Tires are, ideally, the only part of your vehicle that should be touching the ground. Thus, it's fair to say that they are very important for any autombile. Proper tire pressure is one of the most important aspects of everyday vehicle maintenance, but it is also often overlooked. Among many bad tire habits, drivers don't check their tire pressure as often as they should. In fact, many fail to realize that their tires are underinflated until they are victim to a blow out or see abysmal fuel economy
readings. Underinflated tires generate excessive heat; leading to premature wear and potential failure. Overinflated tires by contrast reduce the contact patch with the road, compromising traction and causing the center of the tread to wear faster than the edges. Both scenarios are expensive and potentially dangerous.
Furthermore, a staggering number of people don't even know what PSI stands for, and fewer still know how to figure out what their vehicle's tire pressure should be. Even then, another problem lies in figuring out where to actually get air filled, because many gas stations are now charging for compressed air — but good news — there are still many places around the U.S. where you can get free air for your tires, and here are 13 of them.
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Discount Tire
The first place on our list is Discount Tire, which is a huge independent (indy, for short) retail chain that specializes in tires and wheels. In addition to selling these tires and wheels, the chain stores will also offer related services like alignment, wheel balancing, puncture repair, and tire rotation. The company was started in Ann Arbor, Mich., by Bruce Hale in the year 1960. Since then, it has grown to more than 1,100 stores spread out across 35 states.
All Discount Tire stores offer a full, comprehensive tire inspection service for free, and drivers can book an appointment in just a couple easy steps. After navigating to the schedule an appointment page, simply enter the year, make, model, trim, and tire size of your vehicle, and select which Discount Tire branch you'd like to go to.
That information lets the technicians get ready in advance of your visit. There is, however, the option to simply schedule an appointment without entering these details. To do that, click on the "Continue without vehicle" button at the bottom of the page, and select the branch. Additionally, there is also the option to specify whether or not you're bringing a caravan or recreational vehicle (RV) along for the check as well. As part of your free appointment, your tire pressure will be gauged and topped up/ reduced as necessary.
Firestone Complete Auto Care
This is another independent store chain that offers free air. Firestone Complete Auto Care, as the name suggests, is a vehicle repair and maintenance chain. The company itself was started in Nashville in 1926, meaning that it will soon be a century old. Since then, it has had explosive growth, now with thousands of stores located everywhere in the country.
The main services offered at Firestone CAC are the sales of tires, obviously, alongside all sorts of car repair services — including repairs related to the engine, suspension, steering, brakes, and electronics; as well as routine maintenance like oil changes and AC servicing. Interestingly, Firestone also offers its own credit cards, that come with significant benefits for customers who frequent its centers.
Though the brand clearly is affiliated with Firestone tires and the sister brand Bridgestone, anyone can drive in to get their tire air refilled. Just like Discount Tire, Firestone CAC will do a full tire inspection for free if you desire, with no prior appointment asked for. With more than 1,800 stores across the U.S. and free air as part of store policy at every location, Firestone CAC is bound to be a lifesaver for many a driver. If you're looking for a Firestone CAC center near you, you can use its handy find-a-store tool to do so.
Goodyear Auto Service
Goodyear Auto Service is another mega-chain of vehicle servicing and repair centers that have hundreds of stores across the country, almost 600. The company is, as the name suggests, a fully-owned subsidiary of the Goodyear Tire Company, and was founded more than a century ago, in 1924. In addition to the regular troubleshooting and repairs that every garage will offer, Goodyear goes a bit further. In addition to all the regular stuff one would expect at such an establishment, which include a suite of 34 different available services, Goodyear Auto Service also offers a completely free car-care checkup. Also, as per established trend, Goodyear Auto Service stations also offer free inspections for tires as per their corporate policy.
It is worth noting that the free car care inspection and the free tire inspection are two different things. Scheduling an inspection appointment is easy -- simply select your desired branch location, enter your contact details, and select a time -- that's it. This inspection will include checking for over-inflation as well as under-inflation, monitoring the tire for signs of damage, locating any leaks, and then getting the tire up (or down) to the original pressure recommended by the manufacturer.
