to check your tire pressure makes a lot of sense both for safety reasons as well as monetary ones.

Checking Your Tire Pressure

Here are some tips to help you to check your tire pressure.

1. Consider buying a quality digital air pressure gauge. Something like the
AccuTire Digital Car/Truck Tire Gauge. Digital gauges are,in my opinion, easier to read and more accurate. They are generally priced about $10 to $20.

2. Get out your owners manual and locate the recommended tire pressure for your car. The pressure rating should fall somewhere between 30 psi and 40 psi for most vehicles. Your owners manual will tell you exactly what pressure is recommended.

If you don’t have or can’t find the owners manual, look on the door or door jamb of the drivers door. There should be sticker that will list the tire pressure.

3. Always check your tire pressure when the tires are cold. Tires heat up as you drive. Checking warm or hot tires will give you a false reading of the exact pressure in the tire. If you reduced the pressure when the tires were warm, they would actually be under inflated.

4. On the valve stem(the little “finger” sticking up out of your wheel) is a plastic cap known as the valve stem cap. This cap is on the valve stem to prevent dirt from getting into the valve stem.

Tire valve caps have a tendency to roll away once you remove them from the tire. Especially on windy days. I like to try to hold onto them while I check my tires, but sometimes that can be a pain. You may want to consider putting the cap in your pocket if you have one.

5. Once the valve cap is removed, press the air gauge down on the valve stem. You are going to hear a slight hiss as a little air will escape. Don’t worry because you only need to hold the air pressure gauge on the valve stem for just a second or two to get a reading.

6. Read the pressure from the gauge. If the pressure is below what is recommended for your car, add more air until you reach the necessary pressure. If it is higher, you can let some air out by either using the gauge(some models have pressure relief valves just for this purpose) or even the tip of your key. A 12v air compressor can be handy for this.

Simply push down on the pin in the center of the valve stem slightly. Air will be released. Don’t hold the pin down long or you will have to add pressure. Recheck the tire after you release some air.

7. Once you have checked all of your tires don’t forget to reinstall the valve stem caps. They will keep dirt out of your valve stems.

Once you learn how to check your tire pressure, it is easy to do and should be done regularly. Once a month wouldn’t be a bad idea to try for.