Nearly 70 percent of the country will drop below freezing on Wednesday, with some areas seeing record cold this week. Because of the extremely cold temperatures this week for much of the United States, your car's tire sensor might be activated.
Did your tires lose air? Is it time to replace your tires?
The answer to these questions is no.
According to Goodyear, the air pressure inside tires can drop by 1 or 2 PSI for every 10 degrees of temperature change. That means going from 50-degree weather to 10-degree weather could cause up to an 8 PSI drop in pressure.
The air in tires does not actually escape the tire in cold weather. When temperatures drop, the air inside the tire condenses. As temperatures warm, the air inside a tire expands, creating a higher PSI.
Most passenger cars have a recommended PSI of 32 to 35. Most cars' recommended tire pressure can be found in the driver's side door jamb.
