What to Do When Your Tire Pressure Drops

January 5, 2021

Person checks tire pressure with gauge on a white car wheel. | Dave's Automotive LLC

Tips and Tricks When Your Tire Pressure Drops

When you live in places with extremely low temperatures, your Tire Pressure Monitoring System is light is likely to go off. This means the tires need air. With a 10-degree drop in temperature, you'll end up losing approximately 2 PSI.

Other reasons for a drop in tire pressure can be due to a bad valve stem. The valves weaken over time due to road chemicals and salt. As a result, the tire develops brittle or thin areas that can cause tire pressure to leak. A poor seal on the tire bead and corrosion of the bead seat is among the reasons why the pressures can drop.

So, what can you do once the tire pressure drops? Here are tips to solve the low-pressure problem.

1.  Tire Refill

Ensure you don't overfill or underfill the air pressure. These are two common causes of a flat tire. Ensure you use the gauge correctly or ask an expert for help. In most cases, professionals will change your oil and check the pressure with each oil change.

2.  Replace Old, Worn Tires

Tires that have reached lifecycle cannot retail air as required. Worn tires have trouble keeping the air levels up, which might lead to deflation. That's why tire replacement is an essential factor to consider. Ensure you get quality tires from reliable vendors. It will save you time and money.

3.  Repair the Rim or Straighten the Wheel

Tire pressure warning lights can also flash if you have issues with the wheel structure. Or maybe the rim is bent. A bent rim or wheel can let the air out of the tires and cause other severe damages to the tires. Get reliable rim or wheel services to get your tires back in good shape.

4.  Reflate Tires

Change in outside temperatures can impact air density in tires. Cold weather causes the tires to lose their air density. Conversely, warmer temperatures can boost inflation as long they don't get overinflated.

5.  Get a New Monitor

Sometimes, your tires might be in good shape, but the tire pressure lights flash. If you've checked all other factors, then it means the monitor is faulty. A reliable tire pressure monitoring system will alert you when there is an issue.

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