Susan from Bridgeport, CT asked us just before Thanksgiving if driving with low tire pressure could harm her vehicle.

Susan, most people drive around with under inflated tires. We’re reminded of this by environmentalists and conservationists concerned about the hit this causes to gas mileage. Barack Obama even mentioned properly inflated tires as a method to reduce our dependence on foreign oil during his first presidential campaign. That got mixed reviews.

To answer your question is technically “Yes.” Driving with proper tire pressure can give you longer engine life. We’ll look at it logically. The “easier” you are on a car, the longer it lasts. If your tires are under inflated, we know you burn more fuel. The reason is that your engine has to work harder to move your car. Working harder strains the engine.

For this to make any practical difference in engine life though, you would essentially have to drive on flats for extended periods of time. We urge you to not let this happen, and recommend you always fill your tires to the levels specified by your vehicle manufacturer to get better gas mileage… and nothing else.

Thanks for the question, Susan.

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