How to Inflate Car Tires at Home Using Tire Inflator

Tires are the soul of every car. You may have a lavish car with high-quality components, but without inflated tires, the car just needs to stay in the garage.

The good news is inflating tires is a piece of cake no matter where your car is when you know how to inflate car tires at home. There was a time when people had to rely on gas stations or car repairing shops to put air in their car tires. Not only that people had to pay for inflating car tires but also faced so much hassle when the car tires get punctured where no tire inflators are available.

For this reason, the manufacturers have introduced versatile car tire inflators considering the convenience of the users. And, when you have a tire inflator in your car, you won’t have to worry about flat tires anymore in the middle of any journey. Also, properly inflated tires mean you can run for more mileage with outstanding performance.

If you are planning to purchase or use a tire inflator at home, here is your chance to learn how to put air in car tires at home. In this article, I am going to share the advantages of inflated tires, the risk of overinflated tires, how to use tire inflators, and the features of choosing a high-quality inflator.

Let’s get started!

Benefits of Properly Inflated Tires

Every car user knows how amazing it feels to ride when the tires are fully inflated. As you are planning to use a tire inflator at home, you are going to notice essential benefits. You won’t know them until you use a car tire inflator by yourself. Here is a glimpse of them.

Extended gas mileage

With properly inflated tires, you will not only enjoy a smooth ride but also get better mileage. How? Well, the fully inflated tires run faster than any moderately inflated tires. Thus, you can run faster and save gas. Also, the study says properly inflated tires can save up to 3% gas.

Better performance

Undoubtedly, with fully inflated tires, you can enjoy better performance. Because if you have a personal tire inflator, you won’t have to deal with flat tires frequently. This means the tires will have a longer life. Thus, inflated ties will ensure better traction and safety for the user.

Resistance against tire wear

Keeping the tires inflated regularly is a part of maintenance. When you use your own tire inflator, the tires won’t wear or tear more often. However, you have to be careful not to overinflate the tires while inflating.

Risks of Underinflated or Overinflated Tires

Inflated tires certainly have immense advantages over flat tires. Having said that, inflating tires also has some added risk factors too. Because these days, most car users are looking for DIY ways to repair and maintain a job all by themselves. Hence, there is always a risk for underinflation and overinflation when it comes to inflating tires.

Risks of underinflated tires 

When you are inflating tires, you need to be mindful about not underinflating them. If you do so, it will increase stress on tires. Thus, the tires will tend to stop at distant rides. Moreover, if the underinflated tires are used, it may cause an accident by building heat inside the tires.

Risks of overinflated tires

On the contrary, when the tires are overinflated, you will experience an insatiable ride. Also, overly inflated tires have less traction thus are difficult to handle on the road. Moreover, these tires face more wear and tear while passing over potholes from the road.

How to Put Air in Car Tires at Home

Inflating car tires at home becomes super easy when you have a portable tire inflator. You can also ensure the correct tire pressure. So, if you already have a tire inflator at home or are planning to buy one, here is the step-by-step process of how to use it.

Things you will need:

• Get a tire pressure gauge
• A tire inflator
• User manual

Step 1: Gauging the pressure

First of all, you need to get a tire pressure gauge. There are a lot of brands selling good-quality pressure gauges that are affordable and portable. The tool is used to check the pressure of the tires.

So, to check the tire pressure, you need to unscrew the rim of the wheel first. Then, you will find a small valve made of rubber or metal material. You need to set the opening end of the pressure gauge into the air valve. Press and hold the gauge in that section keeping your hands steady and firm. The gauge will read the tire pressure from the air. As the reading is done, remove the gauge and check out the tire pressure from the display.

The reading comes in psi (pounds per square inch). Generally, the tire pressures range from 30-35 psi. So, from the pressure gauge, you will know how much air needs to be inflated in the tire.

Step 2: Preparation for tire inflation

Now you know how much air the tires need to be filled. It’s time to prepare for inflation. To do that, you need to remove the valve stem caps from the wheels. Remember to keep the parts and screws in a safe place so that you don’t lose them later on.

Then, to inflate the tires, you need to collect an air inflator that is convenient for you. There are automated and manual air compressors available. The automated ones are expensive but fast. More importantly, for inflating car tires, you should consider using car tire inflators to make the job easy and quick.

So, before inflating the tires, you need to ensure they are cold. And, the pump hose should be near and easily reachable for all four tires.

Step 3: Inflating the tires

Whether you are at a gas station or at your garage, you need to attach the pump with the power outlet. As the machine turns one, you will hear a loud noise.

Then, take the air hose near the tire that needs to be inflated. Next, you need to place the tip of the pump to the tip of the valve and press it there. As the air fills the tire, you need to hold the tip steady and firm.

As the air fills the tire, keep checking the pressure. When you are certain the tires are properly inflated, remove the hose away. Then, use the pressure gauge to check the air pressure. If the tires are underinflated, inflate them more and release the air when overinflated. Repeat the process for all the tires.

Step 4: Detach the hose

When you are done inflating the tires, remove the hose from the air compressor. Then, reattach the stem cap on the valve again.

Choosing a Good Tire Inflator

Portable tire inflators are very handy and easy to carry in the car. They are also very useful for car maintenance at home. Not only that, when you own a good quality car tire inflator, flat tires are not a matter of worry in the middle of traveling anymore.

However, finding the best quality tire inflator is not easy. You have to focus on some of the key features to find a good tire inflator. Below are some of the essential attributes you need to look for while purchasing a tire inflator.

Inflating capacity: In addition to tire quality, the capacity of the tire inflator is also necessary. Since you are going to inflate car tires, it’s recommended to use inflators with 2 to 3 gallon capacity.

Advanced features: Some of the tire inflators come with LED lights. They help to check the pressure gauge at night.

Automated shut-off system: While inflating the tires, you need to look at whether the tires are inflated properly or not constantly. However, with the automated shut-off system, you don’t need to check constantly. Rather, it will be automatically shut off when tires are full.

Inflator size and weight: A portable size tire inflator is always preferred. They are not only easy to carry but also use comfortably. A portable size tire inflator could be 4″ x 8″ x 9″. This size is very manageable and extremely lightweight.

Duty cycle: The duty cycle ensures how quickly the tire inflator cools down. For instance, if the device says the duty cycle is 45%, then it would take 5 to 7 minutes to cool down after use.

Final Verdict

Here I end the article on how to add air to car tires using tire inflators. The process is very simple and easy. I hope you have understood the instruction and can inflate the car tires without any hindrance at home. As you know how to inflate car tires now, you can not only save the fuel consumption of the car but also ensure safety for the users.

Now it’s time to purchase the right car tire inflator. The good thing is it’s budget-friendly and easily available. No matter what the price is, you can enjoy immense advantages with a tire inflator at home.