Living here in Oklahoma City, we experience real winter weather.  It’s important to understand what happens to your tire pressure when the temperatures start dropping.  

There are people concerned, and rightly so, about the price of gas going up.  Let me share another concern we should all have and a way you can keep the cost of winter driving down just a bit.  Here is a way to improve your miles per gallon (MPG) by around 3%, using as much as 7 cents less per gallon of gas.  You need to keep your tires inflated to the recommended pressure for your vehicle.

Other positives, besides getting better MPG, are: 

1) Your car handling better.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says underinflated tires contribute to 660 deaths a year.  

2) The correct pressure extends the life of your tires by up to 15%.  Now that’s a real savings.

3) About 3.3% less CO2 is emitted when your tires are not underinflated. 

I found out that for every 10 degrees F that the temperature drops, the pressure in the tires can be reduced by a couple pounds per square inch (PSI).   

I also found an inexpensive tire gauge on Amazon that works really well.  It’s got a digital readout which really helps as you’re standing out in the cold trying to figure out if you have the right amount of pressure.    

There are many auto parts stores in the Oklahoma City area that may come in handy over these winter months.