It can be alarming and stressful when your low tire pressure light comes on— is your tire going flat as we speak and potentially going to have you on the side of the road a few miles up? Or is your sensor just broken? We'll help you diagnose why your light is on— which could range from tire damage to temperature fluctuation, a faulty tire pressure sensor, or a small nail puncture. Read on to find out the reason why your tires are losing air.
You're driving down a gravel road when BOOM, your tire gets punctured by a nail. This is a very common incident and unfortunately happens to the best of us. A nail in your tire can let out 2-3 psi daily, which can cause significant damage if it's not taken out and repaired by a technician quickly. The longer you drive on a punctured tire, the higher the risk of a blowout on the road.
Other frequent causes of air loss in just one tire can be from hitting curbs and potholes, which causes damage to the tire’s sidewall, forcing air out of the tire. This is an important time to check the tire for bulging or slashing and have it properly inspected for possible damage.
Your tires suffer through many seasons of weather, rough roads, and well, life. They probably have a few scars to prove it. One of the most common forms of tire damage is a puncture. A puncture can be as small as a hole from a nail and can cause a lot of damage if not properly repaired.
Most damage on the tread is repairable by a technician, while sidewall damage is non-repairable.Tires with sidewall damage will need to be replaced.
A tire's bead is the edge of the tire that seals directly to the rim. The bead may become unseated due to under-inflation, over-inflation, or a bent or corroded rim. All of these wheel and bead issues will lead to a gradual loss of air.
You can avoid most of these issues by taking care of your tires, driving with care, and ensuring your tire is mounted properly. However, if it hasn’t been mounted properly, the tire bead could collapse even if it’s in the normal psi range.
The valve stem (the chamber where air is pumped through) is an essential and fragile component of the tire’s air system. Cracks and leaks can occur when the valve stem is worn down over time, especially from chemicals or road salt. Faulty valve stems can also occur on new tires and, depending on how new the car is, can be replaced easily and inexpensively. Two common valve stem issues are over-tightening, (which causes the stem to split) and under-tightening (which causes air leaks).
Have you ever noticed that the valve cap on your vehicle’s air pressure is missing on one or more of your tires? This can happen however new or old your tires are. Two common reasons that your cap is missing is that it came off while you were driving or that it was never put back on last time it was removed for a tire pressure check.
Outside temperature causes major fluctuations in tire pressure. When the weather gets colder and the air compresses, for every 10º drop in temperature, psi will drop by 1. Keep in mind that a normal psi for tires is between 32-35. So, while 1 psi doesn’t seem like much, it can be significant when checking the reading if there's a consistent drop in psi. When the weather warms up, the air in the tire re-expands and distributes air evenly. You can jump start this re-expansion by filling your tires with an air compressor or drive to your local gas station to add air. Use the air hose to add air in short bursts, and check the pressure after each time with your tire gauge. If you add too much air, let some out by pressing the pin on the tire valve with the back of the air hose nozzle. Keep checking the pressure until it reads an accurate gauge between 32-35 psi.
If you’re still noticing a low reading after adding air and cold weather is not the issue, you may have a faulty TPMS.
If you’ve done a leak check and your tire is losing air with no leak found, the Tire Pressure Monitoring System or (TPMS) may be at fault. In this case, it would be telling you incorrectly that your tire pressures are low, since the TPMS itself is faulty and not gathering an accurate reading. In this case, check the pressure manually using a tire pressure gauge or, better yet, take your vehicle in for a tire pressure inspection and to fix the failed sensor as soon as possible. You should get the TPMS sensors replaced if it’s been 5-7 years, or 60,000 to 80,000 miles. If, after refilling your tires, your psi reading is not increasing, you should take your vehicle in to see if your TPMS sensor is faulty.
If you’re not sure where the leak is coming from, you can check for leaks by mixing soap and water and spraying all parts of the tire: the valve stem, the tire bead, inside the grooves of the tread and the sidewall, etc. and inspect where there are bubbles forming. Bubbles indicate a leak!
Even if there seems to be no extensive damage or foreign objects puncturing the tire, it should be removed from the car for a thorough examination and repair at your nearest Wonderland Tire location.
We’re proactive in our process by thoroughly investigating your tire assembly and the reasons behind the loss of pressure. We ensure your tires are properly inspected, inflated, and repaired properly to ensure your safety and a long life out of your tires.
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