Ever heard the expression “raise the roof?” It comes from the idea that a crowd at a party, if they dance hard enough and all push upwards – and presumably, if there are enough people – could move the ceiling. Of course, it’s a figure of speech, but it’s a useful one – and it’s a surprisingly good analogy for tyre pressure.
You need air pressure in your tyres to keep them inflated – to “raise the roof”, as it were, instead of letting them go flat. But as you drive, and as your tyres respond to various weather conditions, air escapes from the tyres. You can think of it as people leaving the party – which tends to ruin a party, if it happens too much.
A tyre pressure monitoring system is like someone at the door who keeps track of how many people are in the party and how many people are left – and calls the organisers to let them know if too many people have gone. The system will alert you when the pressure inside your tyres drops below a certain level, so you can fix it and keep on driving without having to worry about the many risks associated with underinflated tires, which range from poorer fuel economy to higher likelihood of accidents.
So if you have a tyre pressure monitor, you can drive secure in the knowledge that you’ll know if your tyres are losing air, which will make your overall driving experience much safer and more predictable. With a TPMS, you’ll be able to drive smoothly to your next big event adventure without wasting petrol. That way, the party going on inside your vehicle’s tyres can keep on going without having to make emergency pit stops.