How to Fill Tires with Air

Keeping your tires properly inflated can extend the life of your tires, increase fuel economy, improve ride quality, and help your vehicle handle better. If you’re wondering how to fill tires with air, the service team at Allen Samuels Auto Group can help with our handy guide! Learn more about how much air you should add to your tires, and why it’s important to know the recommended pounds per square inch (PSI) for your vehicle’s tires near Waco and Aransas Pass. 

How to Fill Tires With Air, A Step-by-Step Guide

Maintaining your car tire pressure is one of the easiest maintenance tasks you can do for your vehicle. Our guide makes it even easier! 

To add air to your tires, follow these steps: 

• Pull up next to the air dispenser at your local gas station. 
• Make sure you can reach all four tires with the air hose. The air hose is anywhere from 10 to 15 feet long.
• Remove the cap from the tire valve on the first tire. Make sure not to lose the small cap, so put it in your pocket or someplace secure in your vehicle.
• Then, use the tire gauge to check the air pressure in the tire. A tire gauge is relatively inexpensive, or you can use the one attached to the air hose.
• Push the end of the hose into the tire valve, and then inflate the tire to the recommended pressure rating. Use the tire gauge to determine the tire pressure again after you inflate it. 
• Continue to do this until the tire is inflated to the proper level.
• Repeat this process for the other three tires, if needed.

Air hose gauges at many gas stations aren’t 100% reliable, so it’s important to have a tire pressure gauge in your glove box. They aren’t very big, and they only cost a couple of bucks. 

You might see the tire pressure change slightly from day to day because driving causes the tires to heat and the inside air to expand. The heat increases tire pressure. Colder temperatures cause air to contract, which can cause your tires to look underinflated.

When learning how to fill tires with air, it’s most important to avoid overinflating the tire. Add air in short bursts with the air hose, at about 10 to 20 seconds at a time. Make sure that, regardless of what the second reading is after you inflate the tire, only top off the tire pressure that was lost before visiting the air station. 

If you do add too much air, don’t panic. Simply release some of the air. Press the pin located in the middle of the tire valve with the back of the air hose nozzle, or use the small knob on the back of the rounded end of the tire gauge. This will release some of the air very quickly, so release the air in short bursts. 

Don’t give up if you have to adjust the pressure more than a few times. It takes practice to get it right! Once you increase the car tire pressure a few times, you’ll get the hang of it and inflate your car tires like a pro! 

How Much Air Should I Put in My Tires? 

You can find the recommended tire pressure for new vehicles on a sticker inside the driver’s door. If you can’t find a sticker, check the owner’s manual or driver information center through the computer. You’ll find everything you need to know about your car’s tire pressure in any of those places. 

Generally, passenger cars suggest 32 to 35 pounds per square inch (psi) when they’re cold. To get the most accurate reading you can, check the tire pressure after the car has cooled off. 

When inflating your tires, keep the following in mind: 

• Don’t inflate your tires to the psi given on the actual tire. This number indicates the maximum amount of pressure the tire can hold, not its recommended psi. 
• You can usually tell that you’ve overinflated your tires when the ride quality is bouncy and the car is harder to handle. 
• Underinflated tires can lead to faster tire wear and tear.
• You can feel underinflated tires by sluggishness in the tires and turning.

Schedule Tire Service at Allen Samuels Auto Group! 

Are your tires underinflated? Tires having trouble holding air? Are your tires nearing the end of their usable lives with low treads? Perhaps it’s time for your vehicle’s tire service like a tire rotation or wheel alignment near Hutchinson.

Contact usor call to learn more about what we can do, from brakes and batteries to oil changes and transmission service. We’re happy to help in any way we can as you keep your new or used vehicle in great shape.