Not every motorist can immediately tell you what tire pressure is recommended for your car. If you do random tire pressure checks on cars, the results will not be comforting.
Only one in four cars will have the correct tire pressure. About 10% of drivers drive with low tire pressure in winter and summer. Their cars have tires underinflated by more than 0.6 bar.
Motorists need to remember that any car tire loses air every day, especially in the winter. Over a month, the loss can be a few hundredths of an atmosphere. Therefore, if you treat tire pressure irresponsibly, over time the car will become one of those 10% that are at risk of accidents from low tire pressure.
A car’s tire pressure seriously affects many of the car’s performance characteristics. A properly inflated tire distributes the load evenly across the tire’s contact patch with the road. Proper tire pressure is what gives your vehicle the longest tire life possible. It also lowers the cost of fuel- gasoline and diesel.
Let’s start by knowing what the tire pressure of your car tires is measured in. Tire pressure is measured in bars, atmospheres and kgf/cm2. These units are equal, i.e. 1 bar=1 atm.=1 kgf/cm2.
Now let’s find out what the recommended tire pressure is. The question arises as to where on the tire is the recommended pressure. This data is not indicated in the marking of the wheels. Therefore, it is not possible to find out where on the tire, how many atmospheres to pump. It is stated in the recommendations for the use of your car. In addition, the recommended values can also be found on the fuel filler cap label or the driver’s door pillar.
How to Check Tire Pressure on a Car
These stickers contain information about the load index, the recommended tire cold pressure, and the tire size. In addition, manufacturers may provide a list of tire interchangeability for the vehicle in question.
Certainly, someone may be interested in the table of pressures in tires according to the car brand. But it is needless information, as there are usually one or two cars in a family and one may read everything on the nameplates. The table of pressures in tires by car brand can be useful only for workers of tire fitting shop. For the car enthusiast, it will be useless information.
The normal pressure in the tires of a car is the value recommended by the car manufacturers. Operating a car on a properly inflated tire becomes safe and economical because of reduced fuel consumption. In addition, the service life of the tires is increased. Deviation from the norm of air pressure in the rubber can lead to uneven wear of the tread.
For example, a 0.2 bar deficiency in tires shortens tire life by 15%. A tire with a pressure 0.6 bar below the norm usually wears out twice as fast. Overinflated tires also cause premature tyre wear.
Low tire pressure affects the traction of the tyre. Increases braking distance. When maneuvering the car becomes less obedient. In addition, such an underinflated tire can burst. Over-inflated tire pressure reduces the area of its contact with the road. For this reason, the center section of the tire tread will quickly wear away from too high a load. This can cause the cords to tear and damage the wheel tire.
That’s why normal tire pressure should be monitored regularly. Otherwise, it can lead to an accident. Today, there are already motorists who do not pump the tires by hand much, and sometimes come to a tire shop for this purpose. But most professional drivers say that the tires themselves should be checked before going out at least once a month.
In order to check the pressure in the tires of the car, most motorists use common folk methods. Many of them do not use a manometer, and assess the pressure by eye or kicking a tire with their foot. But, it should be understood that the eyes and feet, it is not a special device that can measure the pressure in tires. Therefore, it is unlikely that you can tell by eye the difference in pressure between 1.5 atm. and 2.
You should check your tire pressure at least once every 30 days. Before you check the tire pressure, you should make sure that the tire is cold. The fact is that tire pressure can increase by up to 20% while driving. Therefore, it should be measured not earlier than 2 hours after the trip. By the way, many modern cars are already equipped with a system of tire pressure control. This system displays on the car’s cabin display information about pressure deviations from the norm.