How to Check the Tire Air Pressure in Your Vehicle

The proper tire pressure will increase your mileage, make driving smoother, and extend the life ofyour tires.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• High Quality Tire Gauge
• High Quality Tire Air Compressor

1. 
   The LongAcre looks similar to the Reb-Co--both are professional products at a reasonable price.

   Proper air pressure can only be maintained by measuring it with the right equipment. Stick-type air check tools are notoriously unreliable. Electronic LCD displays are cheap but won't last long and they require batteries. People who depend on their tires may not spend on the best but they will have durable, reliable products. Reb-Co and Longacre make a similar quality product that is durable and accurate.

2. The correct tire pressure (measured in P.S.I or pounds per square inch) can be found in the vehicle manual. It can also be found on the specification labels pasted to the inside of the vehicle door frame. It's worth reading. Some specifications require different psi on front tires than on rear ones. You have to know what the manufacturer recommends for your vehicle. Remember that cold winter temperatures causes air pressure to shrink or contract; summer temperatures have the opposite effect. Always check air pressure before you drive the vehicle because driving will heat up the tires and cause the air pressures to increase. The manufacturer's recommendations are based on running the tires "cold."

3. Remove the stem cap from the air valve on the tire. Put the hose cap of the tire pressure gauge on the stem cap so that it has a good seal. A good seal means that you don't hear the hiss of escaping air. The front face of the tire pressure gauge should show the actual tire pressure in psi. If it's less than recommended, add air to the tires and measure again.

4. When all tires have been regulated, screw the small valve stem caps onto the tire valve stems. With the proper amount of tire pressure, you'll find that steering and other handling is smoother and mileage will be a bit improved, too. Proper tire pressure can be regulated by anyone. It is not a job which requires brute force or "auto experience." It pays to have a tire gauge you trust and a decent quality air compressor to inflate the tires. Small decent quality compressors (mine is a Delco, bought from Wal-Mart for $28.00) designed for home and garage can be bought from the auto parts sections of big retailers like Wal-Mart or K-Mart and others. Decent equipment lasts a long time, and so will your tires if you keep them properly inflated.

Tips & Warnings

• A properly inflated tire will lose pressure due to temperature changes, loose valve stems, and even through the porous rubber sidewalls. Check them yourself. The nice man (or woman) at the garage doesn't care as much about your tires as you do, even when you've just bought new tires.
• Pay attention to what you're doing when you're inflating your tires. Answering your phone and engaging in a long conversation while the compressor is pumping air into your tires is asking for big trouble. Tires can withstand a lot of extra pressure so there's no reason to be afraid of reasonable errors but people have been injured from exploding tires.

[jdarling86]

on 11/10/2008 Thanks for the info.