April is National Car Care Month, a time when people are getting their vehicles prepared for the summer months and road trips ahead. One important component of car care may be overlooked by drivers, tire pressure. Roger Lillie, an auto tech instructor at the Kirkwood Community College Washington County Regional Center, explains tire pressure significance, “One of the biggest things is to make sure your tires are in good shape, make sure the inflation is correct because the cold weather will make you lose tire pressure, so as you go out there in the hotter weather your tires will heat up obviously as you’re driving and lower tires can cause a lot of damage.”

Lillie explains this further, saying the tire pressure will contract in the cold winter months. He says when you run under pressure on your tires you could wear on the side walls of your tires and risk a blow out. Lillie says checking your tire pressure is relatively easy, and a few options are to use the free air pump at a local gas station, or purchase a tire gauge at an auto parts store. Newer vehicle models typically are capable of monitoring tire pressure as well.