Tire pressure: what is the one that corresponds to your car

tire pressure

If you are not familiar with setting up your tyres, there are a number of things you need to be clear about. carry the wrong pressure it can cause you to lose grip, use more fuel, and even end up with a blowout from overheating. Therefore, here you have all the necessary keys to correctly adjust the air in your tires.

The first thing is to find where is the pressure indicated What should your wheels carry? There are several listings on the net that indicate which one should have each brand and model on the market. However, it is not necessary to consult these types of pages to know which one is right for your car. There are only three places where these values ​​​​are usually to remove all doubt.

Explanatory video about tire pressure

Where is your tire pressure indicated?

Manufacturers worry that it will come printed on a sticker placed in an accessible place, because this data is very important for your safety and so that the wheels are always in good condition.

  • El first site where you should look is in the fuel tank cap. Many times the pressure is indicated by the inside of this little door.
  • El second place What to look for if you can't find it on the cover, it's on the frame driver's door inside. Usually on the B-pillar of your car or on the door itself (image below). The B-pillars are what separate the front doors from the rear doors. If not, it is also usual to find the indications on the driver's door or any other part of the inner door frames, although it is more rare.
  • El third is vehicle user manual, but this is less frequent.

On very rare occasions, the tire pressure sticker can be found in the engine compartment. But that is a very rare custom of some US brands.

Where to check tire pressure

How to put the perfect pressure in your tires

Before you start, you'll need an air compressor so you can measure your tire pressure so you can adjust it. You will find it at any gas station but we already know that in some cases its pressure gauge is not as precise as we would like, so we recommend that you always have a compressor at home for these cases. You have pretty cheap models They will serve us perfectly.

As you will see on the sticker where the instructions come, the front and rear wheels do not usually have the same pressure. With cold tires scrupulously respect the recommended values by the manufacturer.

turn up the pressure

However, there are many situations where you want to alter the data on the sticker to make it perfect:

  • +0,3 bar with warm tires
  • +0,1 for every 10º below 20
  • +0,4 with trailer on the rear wheels and
  • 3,2 bars if we leave the car stopped for a long time

It also does not hurt to take into account a slight increase with long trips through very hot areas. This minimizes tire deformation and the possibility of bursting due to excess heat. In the video from above we tell you how to adjust tire pressure in every circumstance, to gain security.

Tire pressure in summer, winter, etc.

They usually give several values depending on the load level of the car. Two people in front is not the same as going with all the seats occupied and the trunk full. If you are in some point between the indicated values, inflate the tires with an intermediate pressure. For example, when in a car it says:

  • with three occupants > front wheels at 2,4 bar and rear at 2,2
  • with five people and luggage > front wheels at 2,6 bar and rear at 2,8

when you travel with four people and some luggage, you can fit the wheels with 2,5 front and 2,6 rear. Which means spinning finer than most and that you will circulate more safely.

lower the pressure

There are circumstances in which you can lower the tire pressure, but you have to do it responsibly and knowingly:

  • With off road cars let them move around very difficult and/or soft terrain, to gain grip. Always at low speed, because otherwise they will get hotter than they should and could burst. This achieves a greater adaptation of the tire to the ground and a larger grip surface. When you get out of this complicated situation, you have to raise the pressure back to the manufacturer's values. That's why many off-road drivers carry a portable inflation pump or compressor.
  • For get the car out of a snowy area. It is valid both with off-road cars and on the road, because in that situation they grab more. However, also you must raise the pressure as soon as you get out of the quagmire, to continue circulating safely.

A little less pressure on the circuit, so that it reaches the perfect pressure when hot (professionals only)

There is another situation in which the pressures are lowered a little, but it is just something that the racing professionals. This is a slightly lower pressure on the circuit, to warm them up before the race at a precise speed. This is how they reach the indicated pressure when hot.

These professionals know how much to lower that pressure depending on the race car they use. In addition to the right speed to warm them up on the track. With what they achieve that they do not burst before reaching the correct pressure. Nevertheless, that's something we don't have to do in a normal car under no circumstances.

What happens if you drive with low pressure

Blowout

Driving with low tire pressure has a increased risk of blowout. This is because the tires deform more while rolling. A deformation that at high speed heats the rubber to levels that can be dangerous.

The blowout is caused by excess heat in the tire material, not by the increase in pressure produced by the heat. A difference that some people confuse.

Tires get hotter if they have less pressure because they deform

worse braking

Also, if you go with very low pressure, braking distance is lengthened because the tire footprint deforms under hard braking, reducing the grippy surface in contact with the ground.

aquaplaning

aquaplaning too can happen more easily, since the tread does not press against the ground in the way it is designed and loses its ability to evacuate water.

Poor cornering stability

If the tires have less pressure, you will have less cornering stability because they will deform more. What causes a increased body roll and therefore more mass displacement. In the following video, you can see the difference in stability of a car with the correct pressure for the model (2,5 bars) and with 1 bar less:

Wear on the sides

Low pressure tires wear more on the shoulders or sides of the tread. So looking at how they wear out is a good way to see if you've been running too low a pressure so you can correct it.

What happens if you drive with high blood pressure

lower grip

Over-inflated tires have less surface in contact with the ground, so they grab less in any circumstance. Both the braking capacity, as well as the lateral grip and acceleration are reduced.

center wear

Also, when driving with a lot of pressure wear more in the center. Since that is where the tires are pressing the hardest against the pavement. Check how the tires are wearing to see if the pressure is too high.

What happens if you drive with the tire without any air

Driving with flat tires

There are times when we are tempted to go to the workshop with the tire completely deflated to have it fixed. It can be thought that if we go very slowly nothing will happen, however this is not the case. By pressing the edge of the rim against the crushed tire we will go creating a groove in the rubber which can permanently disable it.

If we go to a center specialized in tires with a wheel with this groove they may refuse to repair the puncture. If so, the only possibility will be to buy new ones, with the consequent increase in spending. Mainly because to do it well you have to put new wheels on the same axle.

If you want to know more about tires of your car do not miss the article on the acronyms or codes that appear on the side.

Pictures – Bill Abbott, Pete, Chris Favero, Taylor Burnes, Marc Falardeau


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