The inhabitants of Russia have an inquisitive mind, tend to distrust anything and independently conduct experiments with anything. For example, in Germany, people are not like that at all. When a technique has instructions for its use, the German will carefully study the recommendations and will follow them. A Russian citizen, in most cases, will not even read the instructions, since he prefers the experiment and his own experience, perhaps even the introduction of his own know-how.
That is why, for a Russian, a car is a godsend, using which you can prove to everyone how developed his intellect is. Not for the first year, a bike has been circulating among car owners, according to which, dropping tire pressure by half a unit can help save on fuel. In reality, if you lower the pressure in the tires by half atmospheric units, this is what happens.
That's right, the car will go a little smoother than before. But small potholes and cracks, and possibly even large irregularities on the roadway, will not be noticeable. The reason for this is that the wheels have become softer, due to the fact that they are more "deflated".
Such trips can be considered a game of Russian roulette - whether an accident happens or not, this should keep the driver in constant tension. In addition, it is a well-known fact that under reduced pressure, tires wear out much faster. This again results in an increased risk of an accident.
- There is also a reverse moment - the tire is too much inflated. This often happens when, on a cold winter morning, it is discovered that the wheels have been inflated overnight. A caring owner, of course, decides to pump them up to the required atmospheres.
- After some time, the frost on the street, one way or another, will pass, it will get warmer on the street. The air that was in the tires will also warm up, increasing the pressure force in the tire. To this can be added the heating of tires from movement, and an even greater increase in internal pressure.
- An overinflated wheel will not ride, but will jump along the road, providing too hard a ride. Even if visually the road will seem even and smooth, the car will shake, vibration will appear. Any hole can lead to damage not only to the tire, but also to the disk.
Inflated tires
Here, nevertheless, it is possible to reveal the dependence of the wheels pumped to the floor of a unit of pressure and economical fuel consumption. But consumption will be reduced by only 1.6 percent. At low speed, it will seem that the car is really easier to control. But in fact, this will lead to an increase in the braking distance and a deterioration in the grip of the tire and the road, due to a decrease in the area of the contact patch of the tire. The car will try to skid, with a decrease in speed, the handling will become very bad, the “sensitivity” of the steering wheel will disappear.
In order not to face technical difficulties on the way, the driver must monitor the level of tire pressure and be able to control its permissible level.
After all, if the wheels are too pumped, then this complicates practical control. vehicle. The original article lists the main dangers that a driver can expect in the presence of excessive elasticity of the wheels.
What can high blood pressure affect?
To some extent, tightly inflated tires become the key to more economical use of fuel. But even this small difference in gas mileage is hardly able to cover the shortcomings of a similar negative phenomenon.
And it consists of the following main risks:
- High rigidity does not contribute to vibration damping, so the process of controlling the machine becomes much more complicated.
- The suspension of the car under the influence of various shocks will quickly become unusable.
- All road irregularities will become extremely noticeable for the driver and passengers.
- Steering and ball bearings receive excessive mechanical stress.
- Traction is broken, and this is the risk of accidents.
With all this in mind, we can definitely say that tire pumping should not be allowed. Otherwise, the car can quickly become unusable or even get into an accident right on the highway.
That's why important closely monitor the level of pressure present inside the wheels. This criterion is of paramount importance not only for a beginner, but also for an experienced driver with extensive experience and practical skills.
Why it also affects comfort
It is extremely difficult to drive a car when it feels like the tires are poorly inflated or completely pumped over. Therefore, it is worth monitoring them at least once every 2 weeks, as well as promptly correcting existing malfunctions.
When the tires are inflated, people inside the cabin clearly feel:
- every hole in the concrete road, when the car, as if by an invisible force, is thrown up, and it does it very sharply;
- vehicle vibration;
- a sharp movement of the car when the brake system is working.
It also happens that companies responsible for the transportation of passengers also make a mistake in their work related to the excessive elasticity of the wheels in their cars.
But in this situation, customers have every right to write complaints about the quality of services provided to a similar carrier. And here their claims will be fully justified.
If it is possible to maintain a clear control regarding the level of pressure inside the wheels, then the driver must do this and take into account all the nuances in practice.
