Find your tire gauge, so that you can check the tire pressure. Tires should be “cold” when you check them, which means you haven’t driven in the car for at least three hours or you only used the car for a short distance, like a mile. Check them in the morning for the most accurate readings.

Review the inside of your car door or look through your owner’s manual to find out the recommended PSI for your tires. The number printed on the sidewall indicates the maximum allowable pressure, so do not use that number. Remember that the recommended PSI may differ between front and rear tires, so record or keep this information handy.

Now measure the PSI of each tire with the tire gauge. Take off the valve cap on the sidewall of the tire and attach the gauge to the valve stem. A brief hiss of air will accompany this before you can get the latest PSI reading.

Make checking your tire pressure a monthly event. You may also want to check out the spare tire every so often.

Here’s how to tell if you’ve properly inflated your tires so that you know that you’re ready to go.

• Overinflated tires: Overinflated tires can lead to less traction, early aging, and poor impact absorption. They may feel excessively hard or stiff. If you've overinflated your tires, release some air to return them to the recommended pressure level.
• Underinflated tires: Underinflated tires may bend, overheat, and potentially do damage to the tire edges. Measure your tire pressure again and reinflate to the proper inflation level.
• Correctly inflated tires: If the tread is uniform across the width of the tire, you’re good to go.

Now you’ll feel confident going on that road trip you’ve been putting off.