The Dangers Of Under-Inflated Tires

When winter weather begins to set in, it’s common to see a warning light appear on your dashboard, something like what you see here.


This light is a tire pressure warning.

The reason you often see it during the winter is because cold weather causes the air in your tires to contract, thereby decreases the pressure. To many of us that may seem like a trivial warning. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth.


Low tire pressure is dangerous and costly.

According to AAA: “Under-inflated tires contribute to more than 600 fatalities and 33,000 injuries annually, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates, and they waste more than 1 billion gallons of gasoline each year, based on U.S. Department of Energy estimates.” Most of us would be shocked by those statistics.

So now you are wondering, how is that actually possible? According to the NHTSA, under-inflated tires are more likely to run the risk of overheating, which leads to tire failure. It can also affect the handling of your vehicle. According to the tire study done by the NHTSA in 2009, SUVs with low tire pressure were over 20% more likely to rollover during the pre-crash phase of trying to avoid the oncoming accident. SUVs with low tire pressure rolled over 45% of the time during the pre-crash phase, and on 25% of the time with properly inflated tires.

Low pressure in your tires also affects tire tread life, which means you’ll be spending more money to replace your tires more often. Low tire pressure also kills your gas mileage. None of us want to waste money at the pump just because our tires have low pressure.

At Evans Automotive, we offer comprehensive tire services and tire sales. We offer new tire sales at great prices, wheel alignments, tire rotations, and tire balancing. We’re a one stop shop for your tire needs. If you are looking to have an alignment done to your vehicle, or needing to put on a full new set of tires, please give us a call. You won’t find a better and more qualified auto mechanic shop in the city!