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Car Basics

Tire pressure temperature calculator

Pressure falls about 1 PSI per 10°F — so the first cold morning of the season can light up the TPMS warning on perfectly healthy tires. See what yours should read right now.

Last updated · How we research and review

Recommended pressure (driver's door sticker)

35 PSI

On the driver's door jamb — not the "max" molded on the tire sidewall.

Temperature when tires were last set

70°F

Temperature now

25°F
Expected pressure at 25°F
30.8PSI4.2 PSI below sticker from cold

Above the ~26 PSI point where most TPMS lights trigger, so cold alone shouldn't set the light off. If the light is on anyway, a tire may actually be leaking — check each one with a gauge. Inflate back to 35 PSI cold — the sticker value, not the expected number above.

Rule of thumb: pressure moves about 1 PSI per 10°F. This calculator uses the ideal gas law, so it stays accurate across bigger swings — desert summer to deep-winter morning.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Where the figures on this page come from. Your owner's manual still wins for your specific vehicle.

  1. 49 CFR § 571.138 — Standard No. 138; Tire pressure monitoring systems
    U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, via Cornell Law School LII. Cited for: S4.2 requires the low tire pressure telltale to light at 25% below the vehicle manufacturer's recommended cold inflation pressure, or the tire-type minimum in Table 1, whichever is higher. Checked .
  2. Keeping Your Vehicle in Shape
    U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. EPA (fueleconomy.gov). Cited for: the proper pressure for a vehicle is the one on the driver's-side door-jamb sticker, the glove box, or the owner's manual — not a figure read off the tire. Checked .

Keep going

TPMS light is on — now what?
Decide if it's weather, a leak, or a dead sensor.
Decode the TPMS symbol
What it means, whether you can drive, and typical fix costs.