A part of daily car checks before driving but one of the most neglected - the tire pressure. Many drivers think that as long as it doesn’t look flat, it’s okay. But when it comes to this part of car maintenance, numbers do count.

Your tires are responsible for many things. But one thing that your tire should give you is proper traction. It dictates how well your tires grip the road for accelerating, and more importantly, stopping. There are so many marketed designs of tires all around. Regardless of brand and model, it’s your tire’s pressure that dictates how well the tire gives you the optimum traction that it can give. (Definitely, better tires have tread designed to give you better grip).

Problem

Two problems that you will encounter with improperly inflated tires are underinflation and overinflation. In either case, your traction is less than par traction. As you can see in this diagram, improperly inflated tires shift the tire-road contact to different points. A properly inflated tire grips the road evenly across the tread of the tire.

Improperly inflated tires wear out unevenly and quickly. Loss of traction leads to loss of handling, accelerating, and stopping power. Since these are hampered your engine may need to work a bit more making it less fuel efficient.

You can tell if you’ve been driving underinflated tires by checking the tread wear. If the outer tread’s got wear, chances are they’re underinflated. If the wear are more concentrated smack dab in the middle of the tread, it’s overinflated.

NOTE: Sometimes uneven wear can be caused by improper wheel alignment. So even if you always keep your tires inflated to specifications.

Solution

If you think just popping a tire gauge will do the job, think again. It’s always best to consult two things - your tire’s literature and you car’s manual. You should be able to tell the recommended pressure there. In addition, check if they have different recommendations depending on altitude. These environmental factors can affect pressure. If in doubt, call your car manufacturer.

Here’s how to check your tire pressure:

• Invest on a good tire gauge.
• Check the tires in cold inflation, meaning just before you start driving. When you drive, the wheels get hot. Your readout may not be accurate when you measure them hot.
• Unscrew the protective caps of the air valve.
• Press the gauge against the valve and check the readout.
• Compare with the recommended.
• Add or let out air as need.
• Screw the protective air valve cap back on.

As of 2007, car manufacturers are equipping tires with tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) that gives warnings or readouts on tire pressure. Neat!

Benefits

Having a properly inflated tire is the best route even if it means more trips to the air pump. Not only does it prevent you from experiencing the bad effects of improper inflation, it also saves. It saves tires, fuel, and most importantly, save your life by making your ride just a bit more safe.

So buckle up and enjoy the ride!