Struggling to get air into your car tyre? This guide explains the most common reasons a tyre won’t inflate — from punctures and faulty valves to damaged wheel rims or overinflation. Learn what to check first, when to use a repair kit, and when to call for professional help from Tyres.co.uk.
If you find that one of your tyres is flat, the obvious thing to do is to check for damage and then restore it to its optimum pressure using an air pump.
But what do you do if the air you add won’t stay in the tyre, and it continues to lose air at a rapid rate?
The chances are that, if your tyre won’t hold the air that you are putting in, there’s an issue with its structure and the damage is more severe than you might have initially thought. Alternatively, if air won’t even go into the tyre, you might find that there’s an issue with the valve.
Keep reading for advice on what to do if your tyre won’t hold any air and won’t stay inflated to enable you to drive to the garage.
Causes of Pressure Loss in Car Tyres
There are all sorts of reasons why car tyres lose air pressure.
What many drivers don’t appreciate is that air pressure loss is actually completely normal. It’s a part of the standard wear and tear process that tyres go through, with drivers needing to top up the air pressure in their tyres at regular intervals.
Of course, there’s normal pressure loss and then there’s the reality of being faced with a flat tyre on a constant basis. The latter is not normal and can be incredibly frustrating to deal with.
Some of the common causes of more severe and unexpected pressure loss include punctures, cracks in the rubber, a damaged seal around the tyre valve, and damage to the beading which connects the tyre to the wheel rim.
What to Do if The Tyre Valve is Damaged
If you cannot add any air to your tyres, then the chances are that there’s an issue with the tyre valve.
In this instance, you need a new valve to be fitted. If out and about on the road, the best thing to do is change the faulty tyre for a spare or call for roadside assistance and take your tyre to the local garage.
Overcoming a Severe Puncture
There are puncture repair kits available that fill the tyre with sealant and enable drivers to get back on the road, albeit capped at a limited speed and driving distance, in order to get their tyre properly repaired.
However, there are conditions that need to be met – most notably the size of the damage / crack / hole in the tyre.
If the damage extends further than 6mm, the tyre is not suitable to be repaired and must be replaced. If the tyre can be temporarily repaired at the side of the road, you can use one of the readily available tyre repair kits on the market to pump sealant into the tyre and then top up the air pressure.
What to Do if The Wheel Rim is Cracked
A tyre will not accept and hold air if the wheel rim is cracked or damaged in any way. This level of damage can post a high risk when driving, so it’s crucial that this is addressed as soon as possible.
As indicated by the heading, this is not necessarily damage to the tyre but rather the wheel – therefore it cannot be addressed with any of the DIY tyre repair kits. You will need to take your tyre to a local garage.
