High-quality tires are important - but if the air pressure is too low, even test winners quickly reach their limits. “The increased flexing work increases rolling resistance and fuel consumption. Since the tire also gets hotter, there is also extreme stress on the material and the risk of a puncture increases! Therefore: Check the “air pressure” at least once a month - even if the vehicle has an automatic Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) has, as it is now a requirement for new cars. Because especially the indirectly measuring devices do not indicate the filling pressure and warn only in an emergency.
If you check the air pressure of your tires with your own measuring device or at the petrol station, you should note a few points in order to determine correct values. For example, the tires should be as cold as possible, since warm air expands and pretends that the inflation pressure is too high. Before the measurement, the car should neither have traveled long distances nor been in the sun. "Especially in summer, measurements in the early morning, which are carried out either at home or at the petrol station around the corner, are ideal" - "If the car was parked in a cool underground garage for a long time, this also favors measurement on hot days." Test equipment should always also have a look at the calibration stamp - if this has already “expired”, in extreme cases measurement tolerances of up to 30% are to be feared.
If the air pressure in individual tires drops unusually quickly again and again, this can of course be caused by a nail in the profile or the like. lie. Often, however, only the valve is dirty or worn due to age and is therefore leaky. As an immediate aid, it is advisable to press down the small metal pin in the valve insert with a ballpoint pen so that it is blown free of the escaping air. To avoid re-soiling, missing or damaged valve caps be replaced immediately. When buying new tires you should also insist on the use of new valves.
But what air pressure is the right one for my car and my wheel / tire combination? Recommendations can usually be found in the owner's manual or on a sticker affixed either to the inside of the tank lid or in one of the front doorways. If this is not the case or if a different wheel-tire combination is used, you should contact a tire specialist. An extensive list of tire dealers can be found on the Goodyear homepage.
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