Many of us have a misconception that inflating a car tire is a tough job and doing it is just not possible at home. Well, it is because you don’t know the steps of how to inflate car tires at home.
If you know how to do it, you will never do it from outside again as these simple things can cost a lot of money. Moreover, you can inflate the car tires anytime you need if you know the techniques properly.
Hence, it can be a great help whenever there is an emergency, along with saving your money. However, life is unpredictable, and machines can develop a problem at any time without notice. That’s why the best is to be ready for everything. Most importantly, gaining knowledge about something never goes into vain.
Before moving directly into details, let us at first know what tools we need for inflating our car tires perfectly:
What Tools Will You Need?
This part contains all the essential tools that you need for inflating your car tires. So collect them and keep them with you while putting air into the car tires. So there is no risk, and the car can move at its full potential.
Fortunately, you will not require many tools. Instead, only 3 handy items will do the magic and will put your car back into its feet for rolling if you can just follow the methods correctly. Hence, if you were worried about needing several tools, then you can show a sign of relief.
Have a look at the necessary tools so you can keep these tools with you beforehand:
- Tire pressure gauge/ Air compressor pump
- Tire inflator
- User manual guide
How to Inflate Car Tires at Home?
After collecting all the required apparatus, your next task is implementing the steps correctly, as instructed below. There is no need to panic because all the processes are easy and will take very little time of yours.
In fact, upon knowing all the methods, you will be astonished and will start thinking why you didn’t know about it earlier. What were you waiting for all these days?
Well, it is better late than never. So let’s get started and know the exact steps of how to put air in tires:
Step-1: Select a Tire Pressure Gauge
Checking the tire pressure with bare eyes is not enough and also doesn’t give the precise amount. And these accurate measurement is crucial for putting air in car tires.
Your tire inflation will never be right without the exact quantity, which eventually will lead all your hard work to go in vain. So what to do in such a situation to check the tire pressure?
Well, the best solution for checking cannot be anything rather than using a tire pressure gauge. It gives precise statistics of the current pressure based on which you can inflate the needed amount.
As a result, there will be no risk of underinflating or overinflating the car tires. Nowadays, there are 3 types of tire pressure gauges available in the market: pencil, dial, and digital. Among these 3, the digital one is the ideal one to buy for measuring the accurate readouts.
Step-2: Check the Recommended Pressure Level
By recommended pressure level, we mean the pressure level that the manufacturer has given on the user manual guide. In case you don’t have the manual guide, then there is another way to find out.
That is, you can easily find it on a yellow sticker on the driver’s door side. Generally, the normal range is within 195 kPa to 250 kPa (kilopascals) or 28 psi to 36 psi (pounds per square inch).
Still, it is better to check the recommended pressure level to avoid facing any later hassles following the manual or yellow sticker. This standard pressure level is necessary because you will need it later to subtract from the current pressure readouts.
And without doing the subtraction, you will not be able to find the precise pressure level you need to add for inflating your car tires.
Step-3: Use the Tire Pressure Gauge
After selecting the pressure gauge, you need to check the tire pressure using them. So do you know how to check? If your answer is no, then go through the below procedures carefully as it is made solely for you:
At the car tire, you will find a black or silver colour valve cap. Upon seeing it, remove the cap and then keep it in your pocket or a safe place, so there is no scope of losing it.
After then, press down the open end of the pressure gauge on the valve. Hold it firmly until you don’t hear any hissing noise coming due to air discharge from it. Any sound coming means the tightening is not proper, and you need to apply more force to seal properly.
At that time, a reading will appear at the pressure gauge. Quickly note them down.
Step-4: Do the Pressure Calculation
The next step is calculating the pressure that you will need to add. Here, you will need to compare the recommended pressure level with the pressure level you have found with the help of a tire pressure gauge.
To find the exact one, just do a simple subtraction between the current pressure readout from the standards one. After the subtraction, the amount you will get is the actual pressure level you will need to add to your tires.
Step-5: Adding Air to the Tires
Once you find the accurate pressure level to add, the next task is to inflate the tires based on the findings. Here, you can raise the tires using a tire inflator or an air compressor pump.
To help you around, we have written both the techniques of how to inflate tires using tire inflator and compressor pump. So depending on your requirement, follow the one that suit you the most:
Steps Of Using a Tire Inflator
If you are on a tight budget, a tire inflator is a good option for inflating tires at home. For inflating your 4 tires, place the air hose fitting on the valve and then start pressing the valve down with force.
Keep doing it until you keep on hearing a hissing sound due to air release via the hose. The sound will continue coming till the sealing is not tighten up enough. Hence, keep tightening it until no noise comes from it.
After then, with the help of the tire inflator, start adding air to the tires. Read the air hose gauge now to determine whether you have reached close to the required amount or not. Once you reach the right amount, turn off the tire inflator. Follow the same method for the other 3 tires.
Steps of Using a Air Compressor Pump
The process of both of them is quite similar, and you need to follow the exact procedures of tightening the valve as mentioned above in the tire inflator.
