Your tires are easy to neglect since they make little, if any, noise. They also sustain wear very slowly, which makes it difficult to identify changes in ride quality and steering response. This is the reason it is important to check your treads and sidewalls on a regular basis. Aside from a blowout on the road, a visual inspection is the only way to determine whether your tires are in good condition.

While there are many reasons tires fail, most problems are caused by underinflation. This is because drivers often forget to maintain the air pressure (between 28 and 32 psi for most passenger vehicles). Below, we’ll describe some of the issues a lack of sufficient air in your tires can cause.

Increased Risk Of Failure

Your tires are designed to withstand a certain level of stress during operation. The sidewalls flex in order to support the weight of your vehicle and its occupants. When the pressure falls under 20 psi, the flexing of the sidewalls increases significantly. This elevates the level of heat in the tire, which makes a blowout more likely.

Loss Of Traction And Steering Precision

When your tires are properly inflated, their internal structure is stable. This makes them more responsive to your steering commands, and more capable of maintaining traction on the road’s surface. If one or two of them are underinflated, they will support a lower percentage of the set’s load. This means the weight of your car and occupants will be unevenly distributed across the set. Both traction and steering precision will be affected.

Premature Tread Wear

This issue is easy to identify when you inspect your treads. Underinflation causes premature wear on the sides of a tire. This occurs because the sides of the treads make excessive contact with the road’s surface.

Premature wear causes two secondary problems. First, the affected tire must be replaced sooner than would otherwise be the case. This is an unnecessary expense. Second, when only one or two tires suffer wear due to underinflation, the driver is forced to “break up” the set. The alternative is to replace all four tires at the same time, even if one or two have worn at a much slower rate.

Increased Rolling Resistance

Because underinflation causes more of the treads’ surface area to make contact with the road, it produces rolling resistance. You’re unlikely to notice the difference while driving because the effect is subtle. However, you might notice your vehicle’s fuel economy declines.

How To Tell Whether More Air Is Needed

Ideally, you should manually check the level of air pressure in your tires every two or three weeks. The rubber material from which they are constructed is porous, so air will leak over time. A lot of drivers are surprised to find their tires are underinflated with no signs of damage, either to the treads or the sidewalls. The reason is due to normal air leakage (approximately one-half pound each month).

You can purchase a digital tire pressure gauge at most auto supply shops for under $10. They are simple to use. Keep in mind that the automaker’s recommended psi (you’ll find the number in your owner’s manual) is rated for tires that are cold since heat cause air to expand. If you check the pressure immediately after driving, the gauge’s reading will show slightly more pressure than actually exists.

Even if you neglect to check the air pressure, your car will alert you when your tires become severely underinflated. Most vehicles – and certainly all newer ones – are equipped with a tire pressure monitor system (TPMS). By the time it is triggered, however, the psi may have declined by up to 25 percent. This presents a safety issue.

Adopt the habit of regularly checking your tires’ treads and air pressure. Doing so is one of the best ways to ensure they last as long as possible.

Author Bio: Find the best deals from Tire Team on Discount Firestone Tires at http://wwww.Tireteam.com

Category: Automotive
Keywords: underinflated tires, underinflation