Tire Gauges & Inflators

Tires are one of those things that we don’t generally give much thought to until it’s time to replace them (or until we’re by the side of the road with a blowout). Put them under the vehicle and forget about them!

Just like anything else or any other system on your car, though, tires need maintenance too. Probably the single most important thing you can do for your tires is to rotate them regularly; a rotation with every oil change is a good rule of thumb. Along with more-even wear patterns, you’ll notice an improvement in drivability, handling and ride every time you rotate.

But even more important than rotation, proper inflation is absolutely vital. Tires lose air just sitting in the driveway…and even being 5 psi low can have an effect on your fuel economy. For every 1 psi that your tires lose all around, figure on about a .5% hit in gas mileage. From there, it’s not hard to see how you can quickly lose 10-12% of fuel economy with low tires; with fuel at today’s prices, nobody can afford that! Not to mention that underinflated tires will wear unevenly and prematurely, will overheat, and will offer sloppy, even dangerous, handling characteristics.

The good news is, tire maintenance is easy! It’s important, though, that you have a good quality tire gauge. The gauges built into the air dispensers at gas stations are notoriously inaccurate, and the old pencil-style tire gauge isn’t really all that trustworthy either. Investing a little bit of money in a good dial-type gauge (with a chuck fitting that fits securely on to the valve stem) is definitely worth considering.

The other must-have for proper tire maintenance is a quality tire inflator. A 12v tire inflator in your car’s trouble bag or emergency kit can save you a lot of headaches on a long trip! And having a tire inflator around definitely keeps you from having to find a gas station with an air hose, of course. We carry some models of jump-start boxes that feature a tire inflator compressor, for a comprehensive emergency package. So don’t just let your tires be the last thing you think about in your maintenance schedule – taking care of them is easy, and could save you both money and trouble!

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