Les Schwab Tire
Les Schwab Tire is a string of department-style tire care stores that have a concentrated presence towards the western side of the U.S., although there are stores at other locations, sporadic though this may be. Founded in Prineville, Ore., in the year 1952, Les Schwab Tire has grown quite a bit since its inception, currently standing at 550 stores across the country at the time of writing. Like many other chain stores/garages that specialize in tire care and management, Les Schwab also offers free compressed air to drivers at all of its stores.
If your tires were not purchased at Les Schwab, then drivers can still avail the free air top-up, and get their struts and suspension checked for free. If by chance, however, your tires were bought from any Les Schwab location, you get free flat repairs (unlimited), free tire rotations every 5,000 or more miles, as well as rebalancing, again, for free.
Readers should note that these free benefits apply only to passenger cars; as SUVs and trucks will get a certain credit amount, and will have to pay the balance. That said, the free air benefit is extended to all makes.
Big O Tires
There are, at the time of writing, 460 Big O Tires locations across the U.S., spread over 24 different states. The company is over 60 years old, having been started by a co-operative group of indy tire dealers in the year 1962. All locations offer, as part of their corporate policy, a free tire pressure check to all drivers, regardless of make, model, year, or where the tire was purchased. Other than selling new tires and filling air in used ones, Big O is also unique in the sense that it offers tire repair services in addition to everything else.
This lets drivers get a little more use out of their tires, and rest assured, that Big O would not go through with a repair unless it was safe to do so. Besides, if the technicians do advise drivers to get new tires, all they have to do is walk across to the store and pick out a set. If budget is a consideration, the Big O also has a very wide variety of RMA-tested and certified used tires for sale, all of which have a good amount of usable tread left on them -- a win in all situations.
Costco Tire Center
Costco, the beloved members-only bulk buying warehouse store, also has tire centers located at many of its warehouses. If your local Costco does have one of these, known as a Costco Tire Centers, then you can get free air for your vehicle. Note that this service is for people holding an active Costco membership.
Furthermore, just like Les Schwab Tires that we covered above, if the tires were purchased from Costco themselves, then drivers get a boatload of other benefits. These benefits include, but are not limited to free installation, lifetime free maintenance, free balancing, free tire repair, and periodic rotation for longevity. It is also worth mentioning that Costco uses nitrogen gas to fill up tires, and not regular air.
This has a number of benefits, including enhancing the longevity of the tires and having a bigger interval between air fill-ups, as nitrogen leaks less. At the time of publishing, Costco has 634 stores across America, though not all have a Costco Tire Center attached. If you're looking for the nearest Costco Tire Center, you should phone up the Costco warehouses near to you and simply ask. If you don't have a Costco membership, you could potentially go with someone who does, as the stores are unlikely to check the name on the vehicle registration matches the Costco members name, but don't take someone else's card and go without them as that's in violation of store policy.
Sam's Club
This is, just like Costco, a members-only warehouse shopping chain that caters to bulk buyers. Readers may be interested to know that Sam's Club is owned by Walmart, and was founded by Sam Walton in Midwest City, Okla. way back in 1983, making the chain over four decades old. The membership is a little cheaper, coming in at $50 for the basic annual pass versus the $65 on Costco, but the benefits are remarkably like the ones offered by Costco. This extends to the free air benefit, as every Sam's Club will offer a complementary tire inspection for customers with a valid membership.
As part of this inspection, a technician will visually look at your tires, and conduct a tread-depth check for safety as well. Then, the PSI of all four tires will be measured, and compressed air will be pumped in (or out) of the tires as necessary in order to bring them up to spec. Currently, there are 600 or so Sam's Club warehouses across the country, with most locations having a tire installation center and professional techs that staff the place. Note that Sam's Club will refuse to service or fill up any tire that has less than 2/32 tread remaining for safety reasons.
Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee is a department store chain that has the bulk of its presence concentrated in the Midwest. The company was started in Beaconsfield, Iowa, almost a century ago in 1930. Just like Walmart but on a smaller scale, Hy-Vee offers everything that a consumer would regularly want, such as groceries, consumable home items, lifestyle items, and other such knock-knacks. Readers might be intrigued to know that Hy-Vee is owned, in part, by the employees, making it more of a co-operative than a corporate chain.
