Message Monday - Low inflation - good for economy, bad for tires
Fluctuations in temperatures this time of year can cause the air pressure in your tires to fluctuate, too. Why should you care? Proper tire inflation can not only improve your vehicle’s fuel efficiency, it can help prolong the life of your tires and reduce the risk of tire failure.
Tire blowouts can be extremely dangerous. Here’s an explanation from Car and Driver Magazine, “When air pressure gets too low, the tire's sidewalls flex more, and heat builds up within the tire. If the overheating gets severe, a section of the tire's rubber can separate from its carcass—the mix of fabric and steel that the tire is built on. If this happens suddenly, a blowout can result. A blowout is sudden and unexpected and can cause a loss of control that leads to a crash.” If you’ve ever had a tire fail, you know that it can be a very scary experience.
For vehicles that have the original factory-installed tires, the optimal tire pressure is shown on a sticker on the driver’s side door jam. If you’ve replaced the tires on your vehicle, you’ll want to check the sidewall of the tire. On passenger vehicles, usually, the recommended pressure ranges between 30 and 35 PSI.
Here are 11 things you need to know about your vehicle’s tire pressure - https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/recommended-tire-pressure
For 2020, there were a total of 338 fatalities reported. So far in 2021, there have been 33 deaths in traffic crashes. That is an increase of eight since last Monday. To see statistics published daily by the Office of Driver Services, go to the daily fatality report at https://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/stats/daily.pdf