Tire Pressure Check

I check mine maybe twice a year. When I get oil changes I think the Toyota service guy checks them too. Once a week seems silly unless you have a slow leak then you should have it fixed.

Cheers

No more than it is necessary to keep your feet away from other people's feet when using the bathroom stall.

Once a week. I fill my gas tank once a week and check my tires while the gas tank is being filled. And almost every week, the air pressure is 1 to 3 psi low in at least one tire.

How fast air leaks out of the tires is not dependent on how many miles are driven.

Premature tire wear, tire blowouts.

Poor gas mileage is another problem.

Low reading on the tire gauge.

My suggestion: get an electronic tire gauge at Walmart or Target. They are only a few bucks. Use it every week. It only takes five minutes.

Jeff

"Drive A Way >" I just bought a new Toyota. I'm being told to check my tire pressure

Every week or two. Some uneducated people will tell you once or twice a year is enough, unless you have a slow leak. But, that's a stupid thing to say, for obvious reasons.

I used to do it once a week, but tire pressure never changed so I stopped. Even now when I check my tire pressures once or twice a year they are within the 30 to 35 PSI range. Only when it drops below 30 PSI do I air them up. I have my own air compressor. If you want to keep checking yours every week, fine, good, that's nice.

"Drive A Way >" I just bought a new Toyota. I'm being told to check my tire pressure

You didn't mention what kind of new Toyota you bought, but many, if not all, new cars have on-board tire pressure monitors that illuminate a warning light on the instrument panel if the tire pressure is too low on one or more vehicles. The catch is that they sometimes have to be pretty low before the light comes on.

Tire pressure will gradually drop, especially as wheels and tires age due to corrosion and debris accumulation between the tire bead and wheel rim. While the car is new, every month should be sufficient, and if you notice a drop in tire pressure, start checking every week.

On the subject of tire pressure, you will get better fuel economy and longer tire life if you inflate the tire pressure about 5 PSI more than the automaker says, with the tradeoff being a slightly harsher ride.

There are no obvious telltale signs of driving with too little tire pressure (other than the warning light if your car is equipped with one) until tire pressure is drastically low. If tire pressure is drastically low, you *may* notice that the car pulls or pushes to one side; the sounds the tire makes on pavement may or may not change; and your tires will wear more quickly on the outsides of the tread than on the inside.

If you rarely check it, how will you know there's as low leak? Many tires don't look low on air until they're REALLY slow on air. Meanwhile, you could be shaving 5-10 thousand miles off the life of the tires. Or worse.

It's not a bad idea no matter what brand of car you have, and no matter whether you just bought it or whether you've had it for a long time.

You are correct, but when I do check my tire pressure it falls within the range I want them to be inflated to. My Toyota shop that I have my oil changed at also checks the tire pressures. I don't like my tires over inflated either. I can then begin to feel the cracks in the road. I can also tell somewhat when a tire is going low because the vehicle will pull to one side or handling becomes mushy and ride becomes worse as it does when they are over inflated. When tires are very low, say 10 or15 PSI, they look low or almost flat. I've seen people driving cars rather aggressivly with a dangerously low tire(s) and they seemingly didn't know it. So yes it is important to keep your tires properly inflated which I do. I eyeball them every time I use my vehicle.

"Drive A Way >" I just bought a new Toyota. I'm being told to check my tire pressure

You are required by federal law to check your tires everyday.

The rest of us can check our tires once per month.

NOTE: Tire pressure checks should always be made when the tires are cold - before driving on them warms them up. Also, a 10 degree change in temperature will result in about 1 lb pressure change in most passenger car tires.

Jack G.

"Drive A Way >" I just bought a new Toyota. I'm being told to check my tire pressure

Walk around the car and visually check at the tires at least once a day, or even every time you get in to drive - if you picked up a nail, you'll spot one corner low.

That every trip walk-around is also a chance to find and remove things you don't want to run over, like small children and their loose items (tricycles and wagons) left lying behind the car.

And it provides a reminder about that light post on the right side of the car and the fire hydrant behind your parking space, neither one you want to hit while backing out of the parking spot.

For a low use car, once a month is plenty for physically getting out a tire gauge and checking pressures. You only need to do it weekly if you have a tire that always needs lots of air on the monthly check.

Ride deterioration or fuel mileage isn't going to show up unless the tires are /really/ low. But decreased tire life is the important thing, and when decent tires start at $100 each for cars, $125 to $150 each for light & medium trucks, and $400 each for a Semi...

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I'm still running the original factory tires on my 04 Sienna. I have over 30 K miles and still tread left. I've had no issues with these tires at all. They are Dunlop ST4000 T/AS. Good riders too.

This is a ridiculously good idea that few people do, but many commercially trained drivers do as a habit.

Listen to Bruce. He talks sense.

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You really should get that slow leak fixed. Or is this one of the tires on your bike?

Yeah, my friend asked me what the hell I was doing when I walked around the car before entering the car. Apparently safety is funny to some people. I know i just cant "eye ball" my tire pressure but it really is a good practice.

You won't see a few pounds off, that you catch on the monthly check. You might see the difference between 20 and 35, but only because "Gee, the left rear tire looks a bit lower than the right rear...

But if you picked up a nail on your last trip and the tire is way low (at 15 PSI and on the way to flat) *that* you'll see easily.

Another good reason for doing the "Circle Of Safety". If it looks silly but it works, it isn't silly.

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Could be a leaking schrader valve too. Put a little spit on it and may see some bubbles.

Bike tires need to be checked often.

Tire Industry Safety Council:

The general rule I've heard is 30 days or 1,000 miles, whichever comes first. Also check when the tires are cold (vehicle driven less than a mile) and are all in the shade.

Tire guages aren't always accurate, and Consumer Reports has found some to be off by several PSI. Generally, pencil guages that are made of metal (not just chrome-plated plastic) are good, and some reputable brands are TruFlate, Acme, Dill, Schraeder, NAPA, and Camel. Dial- type guages are a lot easier to break than pencil guages are. All digital guages are highly accurate and are about $7-12, but you may be able to find a close-out talking digital guage at Radio Shack for $3.

I usually like to pump them up a little more than factory recommendations. The previous owner of the most recent Rav4 I bought inflated the tires to the sidewall maximum rating of 44psi. The recommendation for Rav4s of that vintage is 28 front/26 rear. Riding down the road, every bump felt like I had struck a tuning fork.

Gas mileage and ride seem balanced in that car at 33 to 35psi.

By the way, each of my cars has a $10 air pump in it, now, from Northen Equipment. At that price, it seemed crazy not to get one for each car.

I now check them more often than you. The '01 Sienna's electronic monitoring isn't terribly precise. I found out the hard way not to rely on it; we lost enough tire pressure in the right front to force premature replacement due to uneven wear while on a single 1200 mile trip segment.