In various aspects, the performance optimization system described herein optimizes vehicle performance through smart alerts communicated to an operator, owner, or fleet manager of a vehicle. When a vehicle characteristic is outside of the target range, a smart alert can be communicated to the user to encourage the user to bring the vehicle characteristic back into a target range. Aspects of the performance optimization system can focus on tire characteristics, which are one type of vehicle characteristic. Exemplary tire characteristics can include tire pressure, tire tread, and tire alignment. In order to generate smart alerts, vehicle information can be gathered from a variety of sources. In particular, information about a tire can be collected from an onboard tire pressure monitoring system, tire mats, or other mechanisms. This information can be analyzed to determine whether vehicle characteristics are inside or outside of a target range for the particular characteristic. When outside the target range, a smart alert is generated.