Ken Zeller lives and breathes cars.
By day, he is head of engineering for B&M Racing & Performance Products, a venerable Chatsworth-based aftermarket company. Nights and weekends, when Zeller's not helping his wife take care of their two young daughters, he tinkers in his well-equipped garage, downing root beer and coming up with go-fast parts for his Ducati racing motorcycles. His supercharged, roll-cage-equipped yellow Corvette has been on the cover of Hot Rod magazine.
So how often does Zeller, who is as comfortable with a laptop computer as he is with a torque wrench, check tire pressure on the Geo Tracker and Jeep Grand Cherokee his family uses as daily transportation?
About every two months--even though "it should be every two weeks, four weeks, tops," Zeller said with a chuckle.
He is not alone in his lackadaisical approach to tire inflation.
The Car Care Council, an Ohio-based organization that sponsors National Car Care Month, routinely finds that 18% to 33% of the vehicles inspected at its affiliated garages during the October promotion have under-inflated tires.
But the Aug. 9 recall by Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. of 6.5 million Firestone light-truck tires, prompted by a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation into at least 148 deaths linked to the tires, should hammer home the point that under-inflation and the subsequent overheating of tire rubber is anything but benign neglect.
Under-inflation and vehicle overloading are the major culprits in tire failures, according to the Tire Industry Safety Council.
The official drill on tire inflation (available at the council's Web site, http://tmn.com/tisc/) is:
* Check the tires when they are cold.
* Check inflation at least once a month and always before long trips (and don't forget the spare, which may call for higher pressure).
* Follow the recommendations of the auto manufacturer, which will list its inflation specifications in the owner's manual and on a special sticker, often placed on the door or doorjamb or under the trunk lid or hood. Multiple pressures may be called for, depending on how the vehicle is loaded.
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But potential for confusion arises when the conscientious motorist rolls up his or her sleeves to do the deed.
For instance, what exactly is a "cold" tire?
The Tire Industry Safety Council's guide for auto and recreational vehicle tires defines cold as "before they have been run a mile."
