Cold inflation pressure

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A tyre pressure gauge displaying bar (outside) and pounds per square inch (inside) ReifendruckPruefen.jpg
A tyre pressure gauge displaying bar (outside) and pounds per square inch (inside)

Cold inflation pressure is the inflation pressure of tires before a car is driven and the tires (tyres) warmed up. Recommended cold inflation pressure is displayed on the owner's manual and on the placard (or sticker) attached to the vehicle door edge, pillar, glovebox door or fuel filler flap. Most passenger cars are recommended to have a tire pressure of 2.1 to 2.4 bars (210 to 240  kPa ; 30 to 35  psi ) when not warmed by driving. [1] A 2001 NHTSA study found that 40% of passenger cars have at least one tire under-inflated by 0.4 bars (6 psi) or more. [2] Drivers are encouraged to make sure their tires are adequately inflated, as under inflated tires can greatly reduce fuel economy, increase emissions, cause increased wear on the edges of the tread surface, and can lead to overheating and premature failure of the tire. Excessive pressure, on the other hand, will lead to impact-breaks, decreased braking performance, and cause increased wear on the center part of the tread surface.

Contents

Tire pressure is commonly measured in psi in the imperial and US customary systems, bar, which is deprecated but accepted for use with SI or the kilopascal (kPa), which is an SI unit.

Ambient temperature affects the cold tire pressure. Cold tire absolute pressure (gauge pressure plus atmospheric pressure) varies directly with the absolute temperature, measured in kelvin.

From physics, the ideal gas law states that PV = nRT, where P is absolute pressure, T is absolute temperature, V is the volume, and nR is constant for a given number of molecules of gas. If the volume of the tire remains constant, a 1% increase in absolute temperature results in a 1% increase in absolute pressure.

As an example, a tire is inflated to 2.2 bar (220 kPa; 32 psi) at an ambient temperature of 300 K (27 °C; 80 °F). If the absolute temperature of the air in the tire increases by 1% to 303 K (30 °C; 86 °F), the absolute pressure also increases by 1%. The absolute pressure is the sum of the ambient atmospheric pressure (approximately 1.01 bars [101 kPa; 14.7 psi] at sea level) and the gauge pressure, giving a total of 3.21 bar (321 kPa; 46.6 psi). This 3 K (3.0 °C; 5.4 °F) increase results in a change of .0321 bar (3.21 kPa; 0.466 psi). However, a similar tire inflated at an ambient temperature of 250 K (−23 °C; −10 °F) only needs to be warmed up by 2.5 K (2.5 °C; 4.5 °F) to see the same 1% increase in pressure.

Due to the temperature-dependent pressure changes, seasonal temperature fluctuations can result in appreciable changes in tire pressure. [1]

Variation of tire pressure with temperature in Fahrenheit and Celsius

(Assuming standard sea-level atmospheric pressure of 14.696 pounds per square inch or 101.33 kilopascals) [3]

Pressure at
20 °C (68 °F)
10 psi20 psi30 psi40 psi50 psi60 psi70 psi80 psi90 psi100 psi 
104 °F11.7 psi22.4 psi33.1 psi43.7 psi54.4 psi65.1 psi75.8 psi86.5 psi97.1 psi107.8 psi40 °C
86 °F10.8 psi21.2 psi31.5 psi41.9 psi52.2 psi62.5 psi72.9 psi83.2 psi93.6 psi103.9 psi30 °C
68 °F10.0 psi20.0 psi30.0 psi40.0 psi50.0 psi60.0 psi70.0 psi80.0 psi90.0 psi100.0 psi20 °C
50 °F9.2 psi18.8 psi28.5 psi38.1 psi47.8 psi57.5 psi67.1 psi76.8 psi86.4 psi96.1 psi10 °C
32 °F8.3 psi17.6 psi26.9 psi36.3 psi45.6 psi54.9 psi64.2 psi73.5 psi82.9 psi92.2 psi0 °C
14 °F7.5 psi16.4 psi25.4 psi34.4 psi43.4 psi52.4 psi61.3 psi70.3 psi79.3 psi88.3 psi−10 °C
−4 °F6.6 psi15.3 psi23.9 psi32.5 psi41.2 psi49.8 psi58.4 psi67.1 psi75.7 psi84.3 psi−20°C
−22°F5.8 psi14.1 psi22.4 psi30.7 psi39.0 psi47.3 psi55.5 psi63.8 psi72.1 psi80.4 psi−30 °C
−40 °F4.9 psi12.9 psi20.8 psi28.8 psi36.8 psi44.7 psi52.7 psi60.6 psi68.6 psi76.5 psi−40 °C
Pressure at
20 °C (68 °F)
69 kPa138 kPa207 kPa276 kPa345 kPa414 kPa483 kPa551 kPa620 kPa689 kPa 
104°F81 kPa154 kPa228 kPa301 kPa375 kPa449 kPa522 kPa596 kPa670 kPa743 kPa40 °C
86 °F75 kPa146 kPa217 kPa289 kPa360 kPa431 kPa502 kPa574 kPa645 kPa716 kPa30 °C
68 °F69 kPa138 kPa207 kPa276 kPa345 kPa414 kPa483 kPa551 kPa620 kPa689 kPa20°C
50 °F63 kPa130 kPa196 kPa263 kPa329 kPa396 kPa463 kPa529 kPa596 kPa662 kPa10 °C
32 °F57 kPa122 kPa186 kPa250 kPa314 kPa378 kPa443 kPa507 kPa571 kPa635 kPa0 °C
14 °F52 kPa113 kPa175 kPa237 kPa299 kPa361 kPa423 kPa485 kPa546 kPa608 kPa−10 °C
−4 °F46 kPa105 kPa165 kPa224 kPa284 kPa343 kPa403 kPa462 kPa522 kPa581 kPa−20 °C
−22 °F40 kPa97 kPa154 kPa211 kPa269 kPa326 kPa383 kPa440 kPa497 kPa554 kPa−30 °C
−40 °F34 kPa89 kPa144 kPa199 kPa253 kPa308 kPa363 kPa418 kPa473 kPa527 kPa−40 °C

See also

Tyre pressure measuring instrument Prufgerate Reifendruck.JPG
Tyre pressure measuring instrument

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References

  1. 1 2 Bruzek, Joe (May 15, 2018). "How Do I Find the Correct Tire Pressure for My Car?". NEWS. Cars.com . Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  2. "National Automotive Sampling System Tire Pressure Special Study" (PDF). NHTSA. July 26, 2001.
  3. "Tire Pressure Math". mathscinotes.com. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2023.