So, you got distracted while you were filling up your tires and accidentally added way too much air. Or, perhaps a friend told you that overinflated tires could improve your gas mileage. The truth is, whatever the reason for it, driving on overinflated tires can be damaging for your car and dangerous for you. Here’s what happens when you put too much air in your tires, and what you can do to restore proper tire inflation. The fix is quick and easy!
There are a variety of issues that can occur if you drive on overinflated tires. Most seriously, overinflated tires are at greater risk for a blowout. A tire blowout can cause you to lose control of your vehicle and negatively affect braking distance, endangering yourself and others on the road.
Additionally, many of the safety features on your vehicle, like your anti-lock braking system, are designed to work when tires are filled to the vehicle manufacturer recommendations. Overinflated tires could compromise some of your car’s driver assistance functions.
Overinflating your tires can make them more vulnerable to damage. Like an overfilled balloon, tires filled to their maximum capacity are more stiff and inflexible, which makes them more susceptible to damage from potholes, curbs, or debris. Plus, as a driver or passenger, you’ll feel every bump and dip in the road, and that doesn’t make for a pleasant ride.
Excessive air pressure can also distort the shape of the tire, leading to decreased traction and increased wear and tear down the center of the tire. Depending on the circumstances, repeatedly overinflated tires could wear out more quickly.
A tire bulges in the center of the tread when you overinflate it. The only part of the tire touching the road is a small, skinny patch down the middle. In theory, "this should mean less rolling resistance and increased mileage," notes Popular Mechanics. But in reality? It means center tread wear, an uncomfortable ride, and increased risk for a blowout.
Note that a few PSI over your recommended tire pressure generally won't put you in the danger zone. After all, tire pressure fluctuates with the outside temperature. Your goal is to stay at your car manufacturer’s suggested cold tire pressure.
Alright, so what happens when you figure out you’ve overinflated your tires? Don't worry—fixing this air pressure problem is a breeze. To get the most accurate tire pressure reading and inflation, follow these steps when your tires are "cold," either in the morning or after the car has been sitting for a few hours. Topping off warm tires may result in over-inflation. Likewise, checking the inflation pressure when the tires are warm may incorrectly suggest the tires are already over-inflated.
Use this, or a similar tool, to press down on the pin firmly. This will release air from the tire.Many vehicles have tire-pressure monitoring systems, which will alert you with a TPMS dashboard light when significant underinflation occurs. However, the dash icon only lights up when tire pressure drops 25% or more below the manufacturer's recommended level.
There are a few places you can find your recommended tire pressure:
The recommended tire pressure is the optimal pressure for tires on your specific vehicle.
It's calculated by the manufacturer using the total weight and size of your vehicle, its towing and payload capacity, and recommended tire size. Sticking to this number can help you get the best performance from your tires and extend tire lifespan.
Don’t underestimate the importance of proper tire inflation. Keeping your tires at the manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure is key to keeping you safe on the road and getting your money’s worth out of your tires.
Remember, no job is too small for us! Visit your local Firestone Complete Auto Care for a free tire pressure check, we’ll help you inflate (or deflate!) your tires.
Japanese Used Cars TOP > BLOG > Car Maintenance > The Easy Way to Let Air Out of your Car Tires
by Carusedjp
Last Updated on 9月 23, 2022 by Carusedjp
Many car owners think that when they over inflate their tires, they can expect better fuel efficiency and more responsive handling.
Even those who buy used trucks for sale that over inflating their tires would improve the condition of their vehicle. However, the truth is that over inflated tires can be dangerous.
If you want the best fuel efficiency and handling possible for your vehicle, then it would be advisable to follow the manufacturer-recommended tire pressure level. Your manual will tell you what the optimum tire pressure for your car is. Keep in mind that these numbers were determined through a series of tests and studies for each car model, with consideration to the following factors:
Search Japanese Used Cars
When you exceed the manufacturer-recommended pressure levels, your tires will wear out sooner than expected. It is worth noting that tires tend to round out on the tread section when they are over inflated. Consequently, the center wears out at a faster rate than the outer edges.
It is possible that your tires will only reach half their actual lifespan.
Aside from that, over inflating your tires can also cause traction loss. Even when you drive on regular roads and conditions, over inflated tires can cause your vehicle to lose traction. This would lead to accidents. This problem becomes especially evident during the winter season. Your rides can become harsher as well. When tires are over inflated, they tend to give a bumpier rider. Needless to say, you will feel every dip in the road.
It is recommended for every driver to own a digital tire gauge. This is one of the items you can keep in the glove compartment. You can also keep a notebook where you can write down the tire pressure and the fuel economy. Here are the steps in checking your tire pressure:
Find Used Trucks here!
