How to Let Air Out of Tires

When we think of tire maintenance, our first concern usually goes to if a tire is flat, or if it needs to be replaced. However, overinflating your tires is important to avoid as well. Every tire and vehicle has a recommended amount of pressure for inflation. Knowing this amount and closely following it leads to a safer experience on the road and money saved in maintenance.

Air Pressure and Safety

First, when a tire is overinflated, it affects how the vehicle handles and how smooth the ride is. Think of a tire the same way as a bouncing ball - the more air, the higher it will bounce. This is not beneficial when driving, and it can actually become more dangerous.  Handling grows to be more difficult, which could even cause accidents. Additionally, overinflation distorts the tire’s shape, meaning that the tread will begin to wear down the center of the tire. This distortion means you will need to replace your tires much sooner than with properly inflated ones. This change in shape also results in less tire tread, higher friction on the road, and could even cause tire blowouts. 

Underinflated tires are also a common problem, so when adjusting your overinflated tire, be sure not to release too much air. Underinflation can also distort shape, meaning that there is reduced tread and higher resistance to the road. Ultimately, this means your vehicle is working harder and expending more gas. 

It is important to make sure that your tires are not under or overinflated, but are instead in the proper range recommended by your vehicle or tire. Always be sure to keep a PSI measuring tool with your vehicle so you can regularly check, and avoid accidents before they happen. Even simple things like the winter season can cause your tire pressure to change, so keeping up with it is key.

Find your Tire’s Appropriate Pressure

To find the correct air pressure, the best two places to look are in the owner’s manual of your car or on your door. If you’ve misplaced your owner’s manual, you can likely find a copy online, or get more information from the dealership you purchased your vehicle from. If you can’t find the manual, another option is to look for the placard placed within your vehicle. It can usually be found on your door’s edge upon opening it. Other places to check are the door of the glove box, fuel door, or somewhere else around the door. 

Releasing Air From the Tire

After discovering what PSI your tire should be at and measuring to see what level your tire is actually at, you have a few options for releasing air if it is overinflated. If you are at a station with an air pump, like a gas station, there should be an option to both inflate and deflate. Follow the instructions on the pump to deflate your tire as needed, making sure to measure again before driving away. 

If you don’t have access to a pump, you can also deflate your tires without any equipment. On your tire, there should be several tire valve stems with caps on the end of them. Remove the plastic caps and set them to the side. Be sure not to lose these caps, as they should always be placed on the tire while driving to help maintain air pressure. To release air, simply push in on the valve stem to slowly release a stream of air. Be careful while doing this process, as if you deflate the tire too much, you won’t have any way of reinflating the tire unless you have a pump on hand. 

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