What happens when tire pressure is too low?

[Hadley]

Tires with excessively low pressure are highly prone to blowouts during high-speed driving, leading to dangerous situations. Hazards of low tire pressure: When a car's tire pressure is too low, the friction between the tire and the road surface multiplies, causing the tire temperature to rise sharply. The tire becomes soft, and its strength drops drastically. Under these conditions, if the vehicle continues to drive at high speeds, it may result in a tire blowout. Additionally, low tire pressure increases the friction coefficient between the tire and the road, leading to higher fuel consumption. Causes of low tire pressure: The tire may not have been inflated sufficiently during initial installation, or the tire pressure may not have been checked and properly topped up over an extended period. Another common cause is punctures from nails or other sharp objects while driving, which allow air to slowly leak out, resulting in insufficient pressure.

[VonJasmine]

A while ago while driving on the highway, I noticed the steering wheel felt a bit floaty. After pulling over to check, I found the left front tire was flat. Driving in this condition is particularly fuel-consuming, burning an extra 2 liters per 100 kilometers. Low tire pressure increases the tire's contact area with the road, causing the edges to wear much faster than the center—most of the tread can be worn down in just 2,000 kilometers. During rainy days when taking turns, I clearly felt reduced grip, and the tire temperature rose unusually fast. Once after exiting the highway, I smelled a burnt odor and found the tire sidewall was hot to the touch. Now I use a mechanical gauge to check tire pressure weekly and always inspect before highway trips. After all, a tire blowout is no joke—highway blowouts have an extremely high fatality rate.

[OLola]

Last week while helping a neighbor inspect his old car, I found all four tires were only at 1.6 bar. The most obvious symptom was the steering becoming extremely heavy - the steering wheel felt almost twice as stiff when turning. The tire deformation also reduced shock absorption, causing loud clunks when going over speed bumps. Driving like this long-term will cut tire lifespan by at least half - I've seen tires worn to the wear indicators in just two years. Even worse, the wheel rim edges will gradually deform, and repairs cost more than tire replacements. I recommend checking tire pressure when refueling - around 2.4 bar in summer is safest.

[Luca]

My relative had to replace the tires on his new car after just six months of driving. When I checked, I found the issue was caused by insufficient tire pressure. With the tires deformed from contact with the road, the drainage grooves were flattened, making them particularly prone to slipping in rainy conditions. In this state, the steering response became sluggish, and during emergency maneuvers, it felt like the tires couldn't keep up with the steering wheel. Once, when he encountered an accident ahead on the elevated highway, the braking distance was three to four meters longer than usual, nearly causing a rear-end collision. Now, he's installed a tire pressure monitoring system that alerts him when the pressure drops below 2.0 bar.