2006 Mercury Monterey Owner Guide 1st Printing - Page 198

Tires, Wheels and Loading How temperature affects your tire pressure The Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) monitors tire pressure in each pneumatic tire. The pressure in each tire is dependent upon several factors, one of them being the contained air temperature (temperature of the air inside the tire). As the contained air temperature increases, the tire pressure also increases. While driving in a normal manner, a typical passenger tire inflation pressure may increase approximately 2 to 4 psi (14 to 28 kPa) from a cold start situation. This increase in tire pressure is due to an increase in the contained air temperature. Contained air temperature is dependent upon several factors such as rate of tire rotation, tire deflection, amount of braking, etc. In a similar manner, the tire pressure will decrease if the contained air temperature decreases. For example, if the vehicle is stationary over night with the outside temperature significantly lower than the daytime temperature, the tire pressure may decrease approximately 3 psi (20.7 kPa) for a drop of 30° F (16.6° C) in ambient temperature. This lower pressure value may be detected by the TPMS as being significantly lower than the cold pressure indicated on your vehicles Safety Compliance Certification Label, and activate the TPMS warning for low tire pressure. If the low tire pressure warning light is ON, visually check each tire to verify that no tire is flat. If one or more tires are flat, repair as necessary. Check air pressure in the road tires. If any tire is underinflated, carefully drive the vehicle to the nearest location where air can be added to the tires. Turn the ignition to the OFF position. Inflate all the tires to the recommended inflation pressure. The Tire Pressure Monitoring System is NOT a substitute for manually checking tire pressure. The tire pressure should be checked periodically (at least monthly) using an accurate tire gauge, see Inspecting and inflating your tires in this chapter. Failure to properly maintain your tire pressure could increase the risk of tire failure, loss of control, vehicle rollover and personal injury. SNOW TIRES AND CHAINS Snow tires must be the same size and grade as the tires you currently have on your vehicle. The tires on your vehicle have all weather treads to provide traction in rain and snow. However, in some climates, you may need to use snow tires and chains. If you need to use chains, it is recommended that steel wheels (of the same size and specifications) be used as chains may chip aluminum wheels. 198 2006 Monterey (mty) Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) USA (fus)