How to Check Tire Air Pressure

Having the correct air pressure in your vehicle's tires is very important to the safety and mechanical well-being of your vehicle. Incorrect air pressure can lead to uneven tire wear, decreased fuel mileage, poor ride quality or even an accident. So, checking tire air pressure is a maintenance item that should be done on a regular basis. Luckily, it is quick and easy to do.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tire gauge

1. Find your vehicle manufacturer's recommended tire air pressure. It will be written in your vehicle owner's manual or on a sticker inside of the vehicle doors.

2. Remove the cap from the valve stem on the tire to be tested. Leave the cap in a safe place where it can not roll away.

3. Press the open end of a tire gauge firmly onto your tire's valve stem, hard enough so that you do not hear any air escaping.

4. Read the pressure on the tire gauge. If the tire's air pressure is below the vehicle manufacturer's recommended tire air pressure level, then you will need to add air to the tire until the tire air pressure reaches the manufacturer's recommended level.

5. Check the tire's air pressure again after adding air. Repeat the process of adding air and checking the tire's air pressure until the tire reaches the manufacturer's recommended level.

6. Replace the cap on the valve stem once the tire's air pressure reaches the manufacturer's recommended tire air pressure level.

7. Repeat the process of checking tire air pressure on all four tires to ensure all tires have the same tire air pressure for smooth ride quality.

Tips & Warnings

• Many gas stations have free air pumps to fill tires.

[swopedesign]

on 10/3/2007 This article misses some essential information and can result in as much as 20% under-inflated tires on smaller vehicles. This, of course, is a safety issue. For the proper procedure, see my article on this subject. To eHow: I recommend removing this article due to liability risk.