Pumping up the tyres

peter12345678910

Mine were at 20, and the car was skidding with 3 adults and a baby. It would usually skid 5 to 10 meters when braking, though it only happened 3 or 4 times.

I went to Halfords got a foot pump for £7 and pumped each tyre to about 32.

Never has skipped again, though the tyres are a little noisy above 40mpg.

bowlhead99

As we settle in for a nice cold winter it's worth noting that tyre pressures are lower in the cold, so for example if you topped up your tyres to a particular PSI in the blistering heat of the summer, they may be several PSI below that in the depths of winter.

If you have one that's 2PSI higher than the other it might just be the case that the lower one was topped up on a significantly warmer day or when you pulled into a petrol station after a long motorway trip, whereas the other was done at the start of the journey on an average dull day.

Obviously if the tyres are 12 and 14 rather than 32 and 34 it's unlikely that you can blame it on the weather.

Still I suppose when you're driving on packed snow it's handy to have low tyre pressures for a bigger contact area, until the tyre comes off the rim from overenthusiastic rally-type driving...

dave76

you can't always tell by looking at them - last time I checked mine I had a rear tyre down to about 18 I think and it was a bit soft but not obvious. Wide and low profile can go very low pressure before they look any different.

cajef

Well I have low profile tyres on my car, it may be difficult to spot if one was down a little but I am pretty certain I would know by looking if one was down to 12 or 14 psi from a normal 32 psi.

vikingaero

A £7.99 double barrel foot pump is a must for any conscientious motorist. The fact that you are posting on the Motoring Forum shows that you have a little interest in cars and keeping your motor in tip top shape.

Garage air pumps are useless if the tyre is low and/or near flat as you can damage your sidewalls and increase the risk of a high speed blow out.

Biggest problem is that with the colder weather peoples tyres are likely to be underinflated.

PCMcGarry

peter12345678910 wrote: »

Mine were at 20, and the car was skidding with 3 adults and a baby. It would usually skid 5 to 10 meters when braking, though it only happened 3 or 4 times.

I went to Halfords got a foot pump for £7 and pumped each tyre to about 32.

Never has skipped again, though the tyres are a little noisy above 40mpg.

I don't think it would cause him to skid but I'm surprised he couldn't feel they were soft.

Richard53

vikingaero wrote: »

Garage air pumps are useless if the tyre is low and/or near flat as you can damage your sidewalls and increase the risk of a high speed blow out.

I've never heard that advice before. Can you explain why?

forgotmyname

Maybe its like substandard supermarket fuel? Supermarket air is also substandard and will affect the running of your car and ruin your tyres

vikingaero

Richard53 wrote: »

I've never heard that advice before. Can you explain why?

If the tyre deflates on your driveway overnight due to a slow puncture and you drive on it to the petrol station to inflate it then there is the real risk that you will weaken the sidewalls. The sidewall rubber inside the tyre will be worn/ground into small pellets. You cannot see this until the tyre is removed. This also happens on the outside sidewall. If you see a car tyre with no manufacturers details/information (ie Goodyear 235/65/17) then it has probably been driven on with low pressure or when flat and the markings have been scrubbed off.

If you have a footpump at home you can pump it up (with some effort) and that may be good enough for you to limp slowly to a tyre garage.

It's also important or better practice to check tyre pressures when they are "cold" or not driven on for a while. Cold can mean at the ambient temperature for some manufacturers or a few nerdy manufacturers will specify the ideal temperature - 32 psi at 0 degrees C.

If I check my tyre pressures immediately after the car has been driven then I can get a variation of a few psi from one tyre to another.

almillar

and you drive on it to the petrol station to inflate it then there is the real risk that you will weaken the sidewalls. The sidewall rubber inside the tyre will be worn/ground into small pellets. You cannot see this until the tyre is removed.

Yes, you'll be wearing the sidewall from the inside, the wheel itself rubbing the tyre to pieces - but this is only if the tyre is completely flat. Don't drive if it's completely flat, you could wreck your wheel too! Cheapo compressor, or foot pump if you want the exercise, would be a wise investment!