How to Find Free Air for Your Tires
CARS.COM — Improperly inflated tires can have all sorts of undesirable effects on your vehicle. Low tire pressure may result in lengthened braking distances, reduced fuel economy, increased treadwear, ride and handling problems — and even tire failure. So when we say it’s important to regularly ensure that your tires are at the proper pressure, we’re not just blowing hot air. Many places that have air pumps — like most gas stations — charge money to use them, and let’s face it: It sort of sucks to pay for air. So how can you take care of your tires without incurring the cost of inflation? There are several locations that offer air for free, and there is a simple way to find them.
Related: How to Properly Check and Fill Tires
FreeAirPump.com may be just the breath of fresh air you need when you are looking for service stations and other places that offer complementary air. The site has a searchable map of locations, like gas stations and car washes, across the U.S. and Canada that offer free air for cars and bicycles. The data is user-generated, so the site notes that the map isn’t definitive, but it still can be a useful guide for finding free air wherever you happen to be. States such as Connecticut and California have laws requiring tire air to be provided for free, at least during business hours or for paying customers, so only bicycle sites are listed for those states.
Locations are searchable by address, city or ZIP code. We tested it to find out how many would come up, and found surprisingly few near Cars.com’s headquarters in downtown Chicago. There was only one place to go to fill up tires for free within a mile of our offices, one more within anything resembling a reasonable driving distance several miles away and about 10 more at service stations and gas stations spread out across nearby suburbs.
You can try it out for yourself here. Keeping up with your car’s maintenance includes checking your tire pressure and making sure your tires are not underinflated. If your tires need to be aired up regularly, consider checking them every time you stop to pump gas. Doing so is a good way to ensure that they won’t run too low and cause a safety hazard. For our expert advice on car tire maintenance, go here.
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