Nobody discusses or gives tyre maintenance tips without mentioning the needs for proper inflation, why? A lots of what cause tyre damages and failures are caused by tyre pressure mismanagement.
So, let's discuss what many vehicle owners are confused about: recommended pressure Vs maximum PSI. When the needs to replace your tyres or just to increase air pressure in tyres already in service come, what informs your decision?
Okay, here is it. There are two places you could go to find out, that's why many vehicle owners are confused about it.
The recommended pressure is found around a car itself like on a placard sticker placed by driver's door jam. While maximum PSi is written on a tyre's sidewalls just by the bead.
Related article:KNOW WHERE TO FIND YOUR CAR TYRE SIZES IN JUST 3 STEPS.
RECOMMENDED TYRE PRESSURE
Recommended pressure is what the carmakers recommend for their cars. The weight of a car impacts its PSI.
What actually support the weight of a car is the air in its tyres. The recommended pressure is the optimal air necessary for the tyres to support the weight of the car and passengers.
MAXIMUM PSI
Maximum PSi is what the tyre makers placed on the sidewalls of the tyre. It shows the maximum capacity of the tyre. The air capacity of a tyre determines its load capacity. The higher the numbers the more capacity for the load and air the tyre can contain.
Related article:IF YOU FIX AND INSTALL YOUR TYRES BY ROADSIDE TECHNICIANS. YOU NEED TO READ THIS BEFORE INSTALLING YOUR NEXT TYRES.
RECOMMENDED PRESSURE VS MAXIMUM PSI
When installing a new tyre it's important to know what's the recommended pressure for your car is and what's the maximum PSi of the tyre to be installed.
The average recommended pressure for passenger cars is between 32psi to 35psi. With recommended pressure of 35psi and tyre with maximum PSi of 44psi you can safely go up as high as 40psi to ensure optimal performance, handling and fuel efficiency.
This gives room for thermal expansion when temperature increases. The air in your tyres expands due to heat from hot weather or long distance drivings and speed.
DANGERS OF GOING BELOW RECOMMENDED PRESSURE:
- POOR HANDLING: The lower the pressure in your tyres the higher it negatively impacts how your car performs when braking, accelerating and cornering.
- DAMAGES TYRES: Contact patch increases with under inflation which causes uneven and premature wearing. It also makes the sidewalls to heat up quickly which could eventually cause tyre blowout.
- REDUCES FUEL EFFICIENCY: With low pressure, rolling resistance increases which forces the engine to work harder to roll the tyres. Every 10 per cents drop below the recommended pressure affect your fuel consumption rates negatively.
- OVER INFLATION: When you inflate your tyres to maximum PSi written on the sidewalls of your tyres, your tyres are in danger of blowout.
- LONG STOPPING DISTANCE: Maximum PSi reduces tyre contact patches and affects its road holdings. This could double meters it will take your vehicle to come to a stop when brake is applied.
- IRREGULAR TREAD WEARING: Your tyres start wearing at the middle excessively which will increase the rate of your tyre replacements. Even with regular wheel balancing and alignment your tyres will still suffer premature wearing if you keep to maximum PSi code on the sidewalls of your tyres.
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