This week we will be preparing our vehicles (hybrid or otherwise) for the upcoming winter season. Winterizing your car will save you money and prevent a drop in fuel economy, all while keeping the increase in emissions associated with the onset of cooler weather to a minimum.

Today we will be working on tire pressure, why is tire pressure important? A low tire is susceptible to overheating, which can cause a blowout or tread separation. Your vehicle’s only contact with the road is on the small area of the tires touching the road. An under-inflated tire also is harder to bring up to speed and does a poor job maintaining a cruising speed.

The air in your tire will change pressure depending on the outside air temperature, a great rule of thumb is that if the temperature goes down ten degrees your tires will lose 1 pound per square inch of tire pressure. For example, if the average temperature yesterday was 90 degrees Fahrenheit and today we are looking at a high of 60 degrees, and yesterday your tires were properly inflated, we are now looking at minimum loss of pressure of 3psi per tire. Another nice rule of thumb is 1psi lost is equivalent to about a 1 mile per gallon loss in fuel efficiency.

Tires need to be checked at least once a month even if you have a tire pressure monitoring system. If you do have a TPMS system, this icon indicates a severe drop in pressure. Many people first notice this icon the first winter they have a car with TPMS. If you see the icon while driving you may have a flat or a slow leak in one of your tires, check all four tires as soon as possible.

With the upcoming possibility for icy road conditions, now is a great time to change tires that have low tread depth. If you put a penny in the tread upside down and can see the top of Lincoln’s head, it is time for new tires. By using a quarter for this same test you will both exceed the legal minimum tread depth requirements as well as substantially improve the safety of your vehicle by increasing the ability to stop quickly. (According to the TireRack.com)

Feel free to leave a comment below.

Tomorrow we will be discussing preparing the exterior of your vehicle for winter weather.

Kacey Green
for the Midlands Hybrid Club
"Promoting the spread of clean personal transportation technologies."