What is the right tire pressure for your Escape PHEV?

The tires’ pressure is very important both for the security and for the performance of our car.

⚠ There are 3 ways of checking which pressure is the recommended for your Escape PHEV:
1- ​In general terms, for street cars, SUVs and Pickups, the recommended pressure is usually around ​34 psi​. If your car is very loaded, you could go up to 38 psi without problems. For sport cars (with very low profile tires), the usual thing to do is to inflate them to ​40 psi​.
2- ​Look up the recommendation in your owner's manual.
3- Look up the tag in your car. ​You can find it sticked in the internal frame of the driver’s door, in the fuel-charger lid or in the sun shield. It will look like this one you can see here:

How should I interpret the chart of the tires’ pressure of my Escape PHEV?

The tag with the recommended pressures varies according to the car’s manufacturer. Here we show you an example where you will be able to see how to interpret its data:

A - The columns on the right show the pressure of the back tires.

B - The columns on the left show the pressure of the front tires.

C - If we read the rows horizontally we will see that there is a recommended pressure according to the load that our car will carry (represented in people and luggage).

D - The information that appears at the bottom is the recommended pressure for your temporary auxiliary tire, which is not the same as the one recommended for the rest of the tires, due to its smaller size.

E - The data ​T125/60​ and R18 which appears in this example corresponds to the measurements of the temporary auxiliary tire.

Depending on the country of origin of your Escape PHEV, the pressure of the tires may be measured in "psi" (commonly called “pounds”) in "bar" or in “Kpa”. That’s why in your car’s chart you can find any of them. Take the machine that you will use for the measurements and check which unit it uses and ​consider only that data in the tag​. The other data will be the equivalent in other units, so you don’t need to use it.

When shall I check the pressure of the tires of my Escape PHEV?

⚠ We recommend you to check the pressure of the tires once every 15 days​ and every time you are about to start a long trip. You must do this measurement with ​cold tires for it to be precise. ​Meaning, don’t do it in the middle of a long journey because you will probably get a useless reading. Keep in mind that, while running, the tires get naturally deformed, by producing heat and absorbing the heat from the road. The temperature rise makes ​the pressure to rise​ as well and then we might get higher values than we should in the measurement.

Why is it important to respect the recommended pressure in your Escape PHEV?

The tires’ pressure was well studied by the manufacturers in order to guarantee:

• Security​: it improves the maneuverability and the stability and reduces the braking. Also, it reduces the temperature of the tires, lessening the chances of having punctures.
• Fuel efficiency​: tires with the appropriate pressure generate less resistance for the wheels and will therefore spend less fuel, contributing both to saving money and with the environment.
• Reduces tire erosion: ​the tires will be deformed less and will be less mechanically demanded. In consequence, they will have longer life time. On top of this, the tire’s erosion will be even in the whole tire.Comfort​: you will feel that your car is more stable and will feel less the potential irregularities of the road (because you will have better shock absorbency).

Erosion according with the tire inflation level on an Escape PHEV

The correct tire inflation level ensures that the tires’ footprint is optimal. More or less pressure will provoque undesired deformations. As a consequence, there will be an​ uneven erosion ​and ​less adherence ​than the one needed​.

Can I use a different pressure on my Escape PHEV?

You can use other pressure, but only in specific situations and knowing its possible consequences:

• When you ride in sand​: lowering the pressure to 15 pounds will make the tire’s track to widen and the tire to be in more contact with the field, improving traction. Going back to a harder surface, you will need to pump up the tires again for not damaging them.
• To reduce fuel’s consumption: ​one can rise in 3 or 4 pounds the pressure while circulating in a city. The other side of the coin of this tip is that you will feel the irregularities of the road much more, you will have a worse ground attachment and you will have more erosion of the tire in its central area.

⚠ An important recommendation: while circulating in wet grounds​ (such as the ones you find on a rainy day), it is key to keep the adequate pressure, recommended by the manufacturer; because it will guarantee you better adherence to the ground and therefore you will avoid accidents.