Driving your vehicle with under inflated tires will affect your fuel economy and handling. The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) monitors air pressure inside each tire and alerts the driver if tire pressure is out of specified range. Thousands of accidents occur on the road due to poorly inflated tires, which can cause a vehicle to have a severely delayed stop distance or to swerve. Driving with improper inflated tires also increases the risk of blowing out a tire, especially at high speeds.
What is TPMS?
The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is responsible for warning you if your tires are over or under inflated, both of which can be damaging to the longevity of your tires. Improper inflated tires make it harder to steer and brake your car properly which dramatically increases the risk of getting into an accident.
There are two different types of tire pressure monitoring systems in vehicles, which are the direct TPMS and indirect TPMS. The direct system measures air pressure individually in all tires and will trigger a warning with the light on the dashboard if the air pressure is less than 25% of the recommended level.
The indirect TPMS work with wheel speed sensors on the antilock braking system and will trigger the light in the dashboard when the air pressure drops below the level set.
Why do I need it?
The good news is that most vehicles come with tire pressure monitoring systems factory installed. Some of the benefits you gain with the TPMS includes the following:
- Increased road safety
- Increased fuel economy
- Increased vehicle value
- Avoided manual tire pressure monitoring
- Better insurance rate
It’s important to pay attention to the TPMS light when it comes on because it can save you money on having to replace your tires more frequently due to the damage done driving on under or over inflated tires.
Can you drive with the TPMS light on?
It’s important that you take the tire pressure monitoring system light seriously. It’s not recommended to drive for long when the TPMS light turns on.
