A Simple Fix For Your Low Tire Pressure Light

I was driving early yesterday morning when the dreaded alarm dinged in my car. I looked down at my dashboard to see what hazard I had to deal with. It was my back tires that showed they were low on air.

How did this happen? They were fine the night before. I started imagining the new Tick Tock challenge “Stealing Air From Tires”. Or maybe it was that cat that was roaming around with the long, tire pressure releasing, claws.

It is neither. It’s actually your mom. No, wait that didn’t come out right, it’s Mother Nature.

When we get into the days of temperature fluctuation it messes with your tire pressure. To be fair, the drop in temperature causes the air to shrink. According to Discount Tire

for every 10 degrees drop in temperature, your air pressure will decrease by approximately 1 psi.

It’s true for heating up too, you might have noticed your tire pressure increasing as you drive and heat the air. You would think you could leave it alone, but the heat doesn’t seem to restore the pressure enough for my tire pressure sensors.

So, what do you do? Just top off your air or go to a shop that will do it for you. Some people add a few extra pounds to their tires so they have a buffer against temperature-related low tire pressure. For example, if your tires are marked for 36 psi, they put in 38 to compensate for the fluctuation.

Proper tire inflation is good for tire performance and health. So check your tires regularly and watch that cat with the long claws.