Three Reasons To Keep Your Vehicle's Tires Properly Inflated
As you travel from one destination to another in your vehicle, you might not spend any time thinking about your tires. Even without your attention, they'll help get you from Point A to Point B safely, but every motorist should take an active interest in his or her tires. Start your interest in your tires by learning how much they should be inflated, how to check the pressure by yourself and how, when necessary, to add air to one or more tires with the air pump at your local gas station. Keeping your vehicle's tires properly inflated in hugely beneficial for a number of reasons, including these three.
Improved Fuel Economy
You'd probably like to keep your gas bills as low as possible, and the good news is that you can find yourself filling up your car less frequently if you make sure your tires are correctly inflated. Underinflated tires reduce your vehicle's fuel economy. Whenever all four of your tires are one pound per square inch (PSI) of air pressure lower than they should be, you're reducing your fuel economy by about 0.3 percent. This amount might not seem hugely notable, but given that you can run your tires several PSI too low without being aware, there's a real risk of hurting your fuel economy through your inattentiveness.
Better Braking Response
You rely on not only your brakes, but also your vehicle's tires to stop your forward progress in a timely manner in order to keep you safe on the road. When your tires aren't adequately inflated, your braking distance will increase – which could lead to an accident that was entirely preventable through proper tire maintenance. Keep in mind that a tire that is overinflated will also be detrimental to your ability to stop in a timely manner. Too much air will cause the tire's shape to bulge, which means there will be less contact between the tread and the road.
Prolonged Tire Life
If you're not keen on having to replace your tires more than necessary, one of the simplest ways to extend your tire life is to ensure they're always properly inflated. Underinflated or overinflated tires change the shape of the tread, which means that the tread won't be making contact with the road in the intended way. The result will be wear that occurs faster than normal and not only precipitates the need for new tires, but also increases the risk that a tire will blow out while you're driving, which can be dangerous.
For more information on tire services, contact a company like Jafstram Imported Car Service.