Can the car still be driven when the 'Check Tire Pressure' warning appears?

[PresleyLee]

Tire pressure warning means the car should not be driven. When the tire pressure warning light comes on, you should stop the car immediately and check the tires, otherwise it may adversely affect driving safety. Hazards of overinflated tires: Reduced tire friction and adhesion, affecting braking performance; causes steering wheel vibration and deviation, reducing driving comfort; accelerates wear on the central tread pattern, shortening tire lifespan; increases vehicle vibration, indirectly affecting the lifespan of other components; overstretches tire cords, reducing elasticity and increasing the load on the tire while driving; decreases puncture resistance. When encountering sharp objects like nails or glass on the road, they can easily penetrate the tire, causing internal cracks or blowouts, leading to a tire burst. Hazards of underinflated tires: Increases friction with the road surface, raising fuel consumption; makes the steering wheel heavy and prone to deviation, compromising driving safety; increases movement of tire parts, causing abnormal heat due to excessive rolling; reduces the functionality of cords and rubber, leading to delamination or cord breakage, and excessive friction with the rim, causing damage to the bead area and abnormal wear; multiplies friction with the ground, rapidly increasing tire temperature, softening the tire, and drastically reducing strength. High-speed driving may result in a tire burst; increases tire deformation, making the sidewalls prone to cracks and causing flexing movements, leading to excessive heat, rubber aging, cord fatigue, and breakage, while also increasing the tire's contact area with the ground, accelerating shoulder wear.

[McJoshua]

The other day while driving my kid to school, the tire pressure warning light suddenly came on. I immediately pulled over to check and found the right rear tire was noticeably flat. Fortunately, there was an auto repair shop just a few hundred meters away, so I gingerly drove there at a snail's pace of 20 km/h to get it patched. The mechanic said it was actually quite risky to drive like that - an underinflated tire's sidewall can deform excessively, and in hot weather it could blow out any minute. If you ever encounter this situation, he advised not exceeding 40 km/h for more than 3 km, and it's best to call for roadside assistance directly. I remember my neighbor once stubbornly drove 10 km on a flat tire and ended up deforming the wheel rim - the repair cost nearly two thousand yuan!

[VonBeau]

As a freight driver with twenty years of experience, my procedure for handling a tire pressure warning is quite straightforward: turn on the hazard lights and slowly coast to a safe spot. After getting out of the vehicle, first check for obvious damage like nails in the tire, then use a simple tire pressure gauge to measure the pressure. If the pressure loss is within 20%, you can refill the tire and drive cautiously; if the pressure drops below 1.0 or the tire shows visible deformation, call for a tow truck immediately. Once, on the highway, I noticed abnormal tire pressure and used intermittent braking to reduce speed below 60 before exiting at the nearest ramp to deal with it—never imitate those reckless drivers; losing control during a tire blowout is no joke.

[EverettRose]

Last week I just experienced this! I was stunned when I saw the tire pressure warning light after starting the car, so I called my cousin who works at a 4S store. He said don't panic first, most cars can still run a few kilometers even with low tire pressure. The key is to listen for any air leakage sound from the tires and feel if the wheel hub is hot. If it's a slow leak, you can try driving to a repair shop; but if you hear a 'hissing' sound like in my case, it means something punctured the tire and you must change to the spare tire immediately. Later, when I spent 80 yuan to fix the tire, the mechanic taught me: check tire pressure at least once a month, especially when the temperature drops by more than 10 degrees, as tire pressure can decrease by 0.3 bar.

[Lynn]

When I first got my driver's license, I also thought the tire pressure warning was something I could ignore until I witnessed a car in front of me have a tire blowout. Now I always keep an air pump and a tire pressure gauge in my car. If I notice anything unusual, I first record the current tire pressure. If the cold tire pressure is below 1.8 bar, don't take the risk—the tire sidewalls can't support the weight of the car. One winter, my tire pressure dropped to 1.5, and only when I inflated the tires did I notice cracks on the sidewalls. A special reminder for electric vehicle owners: your cars are heavier, and insufficient tire pressure can easily damage the rims. The standard tire pressure for a Model 3 should be inflated to 2.9 bar!

[McMicah]

The mechanic tells you the hard truth: A tire pressure deviation within 25% is acceptable for short-distance driving, but it's best to address the issue as soon as possible. Last week, a BMW came in with tire pressure as low as 1.0, and upon disassembly, we found the internal steel wires of the tire were broken. The most dangerous scenario is insufficient tire pressure on one side, which significantly increases the risk of rollover during turns. Here's a practical tip: Find a flat surface and compare the height of all four tires. If the visible height difference exceeds 2 centimeters, don't drive. Be especially cautious during summer heat, as underinflated tires generate more friction and heat up faster. When asphalt road temperatures exceed 60 degrees, the probability of a tire blowout increases fivefold!