From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A tire-pressure gauge being used

A tire-pressure gauge is a pressure gauge used to measure the pressure of tires on a vehicle.

Environmental conditions can introduce a 13% to 15% variability in pressure due to temperature (0 °C to 40 °C), and additional changes can result due to altitude. Most car owner manuals do not state rated pressure as a function of temperature or altitude and leave it to the user to make appropriate measurements.

Since tires are rated for specific loads at certain pressure, it is important to keep the pressure of the tire at the optimal amount. Tires are rated for their optimal pressure when cold, meaning before the tire has been driven on for the day and allowed to heat up, which ultimately changes the internal pressure of the tire due to the expansion of gasses. The accuracy of a typical mechanical gauge as shown is +/- 3 PSI. Higher accuracy gauges with +/- 1 PSI accuracy can also be obtained.

Many modern cars such as the Cadillac SRX and Jeep Liberty now come with built in tire pressure sensors that allow all four tire pressures to be read simultaneously from inside the car. Tire pressure monitoring systems are also fitted as an option to the latest generation of BMW motorcycles.

As of 2005, most on-board TPMS utilized indirect pressure monitoring. The anti-lock brake sensors detect one tire pulling more than the rest and indicate a low tire pressure to the driver.

By September 2007 all new automobiles below 10,000 pounds sold in the United States will be required to incorporate a direct pressure measurement for each tire. The driver must be notified if any tire is underflated by 25% or more than the rated placard[1] tire pressure.