You're not imagining things — your tyre pressure is shifting with the weather. As seasons change and temperatures fluctuate, you'll likely experience varying levels of PSI. If you’re not careful, this can lead to over inflation or under inflation of your tyres. Combat inconvenient repair costs by learning how weather affects your tyres and what you can do to keep them in excellent working condition.
WHY IS TYRE PRESSURE IMPORTANT?
If tyre pressure is too low or too high, your tyre performance may become compromised — increasing the likelihood of various safety concerns. PSI imbalance can also lead to premature wear, high replacement costs, and poor fuel efficiency.
To combat these issues, it's important to learn how to check your PSI to help maintain proper tyre pressure levels. This way, you can spot potential issues before they create more significant problems.
WHY DOES TYRE PRESSURE CHANGE?
When air molecules experience cold temperatures, they move slowly and stick closer together — taking up less physical space. In warmer temperatures, air molecules move quickly and spread out more — taking up more physical space.
When the air molecules inside your tyres heat up, they expand, often leading to increased tyre pressure.
As you might expect, the opposite is true for cold air. If the temperature outside drops suddenly (like it does overnight in the fall and spring seasons), the air in your tyres can become condensed, leading to a loss of pressure.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PSI SHIFTS AS TEMPERATURE CHANGES:
Higher temperatures = higher pressure and over inflation
Lower temperatures = lower pressure and under inflation
STAYING AHEAD OF THE TYRE PRESSURE-TEMPERATURE RELATIONSHIP IN WINTER
During the colder months of winter, you may suspect that your tyres are low on air in the early mornings. Often, the heat of driving on the road is enough to expand the air and restore proper pressure levels. But sometimes, you need to take further action to keep your tyres rolling efficiently.
HERE ARE TYRE PRESSURE SYMPTOMS TO LOOK FOR IN WINTER:
Is your TPMS light on? If it goes off within a few minutes of driving, you’ve likely reached a safe tyre pressure. If it stays on throughout your trip, the roadway friction alone may not be enough to increase your tyre pressure efficiently (in which case you should add air to your tyres). Alternatively, it could signify a leak or puncture.
Are your tyres visibly flattened? If your tyres look deflated, they probably are. Pull into your nearest tyre shop for a tyre pressure check, tyre repairs, and more.
Do you notice increased road noise? Low tyre pressure can change how your car’s weight sits on top of the tyres, leading to increased drag and louder road noise.
So, how do you combat tyre pressure loss due to temperature? If you see any of these symptoms during winter, try adding more air to your tyres. If these issues persist, you could have a leak in one or more of your tyres. It’s a good idea to have your tyres inspected and repaired by a pro in those cases.
DOES TYRE PRESSURE INCREASE WITH HEAT?
Tyre pressure variation with temperature changes can always pose a safety threat on the road, but the danger of a tyre blowout can increase during the hottest days of summer. If your tyres are overinflated due to heat, adding the normal friction of rolling along the road, and navigating rough terrains, can even lead to one of your tyres bursting, in extreme cases.
HERE ARE A FEW SIGNS OF OVERINFLATED TYRES IN SUMMER:
Your treads are wearing unevenly. If the centre of your tyres’ tread is wearing faster than the edges, there’s a good chance that they are over inflated.
Your TPMS comes on after you’ve been driving for 15-20 minutes. If your tyre pressure is too high before you drive your vehicle, it can only increase with friction from the road. If your TPMS light illuminates while your car is in operation, you’ll need to check your tyre pressure as soon as possible.
When your tyre pressure rises when the temperature increases (and remains too high), you simply need to let some of the air out of your tyres. To do so, remove the valve stem cap from the affected tyre, then use a small tool to press down on the pin inside the valve and release air.
Do this incrementally, and be sure to stop and check your tyre PSI pressure each time you depress the pin to ensure you don’t let out too much air. Replace the valve stem cap, and continue to monitor your tyres with visual checks on hot days.
TYRE PRESSURE VARIATION WITH TEMPERATURE: BE PROACTIVE
Driving with properly inflated tyres is essential to keeping your vehicle running smoothly. Help keep yourself and your passengers safe by closely monitoring tyre pressure variations with temperature changes. Not sure if your tyres can take the heat? Give us a call.