When the temperature swings from a 50°F afternoon to a 10°F overnight low, your tire pressure drops about 4 PSI from where you set it. If you started near the lower end of the recommended range, you're now riding on under-inflated tires.
Under-inflated tires generate more heat at highway speed, wear unevenly, hurt fuel economy, and increase the chance of a sidewall failure on a pothole strike. The TPMS light will warn you on most modern cars, but the light triggers around 25% under-pressure — by then you've been driving on soft tires for a while.
Check pressure on a cold morning every two weeks in winter. Use a real gauge, not the one at the gas station that reads 'EEEEE'. If you catch a flat or a pothole strike on the BQE or Cross Bronx, we run tire service at our standard hourly rate.