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The Importance of Checking Your Tire Pressure
In the 80's, the Society of Automotive Engineers published a paper
authored by BF Goodrich tire engineers.
A brief summary of the key points follows.
ROLLING RESISTANCE/FUEL ECONOMY:
The lower the air pressure in a tire, the
higher the rolling resistance.
Having the right air pressure in a tire
lowers the rolling resistance.
The point here is that running a tire with
low air pressure makes it harder to push down the
road and increases fuel consumption.
TREAD WEAR:
Proper inflation decreases wear on a tire.
Too little air wears both edges off a tire.
Too much air wears the middle out of it.
Today’s radial tires are much more sensitive
to under-inflation than they are to over-inflation.
Considering all factors, a little too much air is
better than too little.
ALL TIRES LOSE AIR:
There isn’t a tire made that doesn’t lose a
little air pressure throughout its life, some faster
than others.
Sometimes it’s the valve stem or the rim or the
sealing bead area that actually causes the loss but
the important thing is to check your tires
periodically to make sure they haven’t lost
pressure.
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