Serious question, why did nobody tell me about checking tire pressure before my road trip?

Last month I drove from Austin to El Paso for a wedding, that's like 580 miles. My car felt sluggish the whole way and I just thought it was the Texas heat. Got to the hotel and my uncle Mark, who's a mechanic, checked my tires for me and said all four were under 28 psi. I had no idea I was driving on basically flat tires for 9 hours, probably killed my gas mileage too. Anyone else learn basic car stuff way later than they should have?

3 comments

3 Comments

felix8241mo ago

Gonna push back a little here. People really need to know their own vehicle and that includes basic stuff like tire pressure. It's on the sticker inside the driver's door jamb for a reason. Not saying it's your fault, but acting like nobody tells you this stuff feels a bit off. Most modern cars also have a TPMS light that would have been screaming at you for weeks before that trip. If that light was on, ignoring it is on you. If your car is old enough to not have TPMS, then that's different, but still, a 5 minute check before a 9 hour drive is common sense.

caleb_stone1mo ago

Straight facts right there @felix824. That TPMS light is basically a free warning system, ignoring it is asking for trouble. No excuse for a nine hour drive without at least a quick tire glance.

the_hugo1mo ago

Wait, you actually sold me on this, I never really thought about it that way before.