Proof that there’s no correlation between how technologically advanced or expensive a car is and how much basic car knowledge the driver has.
I really find this hard to believe but according to a post that showed up on a Tesla Model Y owners Facebook group, a Model Y owner asked fellow group members how to get her Tesla Model Y to its recommended PSI from 42 PSI to the 34 PSI all-around that was displayed on her 15-inch touch screen.
Check out a screenshot of the now deleted post below.
“What should I do to reach the recommended 42 psi?” the caption reads.
“I am driving my daughter to school everyday and I don’t feel comfortable seeing this…”
First it’s worth mentioning that the recommended 42 PSI is not a glitch and, is according to Find My Electric, par for the recommended PSI course for the Model Y and other Tesla models.
Since Teslas (like most EVs) weigh more than conventional cars (Model Ys weigh 4,500 pounds, 1000 pounds less than a typical gas SUV,) and they’re engineered to maximize efficiency, they have slightly higher recommended tire pressures.
Embed from Getty ImagesI should make clear I’m not pointing out how she doesn’t know how to add air to her tires because that’s not what her question is about.
Adding air to your tires might seem like basic knowledge to you and I but, Googling around, there are people that either actually don’t know how to add air to their tires or they just don’t have enough experience doing so.
What I am pointing out is how she doesn’t know the basic concept that air, and the act of manually adding air to a tire via air chuck attached to an air machine (like at a gas station or with a manual bike pump) is what supports a tire casing and causes tire pressures to increase.
Embed from Getty ImagesMaybe she never owned or rode on a bike and experienced a flat tire or her parents never dealt with car maintenince…at all.
Did she assume tire pressures naturally increase while you drive? Which, to be fair, does actually happen, but doesn’t set a baseline of recommended PSI if you’re already low (especially when it’s cold.)
Regardless, it’s still pretty surprising that someone with arguably the most technologically advanced drivetrain on the market doesn’t know that air and continually adding the gas increases tire pressures.