Tires are designed to give many thousands of miles of excellent service, but you must take good care of tires in order to get the maximum benefit from them. The most important factors in caring for tires are: Inflation Pressure, Loading, and Driving with care.
Highway vehicles have tire/loading information placards affixed to the door edge, door post or on the glove box door that contain the following important information: 1. Tire Size; 2. Cold tire inflation pressures; 3. Gross axle weight ratings (GAWR) for each axle.
Proper tire inflation is shown on the vehicle’s tire placard. Once a correct tire size is mounted on the vehicle, proper inflation is the most important requirement for tire mileage, safety, and performance. Correct tire inflation provides proper sidewall deflection and safe operating temperatures for the tires. Under inflation creates excessive heat, lowers load carrying capacity and can seriously reduce tire life and cause damage to the tire. In addition, under inflation increases rolling resistance of tires and, therefore, increases fuel consumption.
It is impossible to determine whether tires are properly inflated just by looking at them. If a tire is under inflated it will run hotter, wear faster and or unevenly, adversely affect vehicle handling, and may be damaged in service. Always check your pressure with a good quality air gauge