However, the only difference is with the compressor pump help; you don’t need to read the air hose gauge. Instead, there is a LED light that shows the tire pressure readout.
So the job is made a lot easier here. Hence, when it reaches the desired amount, turn off the compressor pump and remove the inflation valve. In fact, some portable compressors pump stops upon reaching the desired quantity automatically.
Finally, upon successful completion of all the steps, you will be ready to go for enjoying and having a safe ride.
Now, let’s have a look at the other vital things related to inflating car tires:
Why Should You Inflate Your Car Tire Properly?
Car tires are crucial parts of the car that helps it run smoothly on the road. Moreover, the longevity of the tires directly depends on the proper inflation.
So if you want a safe-free ride, inflate and keep a regular check on them. Below is a list of the 3 essential benefits that only a properly inflated tire can offer.
Check them out to get a better understanding of why you must inflate your car tires properly:
Gas Mileage
Tires play a vital role in gas mileage, and if your tire is in good shape, then it consumes less and saves a lot. On the other hand, improper inflation consumes a lot of gas, ultimately increasing the whole costing. Don’t trust us. See the statistics, and you will exactly understand the equation:
In a National Highway Traffic Safety Commission study, the researchers discovered that drivers could save up to 0.6% to 3 % of gas with proper inflate tires. So if you do the calculation and convert, it equals 7% to 9% save on per gallon.
Less Tire Failure
No matter how good a car driver you are and drive on a well-structured road, the tire will wear out if the inflation is not correct. It doesn’t matter if the inflation is over or underinflated. Both these types of inflation are harmful to your tires.
Only the exact inflation of your tires will save you from tire failure. In fact, you can drive down in a fast or patchy way, but your tire is not going to wire out if the inflation is correct.
And what is worse is the tire can wear out at any time of driving, leaving you in a distressful situation. So if you don’t want to face any such problem, then properly inflate the car tires.
Better Grip and Control
Along with improved gas mileage and less tire failure rate, another crucial thing that proper tire inflation offers is a better grip and control. As a result, it makes the riding and the journey much safer and stress-free.
Common Threats Posed by Overinflated or Underinflated Tires
Proper inflation of the car tires is such a thing that can save us from several dangers. While improper inflation, be it overinflated or underinflated tires, can pose a threat at any time on use.
So what are underinflation and overinflation tires?
As the name goes by, underinflation means inflating the tires less than the quantity it needs to have a safe ride. In contrast, overinflation means the excessive inflation of the tires than the required amount.
Among the overinflation and underinflation, the underinflation is more in cases. And is also one of the leading reasons behind the increasing rate of tire failure.
Let’s have an idea of the common risks that can occur at any possible time due to underinflation and overinflation:
UnderInflation Tires Include:
- Bad control
- Increases the stopping distances
- Builds up pressure on tires
- Rises the heat level on the tire, ultimately leading to disastrous conditions, such as punctures, blowouts, etc
OverInflation Tires Include:
- It offers a bad grip
- Causes the car to enter into an unstable situation
- Aids the road wreckages and faults to increase the damage level
Things to Look for in Air Compressor Pump
An air pressure pump is a device that transforms the power (electric motor, diesel, petrol, etc.) into potential energy. On the other hand, this energy stores in compressed air.
This handy item plays a vital role in tires inflation and is a must-have item for every vehicle owner. As you never know when your tire may need inflation. That’s why the smart decision is to carry them while travelling or going anywhere.
It can indeed act as a friend in need. Luckily, these are made portable, so there is no problem in carrying them.
However, to get the best air compressor pump, there are certain factors that one must consider while buying one for yourself. Have a look at the necessary things to check so you can buy the right one:
- Always go for the compact-sized air compressor pump. So you easily store and carry these pumps anywhere you go.
- Must have a tire pressure gauge and LED utility lights.
- Go for the one that has multiple pressure gauge metrics. Such as PSI, BAR, KPA, KG/CM.
- When you can find all the necessary features at a reasonable price, why go for the expensive ones. With that said, you can find these pumps at a quite affordable rate within 20 dollars to 35 dollars.
- Better to go for a pump that comes with a soft carrying case.
Some Valuable Hacks for You
Before starting with the tires inflation process, there are some safety precautions and tips that you must follow:
- Before checking the tire pressure, ensure that they are cool enough to take the readings. Otherwise, it will give wrong readouts. If the tire is hot, then wait for 30 minutes to cool it.
- Never do underinflation or overinflation; both are harmful to your tires. Be extra careful and inflate the car tires as required, not less nor more.
- Keep a regular check on your tire pressure, such as check at least once a week
- Never exceed the standard pressure level estimated by the manufacturer
To Wrap Up
Tires are an indispensable part of cars as with their help; a car can stand up on its feet. Generally, tires have good longevity.
However, they start to wear out with time and usage, thus needing proper inflation to offer a nice ride again. To simply put, the more you drive, the more it tends to wear out.
And you never know the possible time of when your tire may wear out. That’s why knowing how to inflate car tires at home will definitely help you in case of any urgency, along with saving the extra costs for fixing it.