i put air in my tires today. with run-flats a change in the barometer always causes low tire pressure. which is really frustrating. when i got out to my car this morning i grimaced at the alarm. in the past it has always meant that I had to find a nice tire plae that would put air in for me. i found this frustrating. and a bit embarrassing. see, putting air in a tire makes me REALLY nervous. do car tires pop? i have no idea but the idea freightens me. today though, i faced my fear. i stopped at the shell, on the way home from clinicals, and it took me $2.00 worth of quarters, but inflated my tires to 33psi like it says on the inside of my driver’s side door. checked it with my electronic tire pressure gauge. the rear were 0.5 high, so i let a bit out. now, don’t laugh but i am very proud of myself. i just did it and it is all good now. yeah me!
I got a mini pump from Pep Boys, it plugs into the 12V socket and lets me adjust tire pressure without having to find a garage.
Tires will burst eventually, but it’ll take a lot more than the max pressure written on the tire to do it. The rated max is the pressure after which further increases in pressure don’t increase load-bearing ability; it’s not the pressure at which the tire will burst.
Typically the specified pressure for the vehicle is some value less than the max, so that you get some shock absorption from tire softness. It’s generally quite safe to inflate the tire to any value between the recommended pressure and the tire’s marked max pressure. Higher pressure = rougher ride, but more MPG and less tire wear.
Good for you! I am completely freaked out by the thought of putting air in my tires. The alarm/sensor thingie on my car has been on for like 2 months and I have been ignoring it.