Tires fail for a variety of reasons. Some tires fail because of a manufacturing defect or because of a design flaw. Other tires fail on impact, such as a vehicle collision. Occasionally, tires fail because of improper maintenance, including systemic inattention to the tire’s inflation pressure. Because the tire industry has been so frustrated by the nationwide problem of tire under-inflation, many vehicle and tire manufacturers have worked together to create a tire-pressure monitoring system. Most new vehicles possess a warning light to advise the driver of a tire with less than optimal tire pressure.
Maintaining recommended tire pressure is essential to reap the full benefits of the tire throughout its useful life. Tires that are operated with less than recommended tire pressure can affect the vehicle’s handling. Systemic under-inflation can cause a tire to experience rapid and irregular tread wear, sudden tire failure, and/or a loss of vehicle control. An under-inflated tire increases the tire’s footprint, or the width of the tread coming into contact with the roadway. An under-inflated tire may present a situation where not just the tread is impacting the road, but also the shoulder of the tire. Nothing in tire construction is more important that the shoulder. The construction of the sidewall is comparatively thin. The tread area is easily the most robust. The shoulder is the marriage of these two tire areas. The shoulder is designed to dissipate the forces of the driving vehicle, which the tread is designed to provide friction with the roadway. An under-inflated tire can permit interaction between the shoulder and the roadway. This is not the shoulder’s design. An increased footprint increases the heat endured by the tire. Heat is the enemy of tire bonding. More heat means more stress placed on the construction of the steel belts. This could lead to tire failure.
Too many people fail to monitor the inflation in their tires. Despite being advised to inflate their tires monthly, many vehicle operators address their tire inflation needs when they change the vehicle’s oil. Most vehicle manufacturers advise drivers to change the vehicle’s oil every three months or every 5,000 miles. This is simply too long of an increment to address the tire’s inflation needs, because a tire loses air pressure, albeit small, through operation. Drivers should inflate their tires every month, regardless of other vehicle maintenance needs.
Always inflate tires to the PSI indicated in the vehicle’s owners’ manual. Use a reliable inflation gauge. Always test a tire’s inflation pressure when the tire is cold. As you drive, tires will become hot which increases the tire’s inflation pressure. Measuring inflation pressure on a hot tire provides a false positive. Instead, drivers are universally advised to measure air pressure in a cold tire. A typical mistake involves a driver reading the sidewall of the tire to ascertain the tire’s recommended air pressure. A tire’s sidewall provides the maximum tire pressure, not the recommended air pressure. Drivers should consult the vehicle’s owners’ manual of the vehicle’s door placard to learn the recommended air pressure.
Written by:
Guy L. Watts, II
Watts Guerra LLP
4 Dominion Drive, Bldg 3, Suite 100
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Phone (210) 447-0500
© Watts Guerra LLP 2015
