Your driving instructor will never tell you to let go of a wheel bladder of your car that is somewhat low. The reason is fairly straightforward – it may well turn out to be quite a disturbing phenomenon, and will eventually turn out to be a very costly one. There are a number of reasons behind this.
It Affects the Fuel Economy in a Very Bad Way
Indeed so, and it’s an issue that no one can ignore. Truly, low pressure of your car wheel will turn your fuel economy from bad to worse. The reason behind that being, an under-inflated wheel will face continuous resistance from the road surface while rotating. When the tyres are properly filled up, they offer stiffer resistance to the surface of the road.
Thus, it is able to withstand more return force back from the road surface, and can roll down quite easily. The bottom line is that the properly inflated wheel will take lesser energy while rolling and will strive on effortlessly.
On the other hand, when they are on a low, they will demand more energy for moving. It collects that extra energy from the engine. As a result of that, the engine has to work harder, beyond its capacity, thus consuming more than usual fuel and will finally give in. Therefore, no driving school in Frankston will encourage driving with a wheel, which is underinflated.
Low-pressure Tyre Affects Handling
Low pressure in tyres can adversely affect the handling of the car. As and when the bladder is not inflated to its capacity, its sidewalls would have to work much harder than what they are designed for, even during braking and cornering. The contact point of the wheel surface with the road will keep on increasing with every passing moment, much due to the weight of the wheel and at least some proportion of the weight of the car.
This makes the tyre less stable and leads to lesser traction. Naturally, the return inputs to the steering get sloppier and slower, lengthening the braking distance substantially. This can be highly dangerous in emergency situations, like when it comes to averting sudden accidents.
It Will Cost Your Pocket More
Driving with an underinflated wheel would drastically reduce its life. A low pressure will distort the footprint of the wheel up to the point where the wheel surface meets the road. This causes its wear and tear to increase drastically, reducing its life.
This results in rather abnormally heavy wear on both the outer as well as inner shoulders of the tyre, which drastically cuts short its life. Needless to say, this will lead to premature replacement with a new one, which will cost you dearly. Therefore, you see, these are not rocket science. It can happen to anyone. It’s only that you need to be at the safer side.
That is the reason while imparting driving lessons in Carrum Downs driving school, every aspiring driver is strictly informed that they are not to drive cars with wheel bladders containing less than permissible air limit so that it does not have any negative influence on the driving or the mechanism of the car.
The author is an experienced instructor of a driving school in Frankston and Carrum Downs, who provide driving lessons. The author is also an avid blogger.