As we’ve mentioned, you will find the manufacturer-recommended pressure level on the tire’s sidewall. Here’s how to let air out of over inflated tires:
Make sure you attach the cap back to the valve stem.How to Buy Japanese Car
Share this article:
Previous
Next
What should be the pressure in the tires of the car? Does it need to be adjusted and what will happen if the pressure is changed in one direction or another?
Two friends conversation:
- Hello, I lowered the wheel!
— Absolutely?
- No, only from below .
..
Humor from the Web
Let's start with platitudes. The pressure must be as specified by the vehicle manufacturer. And since the average modern driver usually does not have such information, especially for him, a "cheat sheet" with the necessary numbers is hung on the middle pillar on the driver's side or on the gas tank hatch cover.
A relatively rare solution: the "reminder" is located on the gas tank cap.
A relatively rare solution: the "reminder" is located on the gas tank cap.
An important point: pressure should be measured only on cold tires. By the way, especially for pedants: cold tires are those on which the car has been without movement for at least 5 hours.
This "cheat sheet" nestled on the driver's door. An example of how tire pressure recommendations change depending on tire size.
This "cheat sheet" nestled on the driver's door. An example of how tire pressure recommendations change depending on tire size.
Since car manufacturers allow the use of tires of different sizes, different pressures may be required. In addition, the pressure in the front and rear tires has the right to both differ and be the same.
And here there is no difference in recommendations: what is in front, what is behind is the same.
And here there is no difference in recommendations: what is in front, what is behind is the same.
Related materials
Seasonal tire change: everything car owners need to know
Reduced pressure leads to an increase in tire deformation, more heating during wheel rolling, accelerated wear of the outer tread tracks. Perhaps even a violation of the integrity of the frame.
As a result, fuel consumption increases. If you hit a hole in the road, the likelihood of damage to both the disk and the tire is higher.
Increased pressure is an overstrain of the cords, increased wear of the middle part of the tread. In addition, when driving on a bad road, the shocks that are transmitted to the suspension and body will become more noticeable for riders. When hit in a pit, the likelihood of a tire burst increases.
Uneven pressure on all four wheels is the worst thing! At the same time, the car, while driving, inevitably leads the wheels with lower pressure to the side - in fact, sideways movement begins.
Tube tires of the past required a weekly check, especially before the advent of butyl tubes. Then the pressure began to be checked less often, and nowadays, as a rule, they are limited to visual inspection.
Tube tires of the past required a weekly inspection, especially before the advent of butyl rubber tubes.
Then the pressure began to be checked less often, and nowadays, as a rule, they are limited to visual inspection.
In a good way, you need to check the tire pressure at least once a month. And before a long journey - just a must.
Related materials
Budget Tire Compressor Test: Wrong Bees
The air pressure in an enclosed space changes by approximately 0.1 bar for every 10 degrees of temperature change. This allows, having installed summer wheels in April, not to worry about the pressure in them until the end of August, when the air temperature begins to drop. Having pumped up the wheels at the end of summer, you can already reach the seasonal shift. But having installed winter tires in October, with the first frosts, you should check the pressure a couple more times: when the temperature drops to minus ten, fifteen, and when it goes over minus twenty. But from the middle of winter until the moment of changing the wheels to summer ones, there is again a period of relaxation.
Electronics are increasingly thinking for us. Now, a tire pressure monitoring system is being installed on parts of production cars. Moreover, some simply read the wheel speeds through the ABS sensors: after all, a flat tire rotates faster, since its radius is smaller than that of inflated wheels. There are also sensors that evaluate the amount of air pressure and send information via radio to the "brains" of the car. Such devices can also be purchased separately: sensors - in the wheels, and the receiver - in the car.
By the way, a lot depends on the road you are going to take.
The operating instructions supplied with the vehicles indicate that it is recommended to increase the pressure by 0.2-0.3 bar before driving for a long time on expressways. We advise you to follow these recommendations on all cars: it will not get worse.
The operating instructions supplied with the vehicles state that it is recommended to increase the pressure by 0.
2-0.3 bar before driving for a long time on highways. We advise you to follow these recommendations on all cars: it will not get worse.
I don’t want to discuss overload: this, you see, is not the case. But, unfortunately, many deliberately overload the car several times a year, not only stuffing the interior and trunk to the eyeballs, but also attaching a trailer, which additionally loads the rear wheels of the tractor. In such cases, we advise you to increase the pressure in the rear tires by at least 0.2–0.3 bar. Tires will only thank you.
If you doubt the accuracy of your pressure gauge, then we advise you to check it immediately after leaving the tire shop, where you were set the obviously necessary pressure, to measure it with your own measuring device (separate or as part of the compressor). So you determine whether your pressure gauge is "lying" a lot. For the future, right on the dial, you can put a mark of the correct value.
