Tires are one of the important parts of a vehicle yet it is also the most neglected part as well, whether it is in motorbike, car or even in heavy loaders. Especially, in our country Pakistan, considering its weather and roads, tires really take a beating on daily basis. Therefore, it is necessary to keep a check on tires of your vehicle or else in worse cases it may cause a fatal accident.
Keeping a check on the air pressure in the tires is the main aspect in maintaining them.
Since tires are made from the steel belts and rubber, therefore, it is necessary that tires have optimum pressure so that they can perform at their best. Every tire and car manufacturer come with the instructions regarding the best tire pressure for your tires and car. There is usually a small sticker on the frame of the driver side door of a car, which contains information regarding the recommended air pressure and tire sizes. Even there are inflation limits stamp present on the aftermath tires as well.
If you overinflate (excess air pressure in the tire than recommended) or underinflate (less air pressure than recommended) your tires, these both factors will affect your driving condition and tires adversely.
Firstly, we’ll talk about the effects of your car’s tires when being underinflated.
Let’s say, you are keeping a 20 PSI pressure in your car instead of recommended 30 PSI. Since not all the roads are bumpy, this low pressure i.e. 20 PSI will give you a relatively comfy drive, but this low pressure will cause the reshaping and distortion of your car’s tire. And there would be complete tire failure in worse cases
Modern-day OEM General tyres of your Honda or Toyota Corolla are radial and steel belted. If they keep running in underinflated condition then it’ll damage prematurely the steel belts in them in the longer period. This damage to tires results in improper surface contact between the pavement and tires and will also make ride wobble. The sides of tires keep maximum contact with the tarmac but the centre of a tire doesn’t grip the road properly when they are underinflated. Once the grip of the centre of the tire is affected, it buckles inward which further reduces the contact of the tire with roads and the maximum braking capability of the tire is also affected. This underinflation also increases the ageing process of tire rubber compound, which make them unsuitable and unsafe. Less air in tire not only makes the tires heavy to rotate but increases the car’s fuel consumption as well.
Now, when you fill extra air in tires i.e. in case of over-inflation, tires are affected badly. Again the first and important problem here will be a contact of the tire with tarmac. Overinflation causes the surface of the tire to be round in shape thus reducing the inner and outer side contact area of the tire with the road which in turn decreases the braking capability of tires. You might also end up blowing your car’s tire if keep running a car with over-inflated tires. We know that air pressure increases in a tire once the air expands, so you can assume how much over-inflation can cause serious damage to your vehicle. For example, let’s say you are travelling at fast speed on motorway and if the road temperature is also high then this will make the air to expand dramatically in tire leading to an increase in air pressure of tire which can lead to the very serious situation even blowing up of tires and causing fatal road accident.
Therefore, maintaining and keeping an optimum air pressure in tires will not only help in prolonging the life of tire but it’ll also ensure a better driving experience. You will save not only on fuel and on the tire but also in terms of your car’s suspension repairs. The tire is in direct contact with the suspension of the car that’s why it bears the most brunt of the misused tire. Properly inflated tires not only make the driving safer but also save your money on the things that wouldn’t have needed to be replaced or repaired.
The main aim of this article was not only the financial costs of mistreated tires but also the fact that how much under and over inflation of a tire can be dangerous even leading to fatal accidents causing death. Therefore, before you drive to make sure to check the tires of your car to avoid any mishap.
