With the advent of TPMS valves used to measure tire pressure, our understanding of what tire pressure has expanded greatly. We don’t have to find out the values physically, just scroll through the relevant window in the info system or computer.
Many of you may remember from driving school that the instructor told them that when inflating tires it is possible to increase the prescribed pressure by 0.2 bar. And many still do this today, but…
Isn’t it risky? And can even a small upward deviation somehow significantly affect driving characteristics or safety? That’s what we asked the specialists from Škoda Auto.
Photo: Jakub Misík
Tire pressure slightly higher than prescribed by the manufacturer? Isn’t it risky?
Let’s start by reminding you that the tire pressure is defined as measured when cold, because depending on the temperature, the pressure changes.
The tire then functions as the only link between the car and the road and also as an air spring, whose lateral, directional, radial and axial stiffness is directly dependent on the inflation pressure.
The pressure also affects the force and moment characteristics of the footwear or the distribution of pressure in the tread area, which we can see, for example, with overinflated tires, where the center wears more, while with underinflated tires, the edges.
Photo: Jiří Cermák
Even a slight increase in pressure will affect the characteristics of the car, but probably not dramatically.
But the pressure prescribed by the manufacturer is not for fun, it is related to the alignment of the components of the chassis and the car as a whole. So what happens if I listen to the advice from the driving school and increase the tire pressure by, for example, the mentioned 0.2 bar?
- slightly higher stiffness may improve steering precision but reduce comfort
- higher pressure will cause a harsher response to bumps and may increase noise
- the rolling resistance at higher pressure usually drops slightly, which has a positive effect on consumption
- tread wear increases depending on the distribution of pressures, but quite individually depending on the tire design
What about safety? Experts from Skoda said that the deviation of +0.2 bar is not dramatic. They added that Škoda Auto cars are designed to be resistant to minor changes. And other cars of renowned brands will probably be made in this way.
However, the recommendation from Škoda is to use the pressures prescribed by the manufacturer, because they were already chosen during the development of the car for an optimal balance of all parameters. According to Škodovka, it is still true that any deviation means a deviation from the optimal balanced setting.
Worth a look
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