Of course, it is better to have your own, known to be correct pressure gauge, but such a toy is not cheap.
Of course, it is better to have your own, known to be correct pressure gauge, but such a toy is not cheap.
If terrible ice caught you on summer tires, say, in the country, and you need to drive some distance along an absolutely icy road by any means, then you should reduce the tire pressure to approximately 1.6 bar. Is it bad for tires? Yes. But an accident will cost more. In addition, in such a situation, one does not have to wait for high speed, and overheating of tires at near-zero temperatures most likely will not happen.
Everyone knows what caused the excellent maneuverability of Soviet tanks? That's right: wide tracks, that is, low pressure on the ground. We, having an ordinary, non-all-wheel drive car, are also able to provide it with a similar cross-country ability.
If the wheels of the car sink into sand, snow or sticky mud, then it makes sense to lower the tire pressure. And not only driving, but also driven wheels.
We know from experience that you can often get out of the "black spot" by reducing the pressure to 1.2 bar.
We know from experience that it is often possible to get out of the "black hole" by reducing the pressure to 1.2 bar.
In a very critical situation, if you know that you have a fairly narrow disc and a relatively wide tire (such a wheel has a lower chance of self-disassembly), you can reduce the pressure to 1.0 bar.
Stalled on wet grass? Try to relieve pressure.
Stalled on wet grass? Try to relieve pressure.
Pressure reduction is also useful in other cases - for example, to overcome diagonal hanging. If you reduce the pressure in the wheels on which the car rests, their height will decrease and there will be a chance to “hook” on the suspended wheels.
Of course, if the car has already laid down on the bottom, then it is too late to reduce the pressure - this will only interfere.
A concrete example of the effect of pressure on flotation. In this case, the pressure is very low, and the contact patch of the wheel with the coating is much larger than that of a conventional car.
A concrete example of the effect of pressure on patency. In this case, the pressure is very low, and the contact patch of the wheel with the coating is much larger than that of a conventional car.
In general, the pressure in tires, as well as in vessels, is better to keep normal. Any deviation has its negative consequences. Tell us, have you ever had to adjust tire pressure to improve flotation?
Tire pressure: your norm
Tire pressure: your norm
rbc.ru See also
Tires are the only vehicle element that is in constant contact with the road. One of the main indicators of their serviceability is pressure. It affects not only fuel efficiency, but also safety.
As a rule, car manufacturers recommend maintaining tire pressures between 2.0 and 2.8 bar. But in practice there are situations when it is necessary to deviate from this norm.
adv.rbc.ru
Tire pressure should be checked at least once a month, there are several ways to do this. We understand why it is so important to observe the optimal pressure indicator and what it affects.
In this story:
Tire pressure is the resistance with which air "presses" on the inner area of the rubber.
Properly inflated tires will last longer, give you better ride quality and improve your driving safety. If the pressure in the tires is too low or they are pumped over, then the car owner runs the risk of facing a number of problems: from buying new tires to the threat of an accident.
Properly inflated tires will last longer (Photo: Global Look Press)
Under-inflated tires are tires that are below the recommended pressure. In this case, the contact patch of rubber with the road increases, which leads to increased friction or rolling resistance. A worn out outer edge of the tread can visually give out such a problem.
Increased friction with the road can cause the tire to overheat, slip and even burst. In addition, low tire pressure leads:
When tires are over-inflated, that is, above the manufacturer's recommended rate, the contact patch decreases. As a result, the main friction with the road is taken over by the central part of the tire.
Excessive tire pressure leads to excessive sensitivity to road irregularities and the risk of tire damage, even destruction. Inflated tires also cause the following:
For overinflated tires:
Excessive tire pressure leads to excessive sensitivity to road irregularities and the risk of tire damage (Photo: Shutterstock)
For each car model, the manufacturer sets its own optimal tire pressure. This indicator depends on the mass of the car, the speed of operation, the number of passengers (partial or full boarding), as well as the load on the trunk [1].
Information on the recommended tire pressures can be found in the vehicle owner's manual or on one of the signs/decals in the passenger compartment. They can be:
Tire pressure is measured in several units. In Russia, they usually indicate in kg / cm 2 (or atmospheres) and bars (bar). These two indicators are almost equal, which is why they are often used as synonyms:
Foreign models often use pounds per square inch (pound per square inch), or psi:
For convenience, car manufacturers can indicate pressure in two units at once - bar and psi. Thus, the need to independently calculate according to the formulas disappears. Otherwise, you can do this in one of the online calculators or check the table of popular values.
| 2.0 bar | 2.1 bar | 2.2 bar | 2. 3 bar | 2.4 bar | 2.5 bar | 2.6 bar | 2.7 bar | 2.8 bar |
| 29psi | 30psi | 32 psi | 33 psi | 35 psi | 36 psi | 38 psi | 39 psi | 41 psi |
Temperature has a significant effect on tire pressure: when it drops, the pressure in the wheels decreases with it. When the temperature drops by 10 °C, the tire deflates by an average of 0.07–0.14 bar or 1 to 2 psi [2].