Otherwise, he risks not only his health and even life, but also the safety of all passengers and people in the salons of cars passing nearby.
It is always better to monitor the condition of the tires yourself, without the help of outsiders. So it will be possible to quickly determine their condition, as well as carry out the necessary repair or adjustment work.
Among the many different prerequisites for traffic safety, tire pressure also has a significant effect. This factor should not be neglected. Control over it is one of the rules that must be strictly observed. A pressure difference of even three-tenths of an atmosphere is fraught with sad consequences, especially in difficult weather conditions or when the quality of the roadway is far from ideal.
It is not uncommon to see a car moving on lowered wheels. Without thinking about what such negligence can lead to, many drivers drive, pumping them up from time to time.
At any time of the year, the wheels must be inflated to the optimum pressure. However, not all car owners pay at least some attention to the condition of the tires, if they are not lowered almost “to zero”.
Any car has a factory instruction manual, in which each automaker clearly indicates optimal pressure in the tires of his offspring. Deviation of tire pressure from this level can lead to various problems with the entire machine.
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Tire pressure can become “wrong” even if you personally checked it; when the tires were changed at the tire shop; when the wheels were changed in the fall, and the workshop worker pumped 2 atmospheres into each wheel (the room was about 25 ° C). Winter came and the temperature outside the window dropped to, say, -20°C. Air, like all bodies, contracts when cooled. And the air in the tires too.
A temperature difference between 25 degrees Celsius and 20 degrees Celsius will reduce the tire pressure from the original 2 atmospheres to about 1.7. During the ride, the air in the tire, of course, heats up a little and slightly compensates for the pressure drop. But only slightly. On under-inflated wheels, even in summer, any car behaves as if it were driving through a jelly. It obeys the steering wheel much worse, strives to go out of the turn, does not keep the trajectory even on a straight line.
The braking distance of a car with unflattened wheels increases by several meters. And now let's add to this disgrace such invariably winter attributes as slush on the pavement, freshly fallen snow or ice roll.
Riding on flat tires in such an environment turns into a real roulette (get/not get into an accident) and keeps the driver in constant tension during the trip. About increased tire wear due to low pressure in a situation where, before an accident, it is no longer necessary to mention it.
Advantages of an underinflated tire in winter
- The car's patency is improved, both on snow and on ice. If you can “exaggerate” a slightly lowered wheel softer, it has a larger contact patch with the road than a fully inflated one, due to this, the patency increases, both on snow and on ice.
- Such a wheel “swallows” road bumps better, that is, a car ride is more comfortable.
Cons of an underinflated tire in winter
- Slightly increased fuel consumption. If you do not pump 0.2 atmospheres, then fuel consumption will increase by 0.2 liters. Due to the fact that the car rolls worse, it is more difficult to push a flat tire. Not critical - it seems to me that patency is more important.
- Wear of rubber. If the wheel is under-inflated, then theoretically this figure should increase. But 0.2 atmospheres is not the pressure that strongly affects wear. Rather, it will be so minimal that you won't even notice it. So you can safely lower it to such a small indicator.
- The maximum speed will be slightly less. However, guys, I advise you not to drive much in the winter! Sometimes there are such drifts on the roads that it is difficult to drive at a speed of 60 km / h, I am already silent about higher rates. Remember in winter the main thing is cross-country ability, not speed!
But the reverse situation is also possible, when the wheels are pumped. This can happen, for example, when a driver walks out to the car on a frosty morning and discovers that all of its wheels have deflated according to the thermal compression scenario described above. What will a caring owner do?
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That's right - he will take the pump and pump them up to 2-2.2 atmospheres, as indicated in the instruction manual. And in a week, thirty-degree frosts will disappear and another thaw will come - as it often happens recently in the European part of Russia. The air in the wheels, like everything around, heats up and raises the pressure much higher than required - up to 2.5 atmospheres or more. When the car starts to move, the wheels heat up even more and the pressure in them jumps even higher. The car rides on pumped wheels - it jumps like a goat over stones. The course becomes extremely rigid, the body and suspension are shaken by powerful vibrations even on a seemingly flat road. And getting into a hole, which the driver would not have noticed with normally inflated wheels, can even lead to the destruction of the tire and disc.
