Trucks Vans And SUVS

Tire Pressure Gauges

Tire pressure gauges may not ever make you rich, but they can save you a load of money.

Most of us are aware of what tire pressure gauges do. They measure the pressure in tires, whether those tires are on bicycles, All Terrain Vehicles, or cars, trucks and buses.

The question you may have is: Why bother to measure the pressure in a tire? Why not just fill the tire up until it looks about right and be done with it?

The fact is each brand and type of tire is designed to have a certain amount of air in it. It's designed to work best at a certain pressure, which is usually measured in pounds per square inch, psi, or lb/in2. Tire pressure gauges are the easiest way to tell when you have the right pressure. But how does using tire pressure gauges save you money?

Consider this: If your tires are supposed to be inflated to 36 psi and they are only inflated to 30 psi, you burn 4% more fuel. If you would have used one hundred gallon with the right pressure, you would end up using 104 gallons. Today, that's over twelve dollars! Fuel gauges only cost $2 - 4. But they can literally save you hundreds of dollars in gasoline over the years. That makes pressure gauges an excellent investment.

But tire pressure gauges save you money in other ways. If a tire is under inflated by 20% (6 psi in our example) the useful life of the car's tires can be reduced by as much as 50%. In other words, tires with a life expectancy of 6 years will only last 3 years. And that means you have to buy twice as many tires for the life of the car. If you owned the car for 12 years, you would end up buying four sets of tires instead of two. And if the tires are $300 a set, that's $600 you didn't have to spend.

Tire pressure gauges are small and unassuming. They usually stay hidden in the glove compartment or behind the visor. But these little devices can save you hundreds of dollars during the life of your car.

Article Published: Wednesday 22nd November 2006