Check Your Tires

So I'll start this entry with an embarrassing confession. When it comes to my car I all to often ask my husband to check it or just drop it at the mechanic. So two weeks ago when I thought my tires looked a little low rather than checking the pressure I asked my husband what he thought. Being busy he said they were fine and so I just continued driving.

I should point out that I've been going through a lot of gas recently, however my new venture offering admin services on contract has really picked up so I just assumed I was driving a lot more.

Two days ago I was at the gas station and looked at those tires and thought "I don't care what he says - they look low to me and I'm sure I shouldn't be able to depress them with my thumb". After filling up I drove over to the air pump, pulled out my manual to see what the pressure should be and then checked to see what it was. Holy smokes - I am supposed to have 34 psi and was sitting at 22 - on all four wheels!!

I've pumped those tires and have noticed immediate results in fuel consumption. I also feel like an idiot!!

So this column is for all of you who are too busy or just haven't really thought about - you're not an idiot - but you do need to check these things.

First, your recommended tire pressure for your vehicle should be on a sticker on the inside of your door frame - so even if you don't have those manuals you should be able to figure out what your tires need.

It is recommended that you check your tires once a month as they lose on average 1psi a month and in cold weather that number goes up.

Popular Mechanic asked the question "if under filling decreases your mileage would over filling increase your mileage?" After taking their Honda Fit on a trip from LA to Arizona and back they didn't notice any significant differences between having their tires inflated at the recommended psi level and over inflated to 5 points below the maximum allowable psi. Most of the comments left on that post argue that in fact this 'myth' is true. However, as pointed out by the DMV guide, over inflating your tires will lead to them wearing more quickly and may lead to a blow out. As further suggested in the comments section of Popular Mechanics over inflated tires may not perform as well in inclement weather.

For more information on how to increase your vehicles fuel economy check out these great resources. Fuel Economy, this is an American site so the info is in miles and gallons but still relevant. Earth Easy, once you've read the fuel efficiency tips you can read about making the rest of your life easier on the earth.