Ever been driving and suddenly, out of nowhere, a little warning light pops up on your dashboard about your tire pressure? That’s your car’s TPMS letting you know that there is something going on with the air in your tires. But how does a car tire pressure monitoring system work?
Understanding a Car Tire Pressure Monitoring System
The TPMS is your car’s way of keeping tabs on how much air is in your tires. There are two main aspects of monitoring systems: direct and indirect. Each has its own way of making sure you’re in the loop about your tire pressure.
Direct TPMS
Direct TPMS is all about getting the details straight from the source. It’s got sensors in each tire that keep an eye on how much air you’ve got and may even check out the temperature since that can affect the pressure too.
If any tire gets too low for comfort, based on what the car manufacturer thinks is best, your dashboard lights up with an alert. This could be a little icon of a flat tire or an exclamation mark inside a tire, depending on your ride.
Indirect TPMS
Now, indirect TPMS, instead of checking the pressure directly, looks into your car’s wheel speed sensors to figure out how fast each wheel is turning. A tire with less air is smaller and has to work overtime by spinning faster to keep up. When the system notices one wheel pulling a fast one, it tells you it’s time to check your pressure. No extra sensors are needed in your tires for this method.
Why Maintain Proper Tire Pressure?
Safety
Riding on underinflated tires can change the handling of your car, not to mention it can affect your stopping distance.
Happy Tires
Underinflated tires can wear out faster, meaning you’ll have to replace them early.
Don’t Ignore Your Tires
Even if you have an automatic tire monitoring system in your car, you will still want to keep an eye on your tires. You should check your tire pressure with a gauge from time to time. And if the tire pressure light does come on, take it seriously. Top off your air or swing by a professional if you’re not sure what to do.
Need Your Tire Pressure Checked in Greenwich, CT?
Is your car’s tire pressure light on? Call or schedule an appointment with DARCARS Lexus of Greenwich in Greenwich, CT, if you need any help with your tire pressure, or if you need to get new tires.
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