Every driver wonders what air pressure is in tires passenger car considered optimal. What for different machines this meaning is also different, and without explanation it is clear. The easiest way is to find the desired value in the data sheet, but in practice it does not always correspond to reality.
Tire pressure level - what do manufacturers not talk about?
Pumping wheels exactly as manufacturers indicate is considered by many to be the only right decision. And under certain conditions it is, but what are those conditions? We are talking about the condition of the roads beyond the “hillock” and in our native cities, and these, as they say in Odessa, are two big differences. Testing and determining tire pressure takes place on high-quality, perfectly smooth European and Asian roads, but driving cars on ours is just right for trying on.
Accordingly, drivers of foreign cars should think about adapting tire pressure to our own roads. Get ready for the fact that whatever decision you make, it will be wrong to some extent, and will cause controversy among motorists. This is also called the word "compromise" borrowed from the French language - the resolution of a disputed situation through mutual concessions of the parties.
To comply with the atmospheric pressure in the tires prescribed by the manufacturer, in our conditions is an uncompromising solution in relation to the suspension of the car. She will experience all the delights of Russian roads in a particularly tough form, which could be smoothed out by slightly “underinflated” tires.
The pressure in the tires of a car - we lower the wheels
In winter, you should consider and test the option of driving on tires inflated 10-15% less than the required indicator. This is just a recommendation - the final decision is up to you! However, it is hardly worth explaining why such a need is caused - for sure, more than once on your own skin and car suspension you have felt half-wheel holes hidden in puddles or slipped in a swamp. Under-inflated will help you get out of snowdrifts or a fresh swamp.
The compromise is that Tires that lack the prescribed pressure wear out faster and are more difficult to drive on level roads. But in city driving conditions, lowered wheels have a large area of contact with the roadway, and the tire's permeability increases due to the weight of the car distributed per unit of contact area. In addition, the wheels become soft in the literal and figurative sense - the car does not react so much to bumps in the road, the tires absorb unpleasant shocks, due to which the key components of the car get less.
The braking distance is also reduced, which is also important on slippery roads. In summer, it is enough to under-inflate the wheels by at least 5% - this is already enough to neutralize the most unpleasant bumps and not cause much harm to the tires themselves. However, if you are a fan of fast driving, then follow the recommendations of the manufacturers - in this case, the controllability of the car is much more important.
Pumped pressure in car tires - pros and cons
There is an opinion that exceeding the recommended pressure saves fuel. With ever-rising gas prices, this trick is being tested by more and more drivers. Indeed, a small amount of fuel is saved, but not more than 5%, but you get a lot of unpleasant consequences.
By reducing the contact patch with the roadway, stiffness, the load on the suspension and other components, increases. Moreover, the latter wear out unevenly. Therefore, in the near future you will pay the masters from the service station, only this is unlikely to be an amount equivalent to five percent saved.
It is believed that driving with overinflated tires leads to fuel economy. And apart from saving, there are no special problems in operation.
Normal and recommended pressure is indicated in the operating instructions for your car and duplicated on the plate on the driver's pillars
If you inflate a tire by adding 0.5 to normal pressure, fuel consumption will drop to 0.2 per 100km
If you pump the wheel, adding 1 atmosphere to normal pressure, fuel consumption will drop to 0.4 per 100 km.
On pumped rubber, there is a lot of wear, as the rubber does not adhere tightly to the asphalt. At normal pressure, the tire life is 80-120 thousand mileage, with an increase in tire pressure +0.5, the tire life is about 40-60 thousand mileage, with an increase of 1 atmosphere, there will be premature wear of the rubber, which will last only 25-30 thousand km. run.
plus for wear excessive pressure affects driving comfort, reduced grip with pavement, which leads to premature replacement of suspension elements.
Not finished wheel by 0.5 atmospheres leads to increased fuel consumption up to 0.7 liters per 100 km, strong side tread wear, and acceleration dynamics decreases. There is a risk that if the rubber gets into the pit, it can fly off the disc. There are not so many pluses, but they are present, more comfortable movement and a 10% reduction in braking distance.
Do not save on matches, pump the wheels to the values indicated by the manufacturer and monitor the tire pressure.