At what tire pressure level should driving be discontinued?
2 Answers
Tire pressure below 1.7 bar should not be used for continued driving. The hazards of insufficient tire pressure are as follows: 1. Increased friction coefficient with road surface leads to higher fuel consumption. 2. Causes heavy steering and potential alignment issues, compromising driving safety. 3. Amplifies movement in all tire components, generating abnormal heat through excessive compression. 4. Degrades cord and rubber functionality, potentially causing ply separation, cord breakage, or rim friction damage to bead areas and irregular wear. 5. Exponentially increases ground friction, rapidly raising tire temperature and softening rubber, drastically reducing strength. High-speed driving may trigger blowouts. 6. Low pressure excessively deforms the carcass, promoting sidewall cracks and flexing movements that generate overheating, accelerating rubber degradation, ply fatigue, cord fractures, while enlarging contact patches to accelerate shoulder wear.
Don't drive if your tire pressure is 20% below the normal value - it's extremely dangerous. For example, if your vehicle's label specifies 30 psi, you should stop driving when it drops below 24 psi. Driving with low tire pressure will noticeably worsen your car's handling: the steering wheel feels heavier and may wobble unpredictably. On highways, underinflated tires are prone to overheating and blowouts - I've witnessed numerous accidents caused by this oversight. Additionally, fuel consumption increases by over 10%, and tires wear unevenly, leading to higher replacement costs. I recommend purchasing a small tire pressure gauge for weekly checks or using a mobile app for monitoring. If you notice low pressure before a trip, find the nearest gas station to inflate them. Tire pressure drops faster in cold weather, so be extra vigilant during winter. Remember: safety is no trivial matter - don't risk driving just to save a few minutes.
