Tire Pressure and Tread: A 5-Minute Monthly Check
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Quick answer: Once a month, with tires cold (not driven for at least three hours), check all tires, including the spare, with a gauge. Use the pressure on the sticker on the driver’s door edge or in your owner’s manual, not the number on the tire (NHTSA). Tires should be replaced at 2/32 inch of tread: put a penny in the groove with Lincoln’s head upside down. If you see the top of his head, replace the tire (NHTSA).
⚠ Safety first:
- Check your owner’s manual first: every car is different. It has the correct pressures and tire size (NHTSA).
- A tire pressure warning light (TPMS) means at least one tire is significantly low. Check it as soon as possible (NHTSA).
- Replace tires with cuts, cracks or bulges. Don’t use your spare as a replacement for worn tires (NHTSA).
- If the light flashes for about a minute and then stays on, the system itself has a fault. Have a dealer inspect it (NHTSA).
Steps: easiest & free first
- Find your numberFREE
Driver’s door edge or post sticker, or the owner’s manual (NHTSA). - Check coldFREE
Before driving, or after it’s sat for at least three hours (NHTSA). - Add or let out airFREE
Add the “missing” psi at a service station. If too high, press the valve stem gently with the gauge edge (NHTSA). - Penny test the treadFREE
Lincoln upside down, facing you. Also look for the raised treadwear bars (NHTSA). - Check the ageFREE
Last four digits of the DOT code = week and year made. Some makers recommend replacing tires six to 10 years old (NHTSA). - Rotation, balance, alignmentPRO
Follow your manual’s rotation schedule. Vibration, pulling or noise = see a tire pro (NHTSA).
⚠ When to call a pro: bulges, cuts, a tire that keeps losing air, vibration, or a car that pulls to one side. Check tire recalls too (NHTSA). Renting a car or using a shared/borrowed car? Call the rental company or owner’s roadside number first. See roadside help & emergency kit.
💡 Prevent it: Keep a tire gauge in the glove box. NHTSA says proper inflation saves gas and helps tires last longer (NHTSA; FuelEconomy.gov).