So, your tire pressure warning light came on, what does it mean?
Your tire pressure light comes on when your tire pressure is 20% below what the vehicle manufacturer recommends, 20% below is significantly underinflated but to the human eye you won’t be able to tell. So, if your tire pressure recommendation is 35psi (pounds per square inch) your light will come on when your pressures at 28 psi.
If you were just going off of what you can see most people aren’t going to be able to tell there tires flat just by looking at it unless it gets below 20psi which is severely under inflated and very dangerous to be driving on.
Driving on an underinflated tire isn’t just dangerous for you, it’s also detrimental to the wear of your tire. Driving on an underinflated tire causes your tire to run hotter than it should which leads to premature wear and even heat related failure.
You’re TPMS will notify you when you’re driving with dangerously underinflated tires, you should not wait for the light to check your tire pressure. Try to get in the habit of regularly checking and inflating your tires to the recommended pressure.
You can find the suggested pressure on a plate or sticker located on the inside of the driver’s side door or door jamb. The number listed on your actual tire is the range the tire can handle NOT the recommended pressure for your vehicle. Some vehicles also have a different recommended pressure for the front and rear tires. Keeping your tires properly inflated helps prolong the life of your tires and promotes even wear.
Your TPMS doesn’t have a regularly scheduled maintenance plan, so be aware that the batteries in the sensors will eventually die if not changed. Road salt, gravel and other contaminants can also damage the sensor.
If your TPM sensor is going off come on down or give our office a call and one of our friendly service advisors would be happy to help you get safely back on the road.
Safe driving from us here at Old Town Auto Service!
(707)442-4556
Revised from content contributed by NAPA Service Assistant