Let’s Talk Tire Pressure
Optimal tire pressure is really important as it increases our tires life span and also helps to keep us safe on the road. Although our tires may seem like they’re inflated right, we can’t just go on their external appearance. It’s important to have a good understanding of how to maintain optimal tire pressure. Let’s have a look and why it is so important.
What Is PSI
PSI is a common acronym that stands for Pounds Per Square Inch. It’s the most common unit for measuring pressure.
In other words, it’s the amount of force that’s exerted per square inch. The higher the force of exertion, the higher the tire pressure. PSI is what is indicated on the pressure measuring gauges when your tire gets filled up with air. It’s important to pay close attention to these gauges when filling your tires up.
Incorrect Tire Pressure Is Dangerous
When your tires are over inflated, your car’s handling characteristics can change. You may experience sharper cornering ability, but you’ll end up losing part of your side wall grip. This can affect your cars braking ability and could end up in a back end slide out. Over inflation can reduce tire traction which adds and increased risk of your car losing control on the road. When driving a performance car, it’s important to get the correct performance tires for your vehicle. If you want your tires to perform optimally, then their pressure needs to be just right.
Uneven Tire Wear Can Happen Easily
It’s important to comply with your vehicles specified levels. Finding the current tire pressure for your car is important. These levels are mostly found on a sticker in the door, or on your vehicle’s fuel door. Over time, your tires will begin to wear unevenly when they aren’t inflated at an optimal level. Under inflated tires will start to show wear on the outside edges of the tread, while over inflated tires will begin to show wear down the middle of the tread. Over time, this will result in you having to replace your tires sooner than expected. This will cause you to have to pay money out before you had originally planned to. Consult with a tire specialist who can best advise you on your cars tire wear.
Check Your Tire Pressure Regularly
Routine vehicle maintenance should always involve the checking of optimal tire pressure levels. It’s really important to check this regularly. Tires can lose around a pound of pressure each month all by themselves. Getting your tires checked monthly or every time you fill up with gas is a good idea. Keep in mind that a change in temperature can also affect tire pressure. A qualified tire specialist will be able to help get your vehicle’s optimal tire pressure just right, and will also be able to identify any other potential issues on your tires. Remember that you can’t always notice that your tire pressure is wrong by just looking at it. A tire can lose as much as 10 PSI and not look any different from the outside. It’s also important to remember that sometimes your tire pressure amounts may vary from the front to the back tires. Extra passengers in your car may also affect the optimal PSI level.
Maintain Optimal Tire Pressure
As you can see, it’s really important to maintain an optimal tire pressure. Not only is it dangerous not to, but it can also cost you in the long run by having to replace your tires earlier than they should have to be replaced. We recommend that you get your tires checked out regularly. Feel free to pop in to our workshops to get a specialist to ensure your tires have the optimal pressure they need.