Tips from the Auto Shop: Tire Pressure and Your Safety

Terry's Auto Service & Towing has some information for you about tire pressure. The auto shop has compiled necessary information. Read more on our blog.

If you want to know more about tire pressure from the auto shop, Terry’s Auto Service & Towing has some tips for you.

Your tires are literally where the rubber meets the road, especially in regard to auto safety. Improperly inflated tires can affect your vehicle's handling, braking, mileage, and obstacle avoidance. Here’s the lowdown on tire pressure safety from the auto shop at Terry’s Auto Service & Towing.

Tire Pressure Tips from Our Auto Shop

Keeping your tires properly inflated is one of the biggest and easiest steps in good vehicle maintenance. Get a good, high-quality pressure gauge from your auto shop to check your tires at least once per month. Don’t rely on pressure gauges from gas station air pumps or discount dollar stores; these are often dangerously inaccurate and not as reliable as quality gauges from your auto shop.

The recommended tire pressure stamped into your tire’s sidewall is often intended to reflect the PSI appropriate for cold weather, when the air in your tires can contract and lessen your tire pressure. It’s important to remember to check tires at least once per month and adjust or inflate pressure in changing seasons with vastly different temperatures. Warm tires can give a pressure reading of up to 5 PSI higher than the recommended pressure. In a pinch, a good auto shop will be able to recommend the perfect tire pressure for your car’s tires and the current season or environment. Proper inflation is critical to your car’s safety. The higher the tire pressure, the less tire surface is connecting with the road. This will cause your car to bounce roughly and means your tires have much less traction in dangerous situations. Conversely, if tire pressure is too low, too much of the tire's surface area touches the ground, which increases friction between the road and the tire. Not only will this cause your tires to wear and degrade prematurely, it can cause the rubber to overheat quite easily, causing tread separation.

If your tires squeal when going around curves, it’s possible your tires are underinflated. Visit our auto shop to have us check the pressure. If your tires seem to lose air quickly, let us know, and we’ll check for nails, rocks, or other foreign objects that may have caused a slow leak. These can be patched quite easily.

Tires are the MVPs of your vehicle’s safety. Keeping your tires properly inflated, balanced, and rotated can make a huge difference in everything from braking and maneuvering to ride comfort and gas mileage. Contact Terry’s Auto Service & Towing with any questions about tire pressure safety.