How Weather and Temperature Can Affect Tire Pressure
Weather and the temperature can affect the pressure of your tires. It is common for the tire alert light to blink on when the seasons change. The reason this happens is because temperature directly affects air volume, which causes the tire pressure to change. As the temperature gets colder, air takes up less volume and tire pressure will decrease. This means that as the temperature warms up, the air pressure will increase. Season and outside temperature are therefore good guidelines to follow when adjusting your tires’ pressure. Try not to make the pressure changes too drastic however, as the temperature also changes from day to night. Allow some space for the air pressure to change throughout the fluctuating seasonal conditions.
It is important to maintain the right air pressure for road safety. This is fairly easy to do nowadays, as most vehicles come with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). The Monitoring System will send out an alert, which appears as a small light that comes on when the air pressure is too low. With TPMS, there is no need to manually check your tire pressure as the seasons change. There are 2 different types of TPMS: the first type, Direct TPMS, comes with separate sensors in each wheel that keep track of the air pressure whenever the vehicle is on. When the air pressure becomes too low in one or more of the tires, the light on your dashboard will turn on.
The next type, Indirect TPMS, uses the vehicle’s Antilock Braking System (ABS) rather than a sensor. This function measures air pressure based on how fast the tire spins. When it reaches a speed that is too low, the dashboard light will come on. Keeping track of your tire pressure will make sure your vehicle is performing at its max. Wrong tire pressure will affect how long your tires last, contribute to higher fuel use, and even lead to accidents. Factors like the seasons and the weather are therefore important to consider when performing tire maintenance or evaluating your vehicle’s safety and efficiency.
Still unsure of how to manage your tire pressure or how they’re affected by seasonal changes? We’re here to help! Feel free to visit us at OTSURA.COM, or give us a call at +1-855-687-8721. We are happy to answer any questions you might have, and help find tires suited for your needs!