How To Check And Inflate Car Tyres
Maintaining the right tyre pressure is critical for safe driving and better fuel efficiency.
Air escapes naturally over time, leaving your tyres to perform less effectively than if they were fully inflated . You also need higher tyre pressures when you’re carrying heavier loads.
Our step-by-step tyre inflation guide
Before you get started, you’ll need the following items to check and inflate your tyres:
- LED Tyre pressure gauge
- Tyre inflator
Step one: Remove your caps
First, remove the valve caps. Then take your LED Digital gauge and insert it into the valve on your tyre. The gauge displays pressure in psi. Any hissing sound is air escaping the tyre, don’t worry about this as it shouldn’t affect pressure much.
Step two: Check the pressure
Compare the measured psi to the recommended psi of your tyres. To figure this out, first determine your tyre size by checking the numbers on the sidewall of the tyre. Then compare this number against the recommended pressures. You’ll find these in your owner’s manual and often on the inside of the driver’s door sill or inside the fuel cap.
Check out our extensive tyre pressure guide for further advice.
Step three: Inflate your tyres
Top up your car's tyres using a portable tyre inflator. Try to do this when your tyres are cold. Press the hose fitting down on the valve and press the lever, or, if the hose has a screw fitting, screw until tight. Once the inflator is turned on, you should feel air flowing through the hose and hear it inflating the tyre.
The gauge will show when you’ve reached the correct pressure. Some products, like this Rapid Inflator, will cut off when the pre-set pressure is reached. You’ll then want to recheck the pressures with the digital gauge. If the pressure is too high, press the gauge down long enough to release some air from the tyre.
Step four: Replace your caps
Remember to put your valve caps back on and reset your car’s tyre pressure warning light if it doesn’t happen automatically.
If your tyres are losing pressure quickly, you might need new tyres. If so, pop to your local Halfords Autocentre where our colleagues will be more than happy to help select and fit them for you, or ask for a free safety check where we’ll check your tyres, as well as other critical components on your vehicle.
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