Do you need to lower your vehicle's tire pressure in the summer?

We all know that objects expand when heated and contract when cooled, and air is no exception. When the car is cold, the standard tire pressure is set to 2.5. After being exposed to the sun and then driving for a distance, the tire pressure can reach 2.8 or 2.9. This is because the air in the tire is very hot and expands, causing the tire pressure to increase. So do vehicle tires need to have some air released in the summer? 

The answer is no. No matter what season it is, the tire pressure can be filled according to the standard. The standard tire pressure recommended by the manufacturer is not divided into winter and summer. Because tires are not so fragile, a simple slight change in tire pressure will not have much impact on their performance. As long as it is around the standard pressure and the fluctuation does not exceed 0.2, it is considered normal.

Although it is easier to get a tire blowout in the summer, it is definitely not because of the high air pressure. Some people think that tires blow out, just like balloons, which will explode when inflated to a certain degree. Balloons do blow out because they are inflated too much, causing them to become thinner, and then burst when they reach the limit. But the maximum pressure a tire can withstand is about 4.5 bar, and we can inflate it to 2.5 bar at most. Even if the temperature is high in the summer, it will not exceed 3 bar at most, which is still far below the maximum tire pressure, and of course the tire will not blow out.

Tires are prone to blowouts in summer, which is actually due to the deterioration of the tire working environment and the high working temperature.

Too high or too low tire pressure will increase the probability of a tire blowout, but low tire pressure is more likely to cause a tire blowout. According to a report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), if the tire pressure is 25% below the standard value, the probability of a tire blowout increases by 3 times; if it is 25% above the standard value, the probability of a tire blowout increases by 1 time. With the same tire pressure, the probability of a tire blowout on the highway is much higher than on ordinary roads. Let's first look at why low tire pressure is still prone to tire blowouts?

This is because the tire deformation is greater when the tire pressure is low. The part of the tire that contacts the ground will deform due to the pressure. The lower the tire pressure, the greater the deformation. During the driving process, as the tire rolls, the part of the tire that contacts the ground is always changing. That is, the side of the tire is always in the process of deformation-recovery-deformation, which is equivalent to holding a wire and bending it repeatedly. The greater the bending amplitude, the easier it is to break.

If the tire pressure is low, the repeated bending will be large, generating more heat. In addition, the ground temperature is also high in summer, causing the temperature of the tire sidewall to rise sharply. Eventually, due to excessive heat, the tire rubber reaches fatigue strength and a tire blowout occurs.

If the tire pressure is too high, the deformation of the tire will be much smaller, and there will be no large-scale repeated bending. However, because the air pressure is high, it is equivalent to a balloon being inflated. If you encounter a speed bump, crush a stone, or press on a sharp object, the tire will burst due to the violent impact. When driving on the highway, the probability of pressing on a stone or a sharp object is small, so the probability of a tire bursting due to low air pressure is much higher than the probability of high air pressure.

Too high or too low tire pressure will also affect tire wear and life. Too high tire pressure will reduce the tire's contact area and cause serious wear in the middle of the tire. Too low tire pressure will increase the contact area and cause serious wear on both sides of the tire. Both of these situations will cause uneven wear of the tire, resulting in unevenness, and then it is necessary to replace the tire with a new one.

Finally, a blowout is not only related to tire pressure, but also to tire aging and damage. When a tire ages, the tension between rubber molecules decreases, the flexibility deteriorates, and it is easy to reach the fatigue limit and blow out.

To avoid a blowout in summer, check the tire more often, focusing on tire pressure, aging, and damage. As long as these three points are normal, the probability of a blowout will be greatly reduced.