We're told that proper tire inflation is critical for safety and performance. There are many MILLIONS of cars in operation daily. You'd think, that because this is so important, and because there are so many cars, that the technology for achieving proper inflation would be highly developed, and readily available. But it's not. Why is this?

A few months ago, I found myself and my full-size Ford van needing to transport a BUNCH of kids from one side of Dallas to the other. I decided to increase the pressure in my rear tires to accomodate the load, and ended up going to SIX different places to find an air pump that (1) worked AT ALL, and (2) would put more than 30 pounds of air in the tires. What became obvious to me from this experience was that inflating tires at the local gas station is obviously NOT how it's done.

OK, I give up, how IS it done? Does everyone own their own compressor, or in fact do most people NOT ever check the air in their tires? Do they just assume this will be done every 3000 miles by the attendants at Jiffy Lube?

The other thing that bugs me is how much trouble I have getting the right pressure in my tires. Perhaps I'm just an idiot, and I'm sure many of you will agree, but it's maddening for me. First, I put "some air" in the tire, having no idea whether I have put enough or not enough. Then I check the pressure. Then more air. Then it's too much, so I bleed off a little with a fingernair or other suitable instrument. Then I check the pressure again, but in doing so, I don't get a good connection and bleed off a little more air, so then I have too little pressure, and thus am forced to start the whole exercise over again. And this is just ONE TIRE.

Since I am so "air pressure challenged", I went in search of "a better way" and came across a couple of tools for the job.

EZ Air Tire Gauge and here.

DriveGreen One-Shot Tire Inflator

Feedback on either of these devices (or other similarly clever ones) would be appreciated.

David

 

If you plan on doing a lot of work on your own car, owning an air compressor is not a bad idea. If you want to increase your air tire pressure properly, go to a gas station WITH a garage - chances are it's hose is connected to their main compressor. Couple of points on filling tires with air:

#1 Tire pressure is very important because having under-inflated tires can increase your fuel consumption by a 1% every few pounds. I.e. A single tire is under inflated to 25 lbs vs 32 would cause you to burn around 2-3% extra fuel. Times 4, that's a 10 percent loss. On a 300 mile tank ,that's 30 miles. On a 3000 mile trip, that's an extra tank of fuel. Catch my drift?

Some guys like to inflate their tires to 35lbs - it all depends on the tire. I had Bridgeston RE-71 potenza's on my Honda Civic years ago that recommended 37lbs if you were going to drive it hard (I was).

# 2 Get a good gauge. A decent one will set you back AT LEAST $10. Digital gauges are preferred.

#3. Over inflate your tire by two or three lbs. Use your tire gauge to bleed back to the proper setting.

#4 Only inflate your tires when they are cool. (I.e. 10 minutes or less of driving). Also, filling air into your tires in the wintertime? Check it again when it's warm (air expands when it gets warm). It was -10F outside when I had a low tire. I checked them all -filled them up to 30lbs (cause I knew it would increase when it got warmer). Couple of weeks it was 50F outside and my tire pressure was around 38lbs per tire!

#5 Here's a great method to check your tire pressure:
a) Check your tire pressure and mark it on a calendar. Note initial pressures and correct.
b) After a week, re-check tire pressure. Check to see if you have a slow leak. If all your tires are good (i.e. no pressure loss), you can go onto a longer check schedule (every 3-4 weeks). If you have a pound or two down, you need to go on a bi-monthly check or have the tire checked-resealed.
c) Check / inspect your tires monthly. Look for bulges or wear strips (solid white lines on the thread)
d) If you plan a long trip, to avoid issue #1, check your pressure. If your tires ARE HOT, and I mean, you've been driving on warm pavement and the tires feel warm, and you have a low pressure tire, fill only the down tire it to the required pressure. Other tires may appear over-inflated. Don't touch those tires.
e) Tire pressure should be check a minimum once a month. Note any pressure differences on your calendar. A good driver should check tire pressure every week, but once every three weeks works as well.
f) Bumping into curbs, hitting pot holes, and dirt roads will cause your tires to loose pressure. You need to check your tires weekly.

 

One of my beefs with my Accutire (digital gauge) is that I have to remove it to bleed off any excess air, but when I press it onto the valve, about half the time I don't get a good seal and I lose MORE air. It makes me want to throw it very hard onto the pavement. I HAD a Accu-Gage dial-type with a bleed valve, and it was a pleasure to use. I seem to have lost that one so am looking for another gauge, preferably one with a bleed valve. A digital gauge with a bleed valve would be wonderful, but the only ones I have seen are a little too spendy. $25 to $30 is about my limit.

 

I don't know... I've never had a huge bout of frustration with the fill-and-bleed exercise. You just have to get the right angle to get the tire gauge seated snugly, and then just get used to guestimating how much air you're releasing. It's not tough, it just takes some practice. I also use an Accutire and like it because it's handy and pretty consistent. I'd also like one of those dial gauges with a bleed-off valve, but like you said, they're not cheap.

If you're travelling, air compressors that plug into your cigarette lighter can be bought really cheaply, and aren't bulky, but are pretty slow compared to a gas station hose.

 

Not to mention that around here, all the air pumps cost like 25 to 50 cents... And also I remember hearing that there's alot of moisture in those hoses...probably not the best thing to be pumping into your tires...

 

Got my EZ Air tire gauge. It works really slick on some air compressors, but not all. On compressors with a pencil type pressure gauge built into the hose, the kind where you have to press a "trigger" to add air, you can't put air in with the EZ Air attached because it would take 3 hands - one to hold the EZ Air gauge, one to press on the air compressor valve, and a 3rd to press the "trigger" on the hose. In this case it's done "the old fashioned way" where you overfill the tire using the gauge on the compressor hose, then attach the EZ Air gauge and use the bleed valve to reduce the pressure to the desired amount.

On air compressors which you just push on to add air, it works like a charm.

What I haven't done is "calibrate" the EZ Air gauge against my AccuTire digital gauge.