The days when a smiling service attendant would cheerfully check your tire pressure as a matter of course are long gone. It is up to you, the motorist, to make sure your tires are properly inflated.

Tire inflation should be checked at least once a month and before starting any long trip. Properly inflated tires ensure as smooth ride as possible and help to conserve fuel.

Unless it is a very advanced stage of deflation you won't be able to tell if a tire needs air by looking at it or even kicking it. A pressure gauge is the only accurate way to judge how much, if any, air is needed in each tire.

Some service station compressors have an attached pressure gauge, but many do not. Even when the gauge is present it may not be functioning properly. The best solution is to buy your own and carry it in your glove box. Pressure gauges roughly the size of a ballpoint pen can be purchased almost anywhere for a few dollars.

Another reason you should own your own gauge is that you should always check your tire pressure when the tires are cold. Even driving a few kilometres to the nearest gas station can heat up the tires enough to make a big difference.

For example, if your tires are supposed to be inflated to 32 PSI, and your gauge shows 29 PSI, then you need to add 3 PSI. If you then drive to the gas station and test them again, you may find that the reading is now 31 PSI. In this situation you should still add the amount of air originally indicated, 3 PSI.

Make sure your monthly tire check includes the spare. This is often neglected, but in some ways it is the most important. If your front right tire is steadily losing air, you will definitely notice eventually. Your spare tire needs to be checked regularly so it will be ready and waiting months or even years down the road.

Checking your tire pressure regularly is one of the easiest and cheapest things you can do to protect your tire investment and save money and gas. With motivations like that, why wouldn't you check your tires every month?

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