I’ve received several emails in response to yesterday’s tip regarding proper tire pressure and fuel economy, so I’ll go into more depth regarding the issue today. There are two additional items I’d like to focus on regarding tire pressure:
- Where else you can find information regarding proper tire pressure
- What happens if you OVER inflate your tires
In addition to being able to find the proper tire pressure for your vehicle in the owners’ manual or on the inside of the driver’s door, you may also be able to find the proper tire pressure on the actual tire itself.
If you check both the owners’ manual and the tire, you may notice that each recommends a different tire pressure, although that may not always be the case. If there is a difference, it should be pretty small.
The reason for the difference is because the tire pressure given in the owners’ manual is meant for giving the car the smoothest ride, while the pressure listed on the tire is meant to reduce wear on the tire and maximize its life.
Ultimately, which one you choose will probably just come down to personal preference, and shouldn’t really make much of a difference regarding your fuel economy.
Now that you’re making sure that you don’t have under inflated tires, you also should be aware of the problems presented by over inflated tires. Some things that can happen if you have over inflated tires include:
- Faster wear on the tire
- Increased stopping distance and time
- Increased likelihood of a blowout
Taking the negatives of having either under or over inflated tires into account, it should become even more obvious how important it is to maintain proper tire pressure.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
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Just question…..44 is listed for tire pressure on my tires. I checked my tires and they are at 40…is this a good pressure?
Thanks for the question.
While I am not a mechanic, nor am I greatly knowledgeable when it comes to cars, I would say that the tire pressure is probably a bit low.
One thing you can do to check to make sure 40 is okay is check your car’s manual. Somewhere in there should list what the manufacturer recommends for tire pressure.
If the number in the manual is vastly different than what is listed on the tire, I would go by what is on the tire.
Since you shouldn’t take my word as the gospel, I would also recommend calling the tire manufacturer to see if 40 is ok.
I have a big difference between my tire maximum pressure of 44 psi and the manufactures recommendation of 30 psi. Why would such a large difference exist?
Would increasing the pressure by 1/2 the difference = 37 psi give better gas mileage and longer tire life, without a noticeable effect on ride or handeling? Would going all the way to 44 psi give more improvement in economy?