Do You Have Over-Inflated Tires? | Michelin (2024)

FAQs

Should you over inflate your tires? ›

When tires are truly overinflated, it can be detrimental to your vehicle's safety and end up causing expensive damage to your tires. In short, overinflation is pretty bad.

All you have to do is push your thumb down on the tire to feel the pressure. Underinflated tires will be soft. You will find your tires to be extremely stiff if they are overinflated. The tire pressure is proper if your tire is not too soft or too stiff as mentioned above.

You'll also find the correct air pressure for your car's tires listed on a sticker located on the lower part of the driver-side door jamb. For many passenger cars, the recommended air pressure is 32 psi to 35 psi when the tires are cold. There is also a tire pressure number shown on the sidewall of the tire itself.

A tire bulges in the center of the tread when you overinflate it. The only part of the tire touching the road is a small, skinny patch down the middle.

In addition to increasing your savings and safety, proper tire pressure also helps the environment. Most drivers will reduce their tire tread life due to underinflation, some as much as 50%. When a vehicle is rolling on underinflated tires, the engine has to burn more fuel to power it appropriately.

As mentioned earlier, having too much pressure is a safer bet than having too little (as long as you're not over the maximum allowable amount). The only downside to this is a slightly rougher ride since less rubber is in contact with the road. The consequences of low tire pressure are significantly more severe.

"Underinflated is worse," Lee said. "You're not going to get good tire wear and you'll get worse fuel economy" with an underinflated tire, Lee said. The underinflated tire loses its shape and flattens out on the road.

Heat builds up inside of a tire with low air pressure. Eventually, this heat can cause a tire go blowout. A tire blowout is a hole or tear “that results in rapid air loss.” This can be a very dangerous condition for you, your passengers, and other drivers.

You should usually inflate your tyres to more than normal pressure when you are carrying a heavy load. The appropriate pressure will be listed in your vehicle handbook. When carrying a heavy load it can also be necessary to adjust your headlights. This is usually possible with a switch on the dashboard.

Over-inflation can also cause the center of your tire's tread to wear out prematurely and reduce the lifespan of your tires. You may want to use the max pressure on a temporary basis if you are hauling especially heavy load or towing something.

Should you be sure your tires are properly inflated? ›

Check for your tires' recommended pressure on the driver's side door jamb or in your vehicle owner's manual. Also, be sure to check your tire pressure before you hit the road as your tires may read as having a higher psi after a long drive.

But you shouldn't go too much over recommended PSI. You can safely over-inflate tires by up to 10%. For example, if your tires have a recommended PSI of 35, you can go up to around 38 PSI without worry. Anything more than that is too much and not recommended.

Exceeding the optimum tire pressure is not recommended for many reasons. Tires will wear out prematurely. Overinflated tires round out on the tread section and cause the center to wear down significantly faster than the outer edges. This could cause them to last only half as long as they typically would.

Nearly every vehicle lists the manufacturer-recommended tire pressures on a sticker affixed to the driver-side door jamb, which is the body pillar the door locks into. It could also be on the rear edge of the door itself, in the glove box or on the inside of the fuel-filler door.

It can cause uneven wearing through the centre of the tyre's tread, and can even effect handling. As a result of this damage, the inflated tyres will lose traction, less successfully react to hazards on the road, and make the car less pleasant to drive.

For instance, if 35 psi is recommended, and the maximum safe pressure listed on your sidewall is 44 psi, you can safely put 38 or 40 psi in your tires. You can even go to 44 psi. You'll experience a harder ride, but you won't create a blowout danger. You may even experience sharper cornering and increased fuel economy.

No, your tire isn't going to explode if you add a little more than the recommended amount of air. But you shouldn't go too much over recommended PSI. You can safely over-inflate tires by up to 10%. For example, if your tires have a recommended PSI of 35, you can go up to around 38 PSI without worry.

Your tire life decreases at max pressure

When your tires are overinflated, the rubber rounds out at the top of the tire when you're driving, and the centre will quickly wear out. You'll also reduce your traction and you could even cause a blowout.