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Pumping Up Tire Safety
Remember chemistry class back in high school? How about all those Laws? Like Charles’s Law—the physical law that the volume of a fixed mass of gas held at a constant varies directly with the absolute temperature? So what does that have to do with tire safety? Well, Charles’s Law means that if there’s a decrease in temperature, there is also a decrease in pressure. Therefore, during the colder months of the year, your odds of having an under inflated tire are much greater.
Proper tire pressure is essential for getting optimum driving performance and best gas mileage. On the other hand, improper tire inflation can cause severe internal tire damage, which can lead to sudden tire failure, which can cause serious personal injury or even death.
To avoid the rapid or irregular tire wear and reduced fuel economy caused by under inflated tires, tire pressure should be checked at least once a month and whenever the temperature drops significantly. Under normal driving conditions, tires will lose approximately one pound of pressure every month, and for every change in ambient temperature of ten degrees Fahrenheit, pressure will change by approximately one psi. For convenience, purchase a tire pressure gauge to keep in your vehicle.
Remember, the tire inflation number that vehicle manufacturers provide reflects the proper pounds per square inch (psi) when a tire is cold. To get an accurate tire pressure reading, measure tire pressure when the car has been unused for at least three hours.
It’s important to use the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation for tire pressure. You can find the numbers for recommended tire pressure and vehicle load limit on the tire information placard and in the vehicle owner's manual. Tire placards are permanent labels attached to the vehicle door edge, doorpost, glove-box door, or inside of the trunk lid. Once you've located this information, use it to check your tire pressure and to make sure your vehicle is not overloaded. The pressure information printed on the tires is from the tire manufacturer and refers to maximum tire pressure; it should not be used as a guide to tire inflation.
Step 1: Locate the correct tire pressure on the tire information placard or in the owner's manual.
Step 2: Record the tire pressure of all tires.
Step 3: If the tire pressure is too high in any of the tires, slowly release air by gently pressing on the tire valve with the edge of your tire gauge until you get to the correct pressure.
Step 4: If the tire pressure is too low, note the difference between the measured tire pressure and the correct tire pressure. These "missing" pounds of pressure are what you will need to add.
Step 5: At a service station, add the missing pounds of air pressure to each tire that is under inflated.
Step 6: Check all the tires to make sure they have the same air pressure (except in cases in which the front and rear tires are supposed to have different amounts of pressure).
Don’t underestimate the importance of tire maintenance to the overall maintenance of your vehicle. As the Rubber Manufacturers Association campaign states: “Be Tire Smart—Play your PART” (PART standing for the four key aspects of tire maintenance: pressure, alignment, rotation and tread.)
For additional information, visit the following Web sites:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Bridgestone Firestone online tire safety information at: www.tiresafety.com.
Remember chemistry class back in high school? How about all those Laws? Like Charles’s Law—the physical law that the volume of a fixed mass of gas held at a constant varies directly with the absolute temperature? So what does that have to do with tire safety? Well, Charles’s Law means that if there’s a decrease in temperature, there is also a decrease in pressure. Therefore, during the colder months of the year, your odds of having an under inflated tire are much greater.
Proper tire pressure is essential for getting optimum driving performance and best gas mileage. On the other hand, improper tire inflation can cause severe internal tire damage, which can lead to sudden tire failure, which can cause serious personal injury or even death.
To avoid the rapid or irregular tire wear and reduced fuel economy caused by under inflated tires, tire pressure should be checked at least once a month and whenever the temperature drops significantly. Under normal driving conditions, tires will lose approximately one pound of pressure every month, and for every change in ambient temperature of ten degrees Fahrenheit, pressure will change by approximately one psi. For convenience, purchase a tire pressure gauge to keep in your vehicle.
Remember, the tire inflation number that vehicle manufacturers provide reflects the proper pounds per square inch (psi) when a tire is cold. To get an accurate tire pressure reading, measure tire pressure when the car has been unused for at least three hours.
It’s important to use the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation for tire pressure. You can find the numbers for recommended tire pressure and vehicle load limit on the tire information placard and in the vehicle owner's manual. Tire placards are permanent labels attached to the vehicle door edge, doorpost, glove-box door, or inside of the trunk lid. Once you've located this information, use it to check your tire pressure and to make sure your vehicle is not overloaded. The pressure information printed on the tires is from the tire manufacturer and refers to maximum tire pressure; it should not be used as a guide to tire inflation.
Step 1: Locate the correct tire pressure on the tire information placard or in the owner's manual.
Step 2: Record the tire pressure of all tires.
Step 3: If the tire pressure is too high in any of the tires, slowly release air by gently pressing on the tire valve with the edge of your tire gauge until you get to the correct pressure.
Step 4: If the tire pressure is too low, note the difference between the measured tire pressure and the correct tire pressure. These "missing" pounds of pressure are what you will need to add.
Step 5: At a service station, add the missing pounds of air pressure to each tire that is under inflated.
Step 6: Check all the tires to make sure they have the same air pressure (except in cases in which the front and rear tires are supposed to have different amounts of pressure).
Don’t underestimate the importance of tire maintenance to the overall maintenance of your vehicle. As the Rubber Manufacturers Association campaign states: “Be Tire Smart—Play your PART” (PART standing for the four key aspects of tire maintenance: pressure, alignment, rotation and tread.)
For additional information, visit the following Web sites:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Bridgestone Firestone online tire safety information at: www.tiresafety.com.
