In conjunction with National Tire Safety Week, Pima County Department of Environmental Quality (PDEQ) Clean Air Program encourages monthly tire checks to improve your vehicle’s gas mileage, keep your tires lasting longer, save you money, improve vehicle safety and keep the air healthy to breathe.
How do routine tire pressure checks improve our environment?
- Your tires will last longer, so fewer tires per year will need to be disposed of or recycled. Drivers can lose between 10 and 50 percent of tire tread life due to under-inflated tires.
- You will save gasoline. The correct amount of tire air pressure will reduce the drag of the tires on the surface of the road and thus reduce excess gasoline use by the engine to combat the drag.
- Your vehicle will get better gas mileage and produce less air pollution since there is less drag on the road and the engine when tires are properly inflated. This helps air quality and your wallet.
Can I tell if the tire has low pressure by looking at it?
No. A visual check is not enough since a tire can be under-inflated by 30 percent before it looks low.
If my car has a tire pressure monitoring system, do I still need to check the tires monthly?
Yes! Tires can be underinflated by as much as 25 percent before tire pressure monitoring systems warn you, which can be too late to prevent tire damage.
Where do I find the correct tire pressure for my car?
The recommended air pressure can be found in the door jamb, glove compartment, fuel door, trunk or owner’s manual. The correct tire pressure is not on the sidewall of the tire!
When is the best time to check the tires?
Check them once a month with a good quality tire pressure gauge when the tires are cold. Tires, and the air inside them, heat up as you drive on the road. When air is heated, it expands and the air pressure reading will be high. Then when the tires cool down, the air molecules contract and the pressure could drop to a level that will be unsafe for driving. So, take the tire pressure first thing in the morning or after you have given the tires a chance to cool down. If the levels are different from the manufacturer’s recommended air pressure, either add or subtract the difference when you get to the nearest air compressor.
For more information on the benefits of tire inflation, visit the PDEQ Clean Air Program Pump Up Your MPG information or call (520) 724-7446.