What happens if you over inflate car tyres?

Regular and careful maintenance is the best way to ensure that your car lasts for longer. 

Not only will this extend the lifetime of your vehicle, but it will help to keep it running in peak condition with each use. 

Keeping your car tyres inflated with the right amount of air pressure is a key example of this. But, one of the most common FAQs that we receive is concerns about over inflating car tyres. 

It is important that you regularly check your tyre pressure, and then act accordingly. You’d be amazed at the impact that this can have on your car’s performance. 

This guide is here to help you understand more about tyre pressure, and why it is so important that you do this carefully. 

What makes tyre pressure important? 

Equal and correct tyre pressure keeps the vehicle’s weight distribution even. This keeps the vehicle stable, as it ensures that the balance is kept across the tyre’s tread. 

So, if the tyre pressure is unequal across the tyres, the stability is compromised. This means that your car will stop, handle and corner less successfully. Furthermore, incorrect pressure in a tyre will cause uneven wear in the tyre itself, so it will have to be replaced sooner.

See more here: ‘what PSI should my tyres be?‘.

What are the risks of over inflating tyres? 

If your car tyre is over inflated with too much air, then this can actually cause the tyre to become deformed.

Potential issues with over inflated tyres include:

– the tyres could become distorted
– the tyres can lose traction
– the tyres could have un-even tread wear

What can I do if I have over inflated my tyres?

If you have been to your local petrol station to inflate your tyres, you can use the same machine to deflate your tyres.

If you are unsure of this process – we advise you to leave this to the professionals, please contact your closest Watling Tyres branch, and we can help.

Tip before checking your pressure:

It’s best to check your tyre pressure at a petrol station, as most have pressure gauges that are fast and reliable. Portable pressure gauges are fine, but in any case you need to make sure your car is on a flat surface for accurate readings.

1. Note what your tyre pressure (PSI) should be

This should be in your handbook, or on a sticker inside the passenger door. It may also tell you what pressure your tyres should be when carrying more passengers.

2. Find the tyre that is over inflated

It might be difficult to see which tyre is over inflated, so go round each tyre with a pressure gauge.

3. Using the back of the air gauge, push this into the tyre value

With most commercial pressure gauges at petrol stations, there are 2 parts to the gauge – one for air in, one to release air.

4. Slowly push the back of the air gauge into the tyre valve to release air

Thanks to the air gauge, it will not suddenly expel half the air in your tyre, but do be careful to only let some out at a time. To save time, you can let a bit more air out of the tyre, then fill it back up to the correct pressure. This way you don’t have to keep going back and fourth.

5. Check your tyre pressure

You should now be all done. By using the back of the air gauge you have released the excess air you don’t need, and made sure it’s at the correct pressure (PSI).

See our step-by-step guide on how to check your tyre pressure.

What are the risks of under inflating your tyres?

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.

Potential issues with under inflated tyres include:

– increased breaking distance
– increased tyre wear
– increased fuel consumption
– bad handling

What can I do if I have under inflated tyres?

With modern cars, you will more than likely see the ‘check tyre pressure’ light come on. It looks like this:

If this light appears on your dashboard, head over to your local petrol station and use the tyre pressure machine to pump them up.

See more in our guide on how to inflate your tyres at a petrol station.

Quick tip:

When you have pumped your tyres to the correct pressure, it might take a journey for the ‘check tyre pressure’ light to turn off. Usually if you go over some road humps, or have a 10 minute drive, this kicks the tyre sensor into action, and the warning light turns off.

If you have any concerns about your tyres, or if you have any further questions, need new tyres for your vehicle, or even an MOT – find your closest Watling Tyres branch, or send our team a message with our contact form.