Your vehicle runs on your tires. Tires are essential not only to your driving comfort but also to your and your car’s passenger’s safety as well. Have threadbare tires with little tread and in an emergency situation you should be able to stop on a dime. Yet few motorists give their tires a passing moment – that is until the tires are running flat of air or perhaps after an emergency situation the police or auto insurance adjuster notes that the tires had little gripping tread left and the tire tread wear indicator showed a worn out tread with none or little gripping ability to the roadway.

Hence tires are a very important part of your car, truck or sports utility vehicle. Think of it this way: your car is worth a lot. So are your life and the life of your family and passengers. When you drive, all that essentially connects you to the ground and roadway are those four small pieces of round rubber. Thus it always pays and is a good idea to have good rubber.

Besides this, good tires cost a lot of money so it pays to take care of them. It’s not only the initial cost of the tires. It’s the full install with tire balancing at the big box auto service department, your local garage or tire shop or your auto dealership service center. If new tires are not balanced (which costs time and money) those tires will be worn out, no matter how high end they are, in short order. All in all, most likely your tires cost you lot more than the amount stated in the tire ad so take good care of them. With care and attention you can well drive and derive twice as many miles over the tire lifetime than other less caring automobile owners.

An important thing is the amount of air in the tires. If a tire has too little air, it wears out fast. Also the tire will wear out on the outside edges. When that same tyre has too much air it can well exhibit wear in the middle of the tread.

What then is the right and correct amount of air? To some degree that depends. First of all it depends on your driving, comfort and fuel efficiency needs. For an overall softer ride with fewer miles per a gallon a lesser pressure will result in a softer ride but with less fuel economy. For a driver with more fuel efficiency yet bumpier ride add in more air. Secondly it depends when you measure the air pressure. A tire not driven – a cooler version of the same tire when hot after a long highway drive, will measure less atmospheric pressure. Hence always measure tire air pressure consistently – best when the tire is cold before being driven.

Hence the pressure is not one solitary number but a range depending on your driving needs or wishes. What is your best resource for determining the right amount of air? Your driver’s manual in your glove box, or in 2010 the FAQ online at the manufacturer’s website will give you the answer. Consult those sources either in your glove box owner’s manual or online.

Lastly a most wise investment for auto owner’s and even drivers is an investment in an accurate tire pressure gauge of your own. The one’s at gas stations and garages are often inaccurate being dropped many times on the pavement by careless motorists or stolen so many times that the gas station simply offers a less accurate, less costly device for use at its refill air pressure hose or hoses.

By Shaun Stevens