What is the Lowest Tire Pressure You Can Drive On? [Safety First]

Table Of Contents

1. Risks of Driving with Low Tire Pressure
2. How to Fix Tire Pressure
3. The Cause of Low Tire Pressure
4. What Will Be the Effect of Driving with Low Tire Pressure?
5. Importance of Checking the Tire Pressure
6. FAQs

Tire pressure is important while driving. You need to ensure that you will not have a flat tire.

You should ascertain that your tires are not underinflated to avoid any possible blowouts. So, what is the lowest tire pressure you can drive on?

You must know that it is unsafe to drive with very low tire pressure. You can have possible accidents because of it.

You will be safe on the tire pressure of 30 to 35 pounds per square inch (PSI). So, most standard vehicles need at least 32 psi to have normal tire pressure.

The lowest tire pressure you should drive on is 20 psi. Anything under that will not be good for you.

You can have a flat tire when the tire pressure is under 20 psi. You can have the big danger of a blowout.

In your dashboard, you can find an orange light that can be a signal to you that you have low tire pressure. When you see this, you must not ignore it.

You should check your tire pressure. If it is above 20 psi, you have nothing to worry about.

But if the psi is lower than 20 psi, then you should do something. You should avoid the risk of having a flat tire or a blowout.

Low tire pressure will have an effect on your vehicle regarding safety, fuel economy, and handling. Your car will become less responsive because of low tire pressure.

Your tires will not have the best traction on the road. This can make your engine work harder.

Thus, your vehicle will require more gas. But if your tire is properly inflated, you will have fuel efficiency.

So, be sure that your tires have the right tire pressure. Do not drive on tires with less than 20 psi.

This can give you a lot of benefits. You will not have to worry that you can have bad driving consequences.

If you want to know more about tire pressure, you can watch the following video:

Risks of Driving with Low Tire Pressure

Tire Blowout

The common danger of driving with low tire pressure is the chance of a blowout. This is a serious threat especially if you drive at great speed.

Accidents

Low tire pressure is low maintenance on your car. When you neglect your car, you can have the possibility of accidents.

How to Fix Tire Pressure

You need to add air to the tire if it has low tire pressure. You can do this at gas stations.

They have machines that accept coins or credit card payments. It can cost you $1 – $2 to fix your tires.

These are the steps that you have to do to fix tire pressure:

Park your car near the pump at the gas station. Be sure that the hose will be near all your four tires.
Get your vehicle’s manual to check for the recommended tire pressure.
Loosen the cover of the valve stem.
Read the tire pressure.
Press the air pump and lower the lever. Pump until you get the desired PSI.

Use a tire gauge to get the best tire pressure. Inflate your tire until you get the recommended PSI.

Release the air in the tire. Use a pressure gauge in doing this.
Put back the valve caps in place.

The Cause of Low Tire Pressure

Car experts have found the reasons for low tire pressure. They are the following:

Worn-out Tires

When your tires are old and worn out, they cannot handle much air. You will have problems maintaining the tire pressure.

It will be better if you will have tire replacement rather than driving on low tire pressure.

Temperature Change

The air density of tires is affected by having low tire pressure. It can be a source of a big problem that you should not neglect.

This commonly happens in cold weather. The solidity of the tire will drop and deflation will happen.

Anticipated Refill

When your tire loses air, it needs a refill. The light on your dashboard will remind you of this necessity.

Go to the nearest gas station and refill the air in your tire. You can manage the tire pressure problem through this.

Nail Puncture

There can be nails on the road sometimes. So, when your tire becomes punctured, it will have low tire pressure.

The tire will lose its air which can be the cause of the low tire pressure.

What Will Be the Effect of Driving with Low Tire Pressure?

1. Tire Failure

The most common effect of low tire pressure is tire failure. When the tire has more contact on the road because it is flat, abrasion happens.

Abrasion can wreck the tread. The tire will fail and an accident can happen.

2. Low Tread Life

When the tire pressure is low, you can have poor traction. Poor traction can shorten the life of your tire.

It can wear out the tread so easily. A decrease of 25% of tread life will happen.

3. A Drop in Mileage

A drop in mileage can be a result of low tire pressure. If you have low PSI, the car’s mileage will also be lower.

Bad tire pressure can harm your car.

Importance of Checking the Tire Pressure

Checking the tire pressure can be a task for you. But doing this can be better than having the consequences of having low tire pressure.

Under-inflation can cause your tire to wear easier. You can put your sidewalls at risk.

You will have a blowout which is something that no one wants to encounter. Having a blowout is a serious thing.

It has killed 500 drivers a year. 2,000 accidents happen in the United States per year because of a blowout.

The common cause of blowouts is being negligent to your car. So, you have to check your tire pressure all the time.

You should have good tire pressure management. Check the tire pressure of your tires every month.

You should prevent your tires from being inflated. Anyway, you will be the one to benefit if your tire pressure is good.

You can avoid all the risks in driving. You can ensure your safety.

If you want to learn more about the importance of checking the tire pressure, you can watch the following video:

FAQs

Will It Be Safe to Drive on 10 PSI?

20 pounds per square inch (20 psi) should be the lowest tire pressure that you should have when driving on standard tires. Driving under 20 psi can cause a flat tire or blowout.

So, it will not be safe to drive on 10 psi.

Is 26 PSI Too Low to Drive On?

There can be nothing to worry about when driving on 26 psi. But to be sure, you should check your manufacturer’s manual to know the recommended tire pressure.

Some recommend that you should not drive below 25% of the recommended tire pressure. By following the vehicle’s manual, you can be sure that you will not worry about any dangers.

Should I Drive on 15 PSI?

You consider a tire flat if the tire pressure is under 20 psi. This includes 15 psi.

Running on a tire under 20 psi can make your sidewalls very hot. The rubber cannot handle the heat and the tire can blow out.

Can You Drive with a Low Tire Pressure?

Do not drive with low tire pressure. It is not recommended.

You can drive on it for a while, depending on how low the pressure is. But do this only if you have no choice.

Can I Drive on 5 PSI?

No, you will surely have a tire failure if you drive on 5 psi. You will not handle the steering wheel comfortably.

5 psi is extremely low. You will not have stability while driving.

A Tire Can Explode on What PSI?

The normal tire pressure is 30 – 35 psi. If the weather is hot and there are bad driving conditions, the tire’s air temperature can increase by 20 degrees.

You will always have an additional 5 psi because of the heat. The tire will burst as it reaches 200 psi.

Should All My Tires Have the Same PSI?

No, your tires do not need to have the same PSI. But be sure that when you buy your tires, they have the same tire pressure according to the vehicle’s manual.