You’re driving down the highway, all of a sudden some warning sound comes on and there is a TPS alert lit up on your dashboard. What the heck is that?
The TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) light is to alert you when tire pressure is too low and could create unsafe driving conditions. Other than that, you really don’t have much to go on.
The alert might mean a tire is losing air or it could mean your car is overloaded. It could also mean the pressure is on the edge and variations in temperature could be causing it to fluctuate.
In any case, it’s time to check your tire’s air pressure and add some air if needed. The alert doesn’t tell you which tire is causing the issue so you’ll have to test all of them. Everyone should have an easy-to-use tire gauge in the car such as this nice inexpensive digital gauge:
If you need to add air, seek out a local gas station that has an air machine or better yet, keep a 12V Portable Air Compressor tire inflator in your car. All you need to do is start the car, plug this into your cigarette lighter, dial in the tire pressure shown on your tire and attach it to the stem value. This unit will shut off when the tire reaches the correct pressure.
Such a unit can help you inflate a tire until it can be fixed or used often to take care of a slow leaking tire that maybe loses air every few weeks.
Not that overinflation and underinflation can both cause premature wear to tires so it’s a good idea to test your tires for air pressure on a monthly bases.
Both overinflation and underinflation can cause premature treadwear and possible tire failure.
Overinflation can result in decreased traction, premature wear, and the inability to absorb road impact.
Overinflated tires will show premature wear in the center of the tread. On the other hand, underinflation will cause sluggish tire response, decreased fuel economy, excessive heat buildup, and tire overload. An underinflated tire will show premature wear on both sides of the tread edges or “shoulders”.
Bridgestone