How Much Air Do My Tires Need?

How much air does a tire need? How do you know how much air to put in your tires? Read on to learn everything you need to know here!

Are you a dicey driver? When we think of dangerous driving, we picture someone speeding and staring at their phone. However, not all unsafe drivers have bad driving habits.

Driving with low tire pressure automatically makes you, and the people around you, more vulnerable to car accidents. Every year at least 700 people lose their lives from tire-related crashes. These crashes often happen when a tire blows out causing the driver to lose control of their vehicle.

To be a safe driver, you have to check your tire pressure regularly. How much air does a tire need?

How Much Air Does A Tire Need?

Before we answer the question, how much air does a tire need? Let’s review why it matters. Here are a few of the risks you’re taking when your drive with low tire pressure:

Tires wear out faster
Car is difficult to handle
You’ll spend more on gas

Every day your tires are losing pressure. In cool weather, they’ll lose a couple of pounds of air each month.

However, in warmer weather, your tires will lose even more air. That’s why every time you fill up your gas tank, you should check your air pressure.

Know Your PSI

Air pressure in tires is measured using pounds per square inch, or psi. For instance, you may discover that your car tires need a psi of 32. To find out your car’s ideal tire pressure, look for a label inside the edge of your vehicle’s door.

If you have a newer vehicle you’ll probably be able to find the recommended psi on the driver’s side door. Looking at the driver’s side door, try to find a sticker that has the manufacturer’s recommendation for psi.

If you’re not able to find the psi listed on your vehicle, don’t worry. Go online, check out car manuals for your vehicle, and there you’ll find the information you require.

Best Way To Check Tire Pressure

To determine the current psi, you’ll need to check the tire pressure with a gauge.

Here are the steps for checking your tire pressure:

Check the safety of your surroundings
Start with cold tires if possible
Use a tire gauge to check the pressure
Compare gauge readings to the recommended psi
Add air if needed

For those filling up at the gas station, make sure you’ve pulled out of the way of traffic.

Check Cold Tires

Whenever possible, it’s helpful to check your tire pressure when your tires are cold to get the most accurate reading. If you’re checking your tires at home this will be easy to do. Wait a couple of hours after driving your vehicle before you use the gauge to test the pressure.

Types of Tire Pressure Gauges

You’ll most likely be working with a pen-type gauge, a dial pressure, or a digital pressure gauge. A pen-type pressure gauge is common at older gas stations. These gauges have a rectangular rod that slides out of a sleeve to measure the pressure.

A dial pressure gauge isn’t as common, but you might come across it. These gauges have a numbered dial and resemble a watch.

Finally, digital pressure gauges are available at certain new gas stations. You can also find inexpensive models for home use. They’ll have a display screen that tells you the current psi.

How To Use A Tire Pressure Gauge

The good news is that no matter what type of gauge you’re using, they’re all easy to use. Holding the gauge in your hand, kneel so you’re close to the tire.

Next, remove the cap from the tire’s air stem. Be careful not to lose the caps by safely tucking them into your pocket for now.

Firmly press the tire pressure gauge against the air stem. If you’re using a pen-style gauge, you’ll read the number that comes out of the sleeve.

If you’re reading a dial pressure gauge, you’ll read the number the hand points to on the watch like face. Finally, if you’re reading a digital gauge, you’ll read the numbers on the display screen.

Compare Readings

After checking the tire’s pressure with the gauge, refer to your list of what the tire’s psi should read. Since your front tires can have a different psi than the back, double-check that you’re comparing the right numbers.

Inflate Your Tires

Let’s say you check your front right tire and it’s reading 28 psi, but it should be 32 psi. The next step will be to inflate that tire until it reaches the correct psi.

If you’re at the gas station, there will probably be an air hose attached to the tire gauge. All you will need to do is press the air hose to the stem of the tire’s air valve and start adding air.

Check the tire’s pressure again and keep adding air until you have the correct psi. If you accidentally add too much air, you can release it by pressing down on the tire’s air valve. Remember to put the stem cap from your pocket back on the tire’s air valve when you’re done.

Once you finish with one tire, move on to the next one. Repeat the process of using the gauge to check the psi and adding air if necessary. After you put air in all the tires that need it, you’ll be ready for a safe ride.

Have A Safe Ride

Now you know the answer to the question, how much air does a tire need? Were you surprised to learn that you should be checking your tire pressure regularly?

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