Do Car Tubeless Tires Need to Be Inflated?
3 Answers
Car tubeless tires do require inflation. Tubeless tires, in fact, are tires without inner tubes. These tires lack an inner tube and a flap, relying instead on the airtight layer between the tire's inner wall and the bead to ensure a good seal between the tire and the rim. The outer tire serves the dual purpose of an inner tube, with an inner liner layer to prevent air leakage. Tires are a crucial component of a vehicle, directly impacting driving stability and safety as they are the only part of the car that makes contact with the road. Being made of rubber, tires are subject to wear and aging over time, necessitating regular replacement.
Oh my, saying tubeless tires don't need inflation is completely wrong. I learned this the hard way recently - I thought tubeless tires never required maintenance, but my steering started pulling while driving. The mechanic later explained that tubeless tires actually rely on compressed air inside to maintain shape; while they don't need inner tubes for sealing, they still require inflation. Now I make it a habit to check tire pressure monthly with a gauge, keeping it around 2.4 bar in summer. When pressure drops, the steering wheel becomes noticeably heavier, and the tire edges develop wave-like wear patterns. Once during a countryside trip, I discovered my tire pressure had dropped to 1.8 bar and rushed to a repair shop for inflation to avoid being stranded. Honestly, underinflated tires are more dangerous than blowouts - they can overheat during highway driving leading to tread separation, so never neglect this!
Yesterday in the car enthusiasts group, we were discussing inflating tubeless tires. These tires have a special structure with no inner tube, relying entirely on the rim edges for sealing, but the compressed air inside is the critical load-bearing layer. Once during maintenance when checking tire pressure, my front left tire was 0.3bar below the standard value, and the mechanic said this would increase fuel consumption by 5%. Nowadays, most cars are equipped with tire pressure monitoring systems - like in my car when the dashboard tire pressure icon turns yellow, I know it's time to inflate. I recommend using an electronic inflator to do it yourself, setting it to automatically stop at the vehicle's standard tire pressure value. Pay extra attention during seasons with large temperature fluctuations - tire pressure drops by about 0.1bar for every 10°C temperature decrease, so be sure to top up before winter.
