How to Check Tire Pressure

Checking Your Tire Pressure: Step by Step Guide

It only takes a few minutes to check your tire pressure. After completing these quick steps, you’ll know if your tires are in good condition, or if you should think about getting them replaced. To find out, just follow these eight simple steps:

1. Find Your Recommended PSI Rating—Before you check your tire pressure, you should know what you’re looking for. Every tire has a recommended PSI rating. You should be able to find yours by looking in the owner’s manual, checking the sidewall of the tire, or looking at a sticker on the door jamb.

2. Get a Tire Pressure Gauge—Next, you’ll need to get the right equipment. The tire pressure gauge is what you’ll use to check the PSI in your tires. You can either use a traditional tire pressure gauge or go with a digital one. It’s entirely up to you.
3. Make Sure Your Tires are “Cold”—Driving around warms your tires up. This causes air to expand. If you check your tire pressure right after you’ve been driving, you may not get an accurate reading. To get the right PSI information, make sure your tires have had a few hours to cool down before you check them.
4. Find the Valve Stem—Once your tires are cool, look for a small nub sticking out of the side of your tire. It’s usually poking through the hubcap at a diagonal.
5. Unscrew the Cap—After you locate the valve stem, take the cap off. Don’t worry about any air escaping. It’s designed to seal all the air in.
6. Connect the Tire Pressure Gauge to the Valve Stem—Within a couple seconds, your tire pressure gauge should give a you a PSI reading for the tire.
7. Write Down Your Results—Jot down your PSI rating for the tire and compare it to the recommended PSI rating.
8. Repeat—Tires are usually sold in sets. That’s why it’s a good idea to measure all your tires at the same time. Make sure you remember to check the spare, too. It’s always a good idea to keep that in good condition, just in case.