Prepare for Winter Driving with Proper Tire Setup. First Step Is Checking Your Tire Pressure.

Fall and winter are coming. That doesn’t mean the fun stops for sports car owners looking to enjoy their machines in the colder months. You need to be prepared however because cold-weather sports car fun requires more preparation.

Winter tires and wheels packages are available for most sports cars in regions with snow, slush and heavy winter storms. It is highly recommended that you check those out for your specific model before spending a lot of time driving in the winter, it makes a huge difference.

However, not everybody needs to go all-out and buy a whole set of wheels and tires. You can do some simple things with your current tires that can make a huge difference.

Read Your Tyre Pressure Gauge in Winter Season?

Tyres easily lose pressure in cold conditions; that is why checking the tyre pressure regularly in winter is essential for a safe driving. Moreover, keeping your winter tyres properly inflated helps you to prevent them from untimely tread wear and even save on gas (under-inflated tyres cause the engine work harder). In this article, we will tell you how to take tyre pressure gauge readings and maintain your car roadworthy.

Why regular inflation pressure checks are essential in winter

Most drivers overlook checking the tyre pressure as a safety measure. In winter, it becomes even more crucial: the cold deflates tyres making the braking distance longer and complicating steering because of longer steering response. Over-inflation causes tyre failures while under-inflation often becomes a reason of overheating and as a result – blowouts. What is more, under-inflated tyres wear out faster making you pay more and exposing you to risks. This all compromises your safety; that is why monthly pressure checks are a must.

Latest vehicle models usually come with already mounted TPMS – special systems that equalize and monitor pressure. But if you drive an older model, you still can protect yourself and prolong your tyres’ life by purchasing a pressure equalizer.

How to check inflation pressure in winter?

For these regular checks, you will need a pressure gauge (either digital or standard one), an air compressor (either your own or that available on a gas station), and a pen to write down readings. Please follow this order:

1. Find out and write down your manufacturer’s PSI (pounds per square inch) recommendations (take into account that front and rare tyres may require different pressure indices).
2. Cool down your tyres before checking: ensure your vehicle has been parked for at least 3 hours. Only a cold-tyre pressure is accurate.
3. Place the gauge hose on the tyre valve stem after removing the valve cup. Ensure you pressed it down enough and the hissing disappeared. Now you can take the readings in PSI: the digital device will show the readings on its screen while the standard one will show the small measurement stick shooting out along the gauge scale. Write down the readings and repeat the procedure for all 4 tyres and the spare one. We recommend checking pressure at least twice for each tyre to avoid a mistake.
4. If you need to check the pressure in your bike’s or motorcycle’s low-pressure tyres (0-15 or 0-30 PSI), use the extra-low pressure tyre gauge instead.
5. Using the air compressor, re-inflate all of your tyres to the PSI specified by the manufacturer.