In order for car owners to get the most out of their vehicle, it may be best to practice preventative care, as opposed to reacting to problems when they occur.

This includes getting a tuneup when a car reaches certain mileage milestones such as 50,000 or 100,000 and ensuring that the oil is changed every three months or 3,000 miles (whichever comes first).

However, one of the easiest, and most inexpensive, ways to provide optimal car care is to regularly check the air pressure in the tires. The best part? This can be done with a simple air pressure gauge and most of these devices sell for about $10. Find the right store and it could be cheaper.

Razvan Bosomoiu, Goodyear brand manager, explains that car owners who don’t properly inflate their tires can cause their car to “increase vehicle fuel consumption, meaning that motorists may get less miles per gallon than with properly inflated tires.”

But why is something like air pressure so important? One simple reason is that by ensuring tires are correctly inflated can save owners money in the longrun.

Your car will get better gas mileage

With all the talk of hybrid and electric cars coming to the market, along with rising gas prices, more consumers are concerned with gas mileage and how they can maximize it. A car with a high gas mileage means it can go further on one tank of gas when compared to other vehicles with low gas mileage.

Consumers who have yet to look into new or used hybrids can increase their gas mileage through the air pressure in their tires.

Tires with low air pressure can cause a car to drag, which means it will need to use up more gasoline to run properly. Maintain the right PSI in tires will avoid this problem and can increase a vehicle’s gas mileage, which in turn may save money on gas.

Tires last longer

While replacing a tire for a car is inevitable, car owners can put off the process longer if the air pressure is checked on a regular basis. Aside from causing a car to drag, a low PSI can cause increased wear and tear on a tire. So owners who fail to check the air pressure may fall victim to tires with a short life.

This also includes over-inflation of tires, which is a bad idea. The thinking that more air is a good thing is wrong, since over-inflating a tire past its recommended PSI may cause blowouts or bulges in the tire.

Always forget to check? Do it at the gas station

It” true that sometimes the simplest tasks are the easiest to forget. One idea is to get into a regular schedule with checking a car’s tire pressure. Always doing it when filling up the gas tank or on a Sunday evening may help remind owners. Or consider saving the receipt from the last time you had to buy new tires as a reminder to maintain proper air pressure in your tires.