Have you been feeling a bit flat lately? Raplapla, without peps? Maybe even a little soft? Being a tire is a difficult life. No problem. You are going to show your owner how to re-inflate and take care of yourself, so that you will be in great shape for the road! Did you know that properly inflating the tires on your car or motorcycle (or even your bicycle) protects you against the main cause of flat tires and helps optimize your fuel consumption? It's the case ! And what's more, it's easy to do! We will show you how.
Steps
Step 1. Take a tire pressure gauge
You can find it in all supermarkets and auto parts retailers.
- The ball-style shaped models look like small metal tubes and a pressure gauge pops out from above, showing the air pressure. The graduations are small and can be difficult to interpret, but they are inexpensive and, as they say, "good enough".
- Dial gauges are more accurate, giving you a very accurate reading of your tire pressure.
- Digital gauges provide you with an LCD display that requires no interpretation.
Method 1 of 3: Check the tire pressure
Step 1. Find the recommended pressure
You can find it in the vehicle manual, on a sticker inside the door frame, driver's side or in the glove box.
- The pressure may be the same for all four tires, or the front and rear tires may have different recommended values depending on the model.
- Normally it will be between 1.9 and 2.5 bar, 28 and 36 psis (pounds per square inch) or 195 and 250 kPa (kilopascals).
- You can also find the maximum pressure on the tires themselves, but use only if you cannot find the values recommended by the vehicle. “Maximum” does not necessarily mean “optimal”.
Step 2. Check the tires when they are cold
Hot air expands and will give you an incorrect reading corresponding to higher pressure.
Step 3. Remove the screw cap from the valve
This is a small rod topped with a small black cap that sticks out of your wheel. Take off the cap and put it where you won't lose it.
There are 2 types of valves. The most common are plastic, but there are metal valves generally used when the wheels have a TPMS (Tire pressure monitoring system)
Step 4. Connect the gauge
Place the end of the dipstick directly on the valve stem and press firmly. If you can hear the hiss of escaping air, press harder until the hissing stops. Read the gauge as shown to determine the pressure.
If the tire pressure is within the recommended value, replace the cap and move on to the next tire. Repeat this procedure for all four tires, as well as the spare tire. If the tire is flat, having a flat spare tire is not going to be of much use to you
Method 2 of 3: Inflate a tire
Step 1. Find air
If you need to add air to your tires and you don't have a compressor in your house (as many people do), go to the gas station. Be sure to bring a few coins, inflating a tire can cost you $ 1 or more.
It is convenient to have a tire inflator in your garage, you will find it anywhere tire pressure gauges are sold
Step 2. Remove the valve cap
It's the same cap and the same valve allows you to check the pressure.
Step 3. Turn on the compressor
This can be a switch, if you use a compressor at home or by plugging the device in with a few coins in the case of a compressor in your gas station (some gas stations offer this. service free of charge). He will start to whistle.
Step 4. Place the nozzle firmly on the valve stem
Press down firmly, just like you did with the pressure gauge and pull the trigger on the valve. If you hear it hissing loudly, press more firmly until the hissing stops or is minimized.
- Depending on the lack of pressure compared to normal, you will determine how long you need to leave the compressor or inflator on. Most air compressors have a gauge sticking out from the top that tells you when to release the valve trigger. Do not rely on this gauge for complete accuracy, but use it as a hint to see if you are near the desired pressure.
- When you are close to it, use your own tire pressure gauge to check the value, and, either you will need to add a little more air in short bursts of 5 seconds or use the gauge by pressing the valve to the inside the valve body to let air out in case you have over-inflated the tire.
Step 5. Replace the cap
When each tire has been inflated to the correct pressure, replace the caps, including the spare tire.
If you had to drive more than a few kilometers to reach the gas station, your tires will heat up and the air pressure will rise accordingly. If your readings indicated that you need to add, say, 0.3 bar in that tire, add 0.3 bar, regardless of the value shown. Check a few hours later, after the tires have cooled, for the correct pressure
Method 3 of 3: For cyclists
Step 1. Purchase a bicycle tire pressure gauge
Automotive tire pressure gauges do not accurately reflect the much higher levels of bicycle tire pressure.
Step 2. Use a hand pump
Follow the steps above, including checking the pressure when the tire is cold, according to the directions in the bike manual.
It is possible to inflate the tires of a bicycle by using a compressor, but you must be very careful. Inflate the tire very gradually and check the pressure often to avoid bursting it
Step 3. Check your pressure before each ride
Due to their size and dimensions, bicycle tires respond more quickly to changes in ambient air temperature, and the pressure will drop in cooler weather. For every 10 ° C drop in temperature, the tire pressure will drop by about 2%.
For example, if you are walking during the day with a pressure of 7 bars and the temperature is 30 ° C, when you come home that evening and it will then be only 16 ° C, the pressure of tires will be around 6.6 bar, which is enough to feel a noticeable difference
Step 4. Do not over inflate
A tire inflated to 7 bar on a smooth road will cause some discomfort on a rough road. To help grip in rainy weather, lower the pressure to about 0.5 bar.
Advice
- On average, tires lose around 0.35 bar of pressure every month, so be sure to check your tire pressure at least once a month.
- If this is the first time you are doing this operation, take into account that after you put in a coin, the air compressor will only run for a short period (about 3 minutes). So remove the valve caps in advance and park your car on the space reserved for this purpose which is near the compressor to save time.
- Know in advance how to operate the air distributor. Typically, the end of the hose has a nipple that you will connect to the tire valve and a handle that you need to operate to fill your tire with air. If you let go of the handle, a gauge will appear at its fixed end to indicate the pressure, while at the same time air begins to be released from the wheel. You should keep the handle depressed most of the time, while releasing it periodically to check if the target pressure is reached.
Warnings
- Do not use a high pressure air compressor (like at a gas station) to inflate a bicycle tire, as it can easily cause the tire to explode.
- Be careful to inflate your tires properly. Over-inflation can lead to increased wear of the tires in the center of the tire and affect driving comfort and maneuvering. Underinflation can cause extra flexibility in the tire, which can cause it to overheat and cause it to burst. This can cause vehicles with a high center of gravity, such as pickup trucks or SUVs, to overturn. Under-inflation also increases tire wear and wastes energy (significantly increases fuel consumption). Note that tires generally have a maximum pressure greater than the optimum pressure displayed on the vehicle. Do not go under the optimum pressure of the vehicle.
- Sometimes a gauge is included at the end of the air distributor hose. It is made of metal with engraved graduations that can be difficult to read at night. Bring your own pressure gauge for added safety.
- Due to the limited time given to the compressor, inflate each tire a little more (according to the gauge on the air distributor), then when done, take your own pressure gauge, check the pressure of each tire and bleed them if necessary.
- Due to the inaccuracy of some gas station air compressor gauges, the values shown may be incorrect and therefore it is advisable to consult your own gauge.