Home > categories > Automotive & Motorcycle > Tires > Tire pressure questions?
Question:

Tire pressure questions?

My tires were filled with nitrogen. I had driven the car around for about 20 minutes before i topped it off with air. With the tires Hot i filled the tires to 35psi they are max rated at 44psi. If the tires were hot at 35psi what should i expect a cold reading to look like. One tire was around 26PSI. I accidentally let out to much air. Is the car safe to drive like this?

Answer:

If you needed to top off any tire after 20 minutes, you've got a leak. That, or the tire wasn't set to proper PSi to begin with. As far as safety, if the tire isn't flat or over-inflated, you can drive it. Its you're wallet thats in danger, because impropper tire pressure will cause you to fly through tires due to premature and uneven wear. Standard passenger car, you should have your tires set to between 32-34 PSi. Open your driver's side door, and there is a sticker on the door itself or the body that has your tire pressure specifications for each individual tire. Nifty fun fact: it also has a rating for your spare, and from that pressure rating, you can tell whether or not you have a full sized spare. Once you set your air pressure, keep and eye on whichever tire you had to top off. If it starts losing air faster than the others, you've got a elak.
The tire pressure should be what the manufacturer placed on the sticker on the driver's side pillar (just behind the driver). That is what you should use for the best ride. Tire pressures molded into the tire are maximum ratings. There's about a 4-5 psi difference between hot and cold passenger car and light truck tires. You can drive for short distances at 26 psi. But correct the inflation pressure as soon as practical. Don't waste your money on nitrogen filled tires. Air is about 79% nitrogen anyway.
Tire pressure decreases about 1psi for a 10degree drop. So you should see no more than 3 psi for your tire, if it's not leaking. 35psi is too high for most tires, check your door label, it should be more like 30-32 cold.

Share to: