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CHECkING TIRE PRESSURE
It is important to check your vehicle’s tire pres-
sure at least once a month for the following
reasons:
* Most tires may naturally lose air over time.
* Tires can lose air suddenly if you drive over
a pothole or other object or if you strike the curb
when parking.
* With radial tires, it is usually not possible to
determine underinflation by visual inspection.
For convenience, purchase a tire pressure gauge
to keep in your vehicle. Gauges can be purchased
at tire dealerships, auto supply stores, and other
retail outlets.
The recommended tire inflation pressure that ve
-
hicle manufacturers provide reflects the proper psi
when a tire is cold. The term cold does not relate
to the outside temperature. Rather, a cold tire is
one that has not been driven on for at least three
hours. When you drive, your tires get warmer,
causing the air pressure within them to increase.
Therefore, to get an accurate tire pressure reading,
you must measure tire pressure when the tires are
cold or compensate for the extra pressure in warm
tires.
MAINTAINING PROPER TIRE PRESSURE
* Step 1: Locate the recommended tire pressure
on the vehicle’s tire information placard, certifica
-
tion label, or in the owner’s manual.
* Step 2: Record the tire pressure of all tires.
* Step 3: If the tire pressure is too high in any of
the tires, slowly release air by gently pressing on
the tire valve stem with the edge of your tire gauge
until you get to the correct pressure.
* Step 4: If the tire pressure is too low, note the
difference between the measured tire pressure and
the correct tire pressure. These “missing” pounds of
pressure are what you will need to add.
* Step 5: At a service station, add the missing
pounds of air pressure to each tire that is underin-
flated.
* Step 6: Check all the tires to make sure they
have the same air pressure (except in cases in
which the front and rear tires are supposed to have
different amounts of pressure).
If you have been driving your vehicle and think that
a tire is underinflated, fill it to the recommended
cold inflation pressure indicated on your vehicle’s
tire information placard or certification label. While
your tire may still be slightly underinflated due to
the extra pounds of pressure in the warm tire, it is
safer to drive with air pressure that is slightly lower
than the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended cold
inflation pressure than to drive with a significantly
underinflated tire. Since this is a temporary fix,
don’t forget to recheck and adjust the tire’s pressure
when you can obtain a cold reading.
Safety
Tire Safety
Because tires are designed to be used on more
than one type of vehicle, tire manufacturers list
the “maximum permissible inflation pressure”
on the tire sidewall. This number is the greatest
amount of air pressure that should ever be put in
the tire under normal driving conditions.
Summary of Contents for 500-95500-00
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