How to Inflate Tires

Tires have a major impact on the handling, braking and overall safety of a car. It is necessary to perform regular checks of your tires to ensure your family's safety. This means visually inspecting your tires often, having professional inspections done, and replacing or repairing tires when needed. A part of routine tire maintenance is keeping your tires inflated correctly. Below are some tips on proper tire inflation.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tire-pressure gauge

1. Don't rely on your eyes. You cannot judge the pressure of your tires just by looking.

2. Use a tire gauge to check the air pressure of your tires at least once per month. A tire-pressure gauge is available for purchase at auto parts stores for as little as $5.

3. Be sure that the tires are inflated to the maker's recommended pressure. This information is typically printed on the door of the glove compartment, the door jamb or the inside of the door to the gas cap.

4. Measure the pressure of the tires with the gauge when the tires are cool. As the tires warm up, the pressure inside rises, which will give you an inaccurate reading.

5. Inflate your tires by unscrewing the plastic cap that covers the air valve. Be sure to put the cap where it will not get lost.

6. Add air to inflate the tires. Press the air hose onto the valve and squeeze the lever on the hose.

7. Check the air pressure with the gauge to determine if tires are inflated properly.

8. Let some air out of the tires if they are overinflated. Do this by pressing the needle in the center of the air valve. This will allow air to escape.

9. Replace the cap over the air valve and repeat with the remaining tires and the spare.

Tips & Warnings

• Inspect your tires regularly. Look for cracking, cuts, uneven wear, excessive wear and bulges.
• When checking and inflating your tires, don't forget the spare.
• As many as half of the cars on the road may have under inflated tires. Tires lose air through the rubber so slowly that people are usually not aware of the situation. Understand that temperature changes will also affect the pressure of your tires.
• When tires are under inflated, driving control is compromised because the sidewalls will flex more than they should.

Resources

• Proper tire inflation information
• Tire care details on the Michelin website