There are a lot of DIY ideas circulating online. Maybe you’ve recently noticed that your tires look a bit low, and you’re looking for a way to fix this. If you’ve surveyed your garage and found a bike pump, I have some good news for you: it might inflate your car’s tires.
Can you inflate car tires with a bike pump? Yes, you can use a bike pump to inflate your car tires, but it takes a long time. Manually inflating a tire can take more than 20 minutes, depending on how flat the tire is. Whenever possible, I highly recommend that you use a compressor to pump up your car’s tires. Regardless, if you’re in a pinch, a bike pump will work.
In this guide, I’m going to talk about tires and tire pressure, the steps to inflate car tires with a bike pump. From there, I’ll explain how a bike pump can help you and give you a step-by-step guide to using a bike pump to inflate your tires.
How tire pressure works
Inside your tires, there is “air” that causes the rubber to expand. Modern tires contain this air as well as the bead, lining, and bead packing of the tire.
There is a small channel on the side of the tire for air to pass through, called the valve stem. This valve is designed in such a way that air is allowed to enter but not to be discharged.
As a result, you’re left with pressurized air inside. This is because when you pump the air in, the air is always funneling and there is nowhere to escape. This is the same reason why a balloon inflats when you blow it up.
You can place a gauge on this valve to get a barometric pressure reading. This gauge will tell you what the approximate psi of the air inside the tire is. This can then be compared to the correct tire pressure.
The right tire pressure for you
The correct tire pressure varies from car to car and also depends on the position of the tires. In many cases, the first two tires require different pressures than the rear two.
How do I find the right pressure? This is the manufacturer’s recommendation. If you open the driver’s door and look at the door frame, you should find a sticker. This sticker will explain what psi is best for your tires.
Alternatively, your user manual may have this number. If nothing else, a quick Google search will help you.
The “right” way to inflate car tires
Can you inflate car tires with a bike pump? Usually, you’ll use an air compressor and special tube attachments to inflate your tires. The compressor pumps air through the attachment into the tire’s open valve stem.
Many of these tools also have a built-in pressure gauge. It will constantly tell you what the internal psi of your tire is so that you know when to stop pumping.
Some people may have installed one of these compressors in their garage, tool shed, or basement. If not, drivers can drive their cars to a gas station that has an air compressor. They often make you pay for several quarters for a few minutes of air.
If you don’t have a built-in pressure gauge in the pump, you’ll need to remove the pump and manually check the tire pressure regularly. After all, excessive inflation is just as dangerous as under-inflation.
What to do if the tires keep losing pressure?
If you’re just pumping your tires and the pressure has dropped again, it can be frustrating. If that’s the case, you may have a flat tire that you don’t know about. The quick solution is to patch the holes in the tires.
Depending on the position, width, and number of holes in the tire, you may need to replace it completely.
Keep in mind that tire pressure also fluctuates with the seasons. I recommend checking the pressure of your tires frequently and hopefully pumping them up in the winter when the air gets colder.
When will you use a bike pump?
After explaining the whole process, you might be curious about the usefulness of a bike pump. Well, there are a few reasons why you might try to inflate your car tires with a bike pump.
This is an emergency
If you’re stuck somewhere and your tires are in desperate need of air, you may need to pick up a bike pump. This will give you enough temporary pressure to go home or go to the nearest gas station to refuel.
You don’t have a compressor
Some people simply can’t use the compressor and they need to fill up their tires. If you need a compressor for work or planning to drive somewhere else, you might want to get a bike pump – especially if you only have those.
You’ve just patched up your apartment
I’m willing to bet that the most common reason people use a bike pump is that they’re just tinkering with a flat tire.
After a punctured tire, there is a way to seal the gap so you can continue driving. Once the seal is complete, your tires are still very low.
At this point, you can pick up your bike pump and start filling up your tires.
Settle bets
There are others who are just genuinely curious about the issue and may have made a bet.
Intuitively, this makes sense. Bicycle pumps provide enough air to pump up football and basketball. But do they have enough power to pump up your tires?
If you bet on this theme, then you are about to win or lose.
Can you inflate car tires with a bike pump?
This begs a multimillion-dollar question: Can you inflate a car tire with a bicycle pump? The answer is yes. I actually did it myself, so I can attest to it working.
It’s just an option for those with patience, though. You can install hundreds of pumps to re-inflate car tires.
These pumps are designed to inflate bicycle tires above 80 psi, so they definitely have strength. The key difference, though, is the volume of air.
Something that may take two dozen pumps to achieve on a thin bike tire and 200 pumps on a car tire. You’ll be using that bike pump for a long time (but that’s far from impossible).
Pro tip: Use simple products to avoid this dilemma in the future
I know it may be too late to ask this question now, but there is a great product that can help you avoid this disaster in the future. This is a portable inflator pump for car tires.
NORSHIRE Tire Pump Inflator Portable Air Compressor
NORSHIRE Tire Pump Inflator Portable Air Compressor
I personally own one and it saved me in some tricky situations. Instead of spending 20 minutes manually inflating your tires, you can simply place this tool on your tires and get the perfect psi in a minute.
If you think you might encounter the same situation again in the future, then you might as well choose one of these bad boys today.
What it takes to inflate a car tire with a bike pump
Later, I’ll tell you more about how to inflate your tires using a bike pump. First, let me tell you everything you need in the process:
- Bicycle pump (obviously)
- Tire pressure gauge
- Optional: flathead screwdriver or pebbles slightly deflated over-inflated tires
Yes, that’s it.
A step-by-step guide to using a bike pump to inflate your