Have you ever asked yourself “How do I know if my tire is under-inflated?”, or said to yourself “I want to lower the pressure in my tires, can I go below 30 pounds?” We’ve got the answers for you!
This easy to follow guide will give you all the information that you need about measuring and maintaining your tire pressure. Along with the guide we’ve provided a few tips to help you keep your tires inflated and will be discussing the pros and cons of over inflation.
Under-inflation is the most common problem that car owners have to fix. A little bit of air in your tires can make a huge difference when driving down the road, which is why it’s important that you check your tires before every trip.
If you don’t check your tires regularly, the air inside the tires can lose its shape and get to the point where it will not hold air anymore. This can only happen over time, but you can help prevent this by regularly checking your tires.
Here’s a guide to help
Under-inflation on a car tire is also called under-inflated tire, or under inflated car tire. Under-inflated cars are dangerous because they are more prone to accidents and rolling over.
When you are driving down the road and your car hits a bump, if the car is under-inflated, the tire will deform and it will not be able to maintain its shape. When tires deform they can skid or lose control.
Inflating your tires is easy, but in order to do it right every time you will need a tire pressure gauge. A pressure gauge is an inexpensive tool that can help you check your tire pressure regularly. Even if your car manufacturer says that you do not need to check tire pressure, many experts believe that you should check your tires regularly.
The specific driver needs can also require different levels of pressure in the tires. For example, truck drivers and people who haul heavy loads need higher pressure in their tires to keep them from slipping and to carry the extra weight. The state and condition of the roads that you drive on will also have a significant effect on tire pressure.
Lastly, you will need to check your tires frequently. A simple way to do this is by stuffing a 5 gallon bucket with crumpled newspapers, putting it in the trunk of your car and filling it with water to see how many pounds of air are in your tires.
So what are you waiting for? Gather these tools and let’s get started on how to read your tire pressure!
How-to Read Your Tire Pressure
- Find the tire’s sidewall label and write down its maximum PSI value. If you don’t have a label, look for the tire’s sidewall for tire size and sidewall height. Look for the label that says “MAXIMUM PSI, which is on the outside edge of the tire.
- Place your inflator on top of the tire, you may need to adjust it according to the size of your car’s valve stem.
- Spin up your engine and fill each of your tires up until they are fully inflated. You should hear a loud hissing noise as they inflate.
- After all of your tires are filled, sit down and measure each tire. You will want to use a ruler or measuring tape.
You will need to take the height measurement of your tire every 10th section, which is around 2 inches apart. You may not be able to get the exact measurement here, but it should be close enough.
- Measure your tires before every long trip and when you think they might be low. For example, if you have to drive over a mountain then you should be more aware of your tire pressure.
If your tires are under-inflated, then the first thing that you will notice is some uneven wear on the tread of your tires. You will also see that it gets harder to stop and go, since under-inflated tires are not as responsive.
If you want to lower the pressure in your tires for better traction then make sure that it does not go too low. If your tires are too under-inflated then you will be risking rollovers and accidents.