Part of getting the most out of your fuel is checking where the rubber meets the road.

It's easy to put off a check of your tires until you're due for an oil change. The mechanic does it for you, right? Sometimes that's not often enough.

The experts never just look at tires as a gauge for inflation and neither should you.

Check the pressure specification on the end of a car door or in your owners manual then make sure it matches the reading on a tire gauge.

Also, make sure they're in alignment.

The Federal Trade Commission says keeping your tires properly inflated and aligned can give you three percent better gas mileage than your car would get if you let those things go.