For different reasons your car may have lost pressure in the tires, which makes it necessary for you to know how to inflate the car wheels. It is important that you use a domestic or gas station/workshop air compressor, it is common to have one in the vehicle itself for those emergency situations in which it is necessary to inflate the wheels.
Keeping your tires at the correct pressure is essential to prevent possible wheel blowouts, which occur in cases of rapidly dropping tire pressure. In addition, having the tires inflated in the correct way also helps to maximize mileage and reduce fuel consumption, making driving more efficient.
To help you in the event that you encounter a problem that the wheels of your vehicle are not at the appropriate pressure, we are going to show you step by step everything you must do to correctly inflate your tires.
Instructions for inflating car tires
To know how to inflate the wheels of the car in the correct way, you must follow the following steps:
- Purchase or use a pressure gauge to measure the pressure of a tire. It is an economical product that will help you know if your vehicle’s tires are at the right pressure. There are both dial-type and pencil-type pocket pressure gauges. Choose the one you prefer.
- Once you have the pressure gauge, it will be time to check the air pressure of the tires. To do this you will have to locate the small metal or rubber stem of the valve located on the inner edge of the rim. Unscrew it and press the end of the pressure gauge onto the valve. If you hold it steadily and firmly you can see how the air comes out. After a few seconds remove the pressure gauge and check the pressure on it.
- Next you need to determine how much air should be in the tires. Keep in mind that this depends on each individual tire, although it generally varies between 2.10 and 2.46 kg/cm2. In any case, it is important that you take into account the characteristics of your vehicle and the tire itself to know what pressure they should be at.
- Knowing the above information, it is time to start the tire inflation process. To do this you must start preparing the inflation, for which you must remove the caps from the valve stem. Don’t move them too far away from you as you’ll need to screw them back in when you’re done inflating the tire.
- Then grab a compressor or air pump. You can use a manual air pump but it will take a lot more time and effort.
- Check that the tires are cold. Otherwise, the readings you make with the pressure gauge may be inaccurate.
- Having carried out the pertinent checks and with all the equipment prepared, it is time to connect the nozzle of the compressor or pump to the tire valve.
- Once it is connected, you must put it into operation so that the inflation begins. Depending on how deflated the wheel is, it may take more or less time to fill it.
- Throughout the process check the pressure, so that you can adjust it as necessary, leaving the tire at the pressure recommended by the manufacturer for your vehicle. Once you reach the proper pressure you can disconnect the nozzle from the compressor and screw the valve stem cap back on.
- Before screwing the cap back on you can check the pressure again. In the event that you have passed the air, you can press the central needle of the valve stem with a tool and you will hear a hissing sound that will mean that the air is coming out. Adjust it to the pressure you need.
What do you need to inflate car wheels?
- Compressor (domestic or gas station/workshop) or manual air pump.
- Pressure Gauge
Tips for inflating car tires
- It is very important to always inflate them to the pressure recommended by the tire manufacturer in order to avoid problems with the tires and in search of the greatest possible efficiency of the vehicle.
- Check your tire pressure regularly, especially before going on a long trip. It is important to always have it at the proper pressure.
- The correct pressure for each tire is determined by a sticker that you can find on the inside of the vehicle’s door frame. If it’s not there, you can probably find it in the user manual.
- Tires lose a small amount of air pressure every month, so it is advisable to always keep it under control.
- If you have an air compressor, check how it works, so that you can make sure that it will work when you need it, in addition to understanding its operation in case you have to use it in a remote place, thus reducing the time spent understanding its handling.
- Do not check the tire pressure if the tires are hot. You should always cold read them as otherwise the readings will be inaccurate.
- Be careful when inflating the tires, as excess pressure can lead to increased tire wear in the center of them. This will affect both comfort and driving.
