Boston, Providence, Baltimore, Charlotte and Honolulu are the top five cities that divers are likely to have four properly inflated tires. That’s according to the Rubber Manufacturers Association, the tire makers voice in North America and organizer of National Tire Safety Week June 6-12.
After partnering with 21,000 businesses like ours, in over 30 cities nationwide, the RMA found that only 17% of vehicles have fourproperly inflated tires, 55% of vehicles had at least one underinflated tire and 85% of drivers don’t check their air monthly.
I can vouch for that. In our shop, it’s rare to find a set of properly inflated tires, including the spare, with valve caps in place. But let’s face it: Checking the air is a pain in the ass and unless there’s a problem, there’s not much incentive, or time, to do it on a monthly basis and most drivers will wait until oil change time to get it checked.
But why is proper air pressure a good thing? It’s good for you: Proper air pressure lets your tires operate at their peak performance which saves you money. As much nine cents per gallon at the pump, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. It’s good for the environment. Proper tire pressure reduces your CO2 emissions. Over 1.2 billion gallons of fuel are wasted each year by U.S. motorists driving on under inflated tires. It’s good for everyone: Under Inflated Tires Pose a Safety Risk to you and the motorists around you: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that under inflated tires contribute to more than 600 fatalities and 33,000 injuries each year.
If your vehicle is equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS), don’t wait for the light to go on before you check the air. These systems will only warn you when the tires are down 25% or more, which is way too low to be operating your tires. The proper way to check air is monthly, when cold and before the vehicle is driven.
Use the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended pressure found on a label located on the driver’s door, door post or owner’s manual. Or simply stop by the store at any time and we’ll check it for you free.
Good post! I like what you wrote about TPMS. How many vehicle owners even know their cars and trucks are equipped with OE tire pressure monitoring systems? That’s certainly something that is rarely explained when cars are purchased.