By Bruce W. Smith
There are few pickup and SUV owners who wouldn't jump at the opportunity to increase their truck's fuel economy, reduce tire wear, and improve overall braking and handling performance--all without spending a dime. So why is it that 75 percent of us don't do it? The answer is simply being unaware-unaware that a tire loses about 1 psi per month from normal seepage; unaware that underinflated tires, even by a few pounds, have a significant adverse affect to truck or SUV performance; unaware of what tire pressures are at any given point in time; unaware of the proper tire pressures and at what point they actually need re-inflating.
Low Tire Concerns
Why all the hoopla about monitoring tire pressures? Contrary to what you may initially think about government intrusion into every aspect of one's life, it's really about safety, fuel economy, and performance.
Accu-Pressure
From a safety standpoint, tires underinflated by as little as 3 psi can adversely affect cornering, both on the open road as well as negotiating on/off-ramps. Braking is also affected. According to the NHTS and Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company reports, "Tires are designed to maximize their performance capabilities at a specific inflation pressure. When tires are underinflated, the shape of the tire's footprint and the pressure it exerts on the road surface are both altered. This degrades the tire's ability to transmit braking force to the road surface."
Cycloid AutoPump
Underinflated tires furthermore give fuel economy a hit. For every 1 psi all four tires are underinflated, there's an 0.4-percent drop in fuel economy. So, driving around with soft tires is cutting your truck's gas mileage by 3.3 percent. Over the course of a year, that adds up in dollars.
Underinflated tires also degrade tire life as the edges wear faster than the center of the tread-face. Over the course of a 120,000 miles that can add up to spending money on a set of tires you wouldn't need if the tires were kept inflated to proper pressure.