Learn the Benefits of Properly Inflated Tires

new tiresLow tire pressure is a common problem with an easy remedy. Driving with soft tires increases the amount of emissions your car gives off, wastes gas and therefore lowering your fuel efficiency, and are safer to drive on. Check your tire pressure at least monthly, but preferably more often than that, to ensure you’re getting the most out of your tires.

Save Money, Lower Emissions

Under inflation of tires is common, and according to fueleconomy.gov, you lose 0.4 percent of gas mileage for every one drop of PSI missing. So if your car is supposed to have tires inflated to 35 PSI and they’re actually at 25 PSI, you’re losing a lot of money. When your car’s tires are lower in pressure than they’re supposed to be, your car is having to work harder to move you from point A to point B, wasting gas and increasing emissions in the process.


Many cars have a Tire Pressure Monitoring System in place for safety, but checking your air pressure is a good habit to get into regardless. When tires are not properly inflated, traction abilities are impaired for hazardous driving conditions, and your tire is also more likely to fail (or blow out) while on the expressway. This can cause an accident at high speeds, so keeping your tire pressure at the proper inflation is important for safety!

How to Check Your Tire Air Pressure

The first step to checking the air pressure in your tires is to find out what PSI your tires should be at. PSI stands for pounds per square inch, and is a method of measuring how much air pressure is held within your tire. It’s literally the force exerted by all the little air molecules bouncing around inside your tire.

If you open your car’s manual to the contents, you should find a section about air tire pressure. The PSI listed is what you should inflate your tires to. If your tires are different than what originally came on the car, make sure you look on the tire itself for the PSI. It’ll be in little letters that are on the outside, with other measurements. If this is different than what the manufacturer’s tires are, then write it down in your manual for easy reference.

The next step is getting a quality tire pressure gauge. Any auto parts store will have a huge selection of tire pressure gauges, and it’s important to get an accurate one. Some people prefer manual ones, and some people prefer digital ones. Manual or digital doesn’t matter as much as accuracy, so do your research and get one that you can count on.

Then find an air hose! Most gas stations have air hoses for public use, and sometimes tire repair places will have air available for use as well. When you press the air hose to your valve stem, make sure you’re pressing firm and at a 90-degree angle to avoid damaging the valve stem.

What if My Tires Won’t Stay Inflated?

If your tires won’t stay inflated then you probably have a leak. These things happen over the course of driving your vehicle. Take your car into a reputable dealership like ours to have your tires checked for leaks. We offer many different services at Community Honda, and frequently offer specials on tires and tire repair, so come down during our convenient hours and get your tires checked.