Keeping your tires at the recommended PSI (Pounds per square inch) can save you 4% on your annual gas costs. That could save the average family between $100 and $200 dollars per year. Here is how you determine and maintain the correct tire pressure.
Correct tire pressure varies from vehicle to vehicle and wheel to wheel. In fact, the recommended pressure for personal vehicles ranges from 20 to over 50 psi.
The correct tire pressure for your vehicle is listed on the information placard. This placard is normally located on the edge of one of the doors, the inside post of one of vehicle's doors or inside the glove compartment, trunk, or fuel door. Your owner's manual should include the correct tire pressure or direct you to the placard's location on your vehicle.
The pressure listed on the tire sidewall is the maximum tire pressure - or the tire pressure that is required to carry the maximum load of the tire. It is not the manufacturer's recommended tire pressure, which is a common misconception.
Once you find the recommended tire pressure then you have to be able to measure the tire pressure on all of your tires to make sure they are at the correct pressure. Here is the correct way to measure tire pressure.
How to measure and correct tire pressure:
Step 1:
Make sure you have a tire pressure gauge. There are many kinds. You do not need an expensive one. A gauge with a dial is easier to read than the pop up kind.
Step 2:
Find the recommended inflation pressure for your tires on the vehicle information placard. Check the owner's manual for its exact location. A sight inspection is not an appropriate way to measure the air pressure in your tires.
Step 3:
Only measure pressure when the tires are cold. Tires are cold if they have not been driven for more than 1 mile or have been at rest at least 3 hours.
Step 4:
Complete tire inflation pressure check: Remove the cap from the valve on one tire, press the pressure gauge onto the valve and take a pressure reading. Make sure you press the pressure gauge completely onto the valve. You should not hear any air escaping from the tire as you are taking the reading. If air is escaping, remove the gauge from the valve and try reseating it again.
Step 5:
Add air to achieve recommended air pressure. If you overfill the tire, release air by pushing on the metal stem in the center of the valve, then re-measure the pressure.
Step 6:
Repeat the above procedure for each of the tires.
It is recommended that you check your tire pressure at least once per month. Air can and will leach from a tire over time. Heat and use will affect the rate at which a tire loses air. Checking once a month will assure that you are maintaining the correct pressure all year round.
Check your tires. Follow the steps above. There is no easier way to put $100 to $200 dollars of gas costs back into your pocket.
Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page manual of industry insider information on saving gas and money at the pump. Visit us to learn how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage.
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