Things to note when choosing to buy a car tire pump
Choosing to buy a tire pump suitable for your car is essential to ensure that the tires are always in a safe condition.
Equipping a car tire pump will bring many benefits. For example, it helps the car owner control and proactively adjust the tire pressure, ensuring that the tire pressure is always at the appropriate level according to the manufacturer's recommendations, load and operating conditions. Thereby, helping to increase tire life and safety of each trip.
Respond promptly in emergency situations such as flat tires, punctured tires, etc. after using the spare tire. Especially on deserted roads, highways, etc., where it is not easy to get to repair locations quickly, the pump will be a "temporary savior".
Criteria for choosing car tire pumps
Pump capacity
A common mistake that many car owners make is buying a small capacity car tire pump to save money, while the tire needs a large amount of air, especially for pickup trucks, SUVs, MPVs, etc. Therefore, for each car model, it is necessary to choose a tire pump with the appropriate capacity.
For example, for small cars with less than 7 seats, you can choose a small car tire pump to save costs, but for large pickup trucks and SUVs, you should use a large pump with 2 cylinders, the minimum required capacity must be 60-80 L/P or more.
Using a pump that is too small to inflate tires that require a lot of air will cause the pump to run continuously and risk burning out.
Currently on the market there are 2 types of mini car pumps: mechanical pumps and electric pumps. With the mechanical pump, the user must actively use the foot pedal to inflate the tire, which is quite tiring and laborious.
Meanwhile, electric pumps are divided into 2 types: the type that uses the 12V charger on the car to pump and the type that uses power directly from the battery (must open the hood to connect to the power from the battery).
The pump type using electricity from the battery has a much faster pumping speed, but is only suitable for use on new cars with new batteries. If the car uses an old battery with a weak current, after pumping 1-2 tires, the battery may run out of power and the car will not start.
Therefore, the electric pump connected to the 12V power port in the car is often preferred by many customers even though it takes a long time to inflate the tire (about 6 minutes for one tire).
Pump accessories and features
When choosing to buy, you should prioritize pumps with long extension cords (over 2m) and equipped with many types of pump heads for convenient operation as well as using the pump for many different purposes.
Pumps with built-in electronic gauges, divided into multiple pressure units and with automatic shut-off feature when reaching preset pressure should also be prioritized.
What tire pressure is enough?
The most common unit of measurement is psi (1 kg/cm² = 14.2 psi). A typical tire has a pressure between 20 - 42 psi, with the most common being around 30 psi.
Another unit used to measure tire pressure is the bar. Bar is the atmospheric pressure at sea level. The normal tire pressure is 2.1 bar - equivalent to 30 psi.
Tire pressure usually varies depending on the vehicle model and the type of tire used by the manufacturer. Users can know the standard tire pressure parameters by looking at the instruction sheet affixed to the driver's door frame.
Many users mistakenly believe that the pressure printed on the tire is the standard pressure. Meanwhile, the parameters printed on the tire are only the maximum tire pressure allowed by the manufacturer.
Common mistakes when inflating tires
Over-inflated tires
Many users tend to inflate their tires because they think that this will save fuel. However, this can have many trade-offs. For tires that are inflated beyond the standard specifications, the tire will bulge out, protrude in the middle and reduce the contact area with the road surface, causing rapid wear in the middle of the tire, while the two sides of the tire are still quite new.
Inflated tires also increase stiffness, which will make the vehicle more bumpy and reduce smoothness when operating.
In addition, less contact surface leads to reduced grip between the tire and the road surface, thereby increasing braking distance.
Underinflated tires
On the contrary, if the tire is under-inflated, the car becomes smoother, more stable due to increased traction, and the braking distance is also shorter. However, that also means that the tire sidewalls will sink, and the tire will tend to wear unevenly because the edge is in contact with the road surface.
In addition, tires that are too soft increase the contact area and friction with the road surface, causing the engine to work harder, thereby consuming more fuel for the vehicle and making steering more difficult than usual.
In the long run, over-inflation or under-inflation can have negative effects on the average life of a tire. Studies show that under-inflation of more than 20% can reduce tire life by up to 30%. Conversely, over-inflation of tires by 30% can reduce tire life by about 45%.