A Little Care Can Save You Money

Tires aren't getting any cheaper, so it's not a bad idea to get the most use out of a new set of tires - not to mention that many of these tips also increase your safety. Here's one tip from Shumaker Tire to help you save some green.

CHECK THE PRESSURE Although most of us check the tire pressure before a road trip, it's not a bad idea to check it monthly for town driving as well. It's not uncommon for tires to lose up to 1 psi every month - regardless of the time of year - through a process known as permeation.

And here's something - tires will lose about 1 psi of pressure for every 10 degrees Fahrenheit of temperature drop - so be sure and check the pressure in late Fall and early Winter.

GAS MILEAGE Proper inflation can also improve gas mileage by more than 3%, when maintained regularly. Keep this in mind: Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent for every 1 psi (pounds per square inch) drop in pressure of all four tires.

Keep an accurate tire pressure gauge in your car’s glove box and check your tire pressure often. Never trust the appearance of a tire as a gauge for inflation. A tire could be 10 psi low on pressure and not appear to be low on air. Under-inflated tires can cause poor vehicle handling as well as rapid and irregular tire wear, or blow-outs.