The store also offers a membership called Hy-Vee PERKS plus, that offers benefits like free delivery, discounts on fuel, and expedited pick-up of online orders. Pricing for PERKS plus starts at $12.95 when paid monthly, or a flat rate of $99 per year. Furthermore, Hy-Vee also has partnerships with gas stations, and even runs some on-premises. At these locations, Hy-Vee offers free air checks and fill-ups, regardless of whether a purchase has been made or not. Drivers can use the Hy-Vee store locator tool to see which of the 280 outlets is closest to them. We should mention that the particular Hy-Vee store that you're looking at will mention on the store locator tool whether or not free air is offered at that particular location.
QuikTrip
A bit of a departure from the other items on our list, QuikTrip is also a chain, but of gas stations, with locations peppered across the country. The chain first opened shop in Tulsa in September of 1958. At the time of writing, there are more than 1000 QuikTrip gas station outlets in operation, all of which offer free air pressure checks and top-ups to drivers. And 300 of the locations are in Texas alone. It is unclear whether or not a purchase at the pump, or attached convenience store (if applicable) is required in order to avail this benefit.
However, in a Facebook post, the official QuikTrip account did caution users to check their air pressure, and mentioned that free air will always be available at QuikTrip. The company also maintains an online tool on their website where users can search for a QuikTrip near them by filtering via zip code, or by entering the target city and state names.
Wawa
With 1100 stores in operation around the country, there is bound to be a Wawa within driving distance of most people in need. The company is practically ancient by modern standards, having been founded by George Wood in 1803, it was originally started as a milk production and delivery company. However, as this business died out, the grandson of the original owner pivoted the company and opened the first Wawa food market in 1964. Since that initial opening, Wawa has seen immense success, and currently offers several products and services other than food and produce.
One of these services is, of course, free PSI checking and free air as store policy. It's so popular that there grew to be untenable lines at some Wawa locations. To rectify this issue, the Wawa corporation actually announced that it would be adding more compressed air pumps at the store locations in 2019.
Pep Boys
Pep Boys is an industrial level specialist garage chain that started in Philadelphia in 1921, making it more than 100 years old. These garages provide vehicle maintenance, tire replacement, and used-tire repair services across the U.S., in addition to being authorized retailers for several brands of tires. Furthermore, Pep Boys also offers commercial fleet maintenance programs, and various different kinds of towing services. Currently there are about 850 locations in the country, and all of these will offer a free tire check-up to any customer.
As part of this check-up, the tires on your vehicle will be visually inspected, and also tested to see if they have a safe level of tread depth. During the course of inspection, if the PSI on any of your tires is found to be over or under the number recommended by the manufacturers, it will be adjusted accordingly, and returned to spec. Other free services offered at Pep Boys outlets include a check-engine code inspection, as well as a tire alignment inspection. If you purchase a new set of windscreen wipers from a Pep Boys store, the technicians there will also install the new units onto your car for free.
Just Tires
This is yet another specialized tire company that sells, repairs, and maintains tires at a commercial level. It was started in Chicago back in 1991. Today, the company has come a really long way from humble beginnings, with more than 500 storefronts dotted all across the country. In addition to its tire business, Just Tires also offers vehicle repair and servicing, including things like oil changes, battery replacement, brake maintenance, and paint touch-ups at certain locations.
Drivers can take their vehicle to any Just Tires location and get a comprehensive tire inspection, completely free of charge, regardless of whether the tires were bought from Just Tires or not. There, service techs will look at the tire, make sure there isn't any damage, and bring the tires up or down to the recommended PSI. The "damage" we mention refers to premature tread wear, irregular tread wear, leaks, and other pressure-related damage – a pretty thorough checkup for a service that is free of cost.
Gas Stations In California And Connecticut
This one is a bit different, but for readers who live in the states of California or Connecticut, there's good news. There is actually a state legislature that requires every gas station in these two states to provide free air to motorists who visit stations. In California, the specific law is § 13651 of the California business and professions code division 5 — weights and measures.
The rule in California is that if a driver purchases fuel from a gas station, then that gas station must have on hand, free air to offer the driver. Connecticut takes this one step further, by mandating that every gas station in the state must mandatorily offer any driver free air for their tires, regardless of whether or not the driver had made a purchase at that station.
The specific Connecticut law that governs this is Sec. 14-325a of the gasoline and motor sales laws. And with that, we come to the end of this guide of places where you can get your air filled up for free. If you find yourself in the rare position where nothing on our list suits your needs, check out https://www.freeairpump.com/. It is a community resource that maintains a database of thousands of free air stations — there's bound to be one near you.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
