Signs of Low Tire Pressure
Running a vehicle with low tire pressure causes a number of unwanted and negative effects, especially if you’ve just purchased a new Nissan from your local NJ Nissan dealer. Low tire pressure can cause something as simple as a reduction in gas mileage or it can lead to catastrophic results such as blowouts and car crashes.
To keep your vehicle running smoothly and efficiently, you should know the signs of low tire pressure so you can address the situation immediately.
Spongy Drive
If you’ve been driving and slowly begin to notice that driving the vehicle seems softer, almost sponge-like, this is a sign of low tire pressure. As the tire pressure decreases, the tire begins to flatten out. This more of tire’s service area is making contact with the road, creating the spongy feel.
When this occurs, take your vehicle to the nearest gas station or service department, such as the service department at Cherry Hill Nissan, and check your tire pressure. Chances are your tires will register below the optimal pressure.
Hard Hits
If tire pressure is too low and the car drives over bumps and ridges, the car will feel like it’s toppling over them without ease. This is a result of less cushion within the tires’ air chambers. As you drive, see if the car feels like the shock absorbers aren’t working. Hard hits and a harsh drive indicate low tire pressure.
Alignment Issues
As you drive down the road, if your car feels like it’s out of alignment or drifting to one side, it may be suffering from decreased tire pressure. If the tires don’t have equal amounts of pressure, it can push the vehicle out of alignment.
Check all of tires and bring them to the standardized pressure as prescribed by the tire codes found on the lower edge of the rubber or in your owner’s manual.
If you’re still unsure about your vehicle’s optimal tire pressure, check with the experts at your Cherry Hill Nissan dealer and have them look into it for you.
Reduction in Gas Mileage
If your vehicle seems to be using an unusually large amount of gasoline while you’re driving, one cause could be low tire pressure. This is due to the increased surface area of the tire making contact with the road, thus increasing fuel consumption and decreasing mileage.
Try to keep a running tally of the distance you go on a tank of gas under normal driving conditions (which includes the tires being at the proper pressure). If this varies or changes significantly, check the tire pressure. Low tire pressure causes low gas mileage, which in turn causes low cash in all of our pockets. Filling your tires will help you save in cash and in safety in the long run.
If you’re still unsure about how to check your tire pressure and aren’t sure about what to do after you have experienced the warning signs of low pressure, your trust service technicians at Cherry Hill Nissan are here to help. We offer a variety of automotive services to make sure you and your vehicle are safe.
Our service department is open weekly. Stop in today or schedule your next service appointment online.