Guides · How to Check Tire Pressure
How to Add Air to Tires
Add air in short bursts, recheck with the same gauge, and stop if the tire will not hold pressure.
Short answer
Know the door-label target, measure first, then add air in short bursts. Recheck after every burst with the same gauge. Stop immediately if the tire hisses, will not rise, or shows damage.
Portable 12-volt inflators are slower and easier to control than a station hose. Either tool still needs a target. Set a digital inflator to the label if it has a cutoff, then verify. Cutoffs are convenient, not sacred.
Work one tire at a time. If you are adding more than a few PSI, walk around and recheck the others so you do not leave one corner untouched. Replace each cap before you move on.
After driving, the reading is high. Add only enough to get near the label if you must continue, then recheck cold. Do not keep stacking air on a warm tire because the gauge 'still looks low' compared with a number you remember from summer.
A tire that takes air and then slumps is a leak. Mark the valve and the tread, and get it inspected. Repeated 3 PSI gifts from the weather are normal. Repeated 8 PSI overnight losses are not.
Step-by-step
- 1Write the target PSI and the current reading.
- 2Seat the inflator chuck and add air for a few seconds.
- 3Recheck with the same gauge.
- 4Repeat until you are within about 1 PSI of the label, cold.
- 5Inspect any tire that will not hold the new pressure.
Common mistakes
One long blast You will overshoot and then bleed hot air.
Leaving caps off Grit creates the next leak.
Inflating a damaged tire Air will not make a bulge safe.
Safety notes
Never sit beside the sidewall of a tire that is being forced up from flat on the rim with a high-volume compressor.
FAQ
How much air is a short burst? A few seconds, then measure. Do not count on the hose gauge alone.
Can I use a bike pump? Only for a tiny top-off. It is the wrong tool for a car tire.