Temperature has a significant effect on tire pressure (Photo: Shutterstock)
Summer tires typically use manufacturer's recommended readings. But in winter, it is advised to add about 0.2 bar to these figures [3].
Experts also recommend checking and correcting tire pressure at outside temperature. In the cold season, swapping is best done not in a warm garage, but on the street. In summer, before such a manipulation, you should make sure that some of the wheels of the car were not under the scorching sun, while others were in the shade.
Sometimes the tire pressure needs to be adjusted according to the situation. For example, when the machine is fully loaded or a trailer is towed. For such cases, automakers, as a rule, separately indicate the optimal pressure.
But there are moments that fall into the category of extreme and non-standard (especially if before that the car most often drove around the city). Automotive expert Tatyana Eliseeva analyzed the most common of them.
Causes tires to heat up, especially in summer, so you should follow the manufacturer's recommendations before such a trip.
We do not know what we will meet: patched road repairs or heavy rain. After all, for each of these situations, the recommendations will be opposite. Athletes can play with pressure when track conditions are known and engineers can always change the settings. For a long journey, the layman just needs to choose the average.
Tires must be bled off, especially on sand. The question is for how much? You can bleed up to 0.7 atm, but a not very experienced motorist can slip the wheels with an inaccurate movement, and if the driver turns the steering wheel sharply (for example, trying to catch on the edge of the track), then the tire can come off the disk. And such cases occur regularly.
At near-zero temperatures on packed snow, ice or sludge for new wheels (velcro or studded) it is better to pump the wheels a little so that water and sludge are squeezed out of the central zone of the contact patch and the tread is better worked.
The wheel must be cleared for the tread to work. When it is clogged with snow, the braking distance and traction deteriorate greatly.
If the car has worn wheels, but with an acceptable tread depth for winter tires (4 mm), then you should not hope for the correct operation of the tread. Such a low checker no longer pushes the snow. In this case, it is necessary to reduce the pressure in the wheel, thereby increasing the same contact patch.
Photo: Global Look Press
On a country road, the weight of the machine will be an important factor. In this case, we select the pressure according to the load - specific indicators must be viewed on the central pillar of the body. There you will see something like the following recommendation: the more the car is loaded, the higher the pressure in the rear wheels should be.
But a badly broken road can lead to herniations, ruptures and tire damage. Therefore, if we increase the pressure, then we drive on a bad road as calmly and measuredly as possible.
Or we slightly deviate from the manufacturer's recommendations and raise the pressure not as much as the manufacturer recommends.
The main factor in changing the behavior of the wheel is not the pressure difference at altitude, but the presence of a large number of sharp turns and long braking. The tire will heat up not only from the loads, but also from the operation of the brake mechanisms. Therefore, the idea that due to low pressure it is necessary to increase the pressure in the tires is wrong, because the temperature of the wheel has a much greater influence in this case.
The recommended pressure is always given when the tires are cold. This means that the vehicle has not been driven for three hours or has traveled less than 1 mile (or one mile).
There are two ways to check tire pressure: on your own or at a workshop. In the first case, it is enough to use a public pump at a gas station or purchase a pressure gauge.
This tire pressure measuring device comes in three types:
Another option is to install special pressure control caps on each nipple. Such a gadget works as follows: the upper part of the cap is transparent and, depending on the level of pressure, an indicator of three colors appears in it. Green - the pressure is normal, yellow - the tire is flat, red - the pressure has exceeded the norm.
Photo: Shutterstock
The easiest way to monitor tire pressure is with the automatic TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitor System). Today it is installed on almost all models, and in some countries its presence is a prerequisite for releasing a car from the assembly line.
In these systems, the electronics automatically detect changes in the tire, and if the pressure drops below the recommended value, a warning signal lights up on the on-board computer screen.
There are two types of TPMS:
Car manufacturers recommend checking tire pressure every two weeks, but at least once a month. Indeed, even under ideal conditions (for example, the car is idle for a long time), the wheels lose approximately 0.069bar, or 1 psi, per month [4].
The pressure should be monitored before and after a long trip, during a sudden change in temperature (for example, during the first frost or warming), and also after changing tires or driving with a load.
Also, don't forget the spare wheel. Automakers advise servicing it at least as often as the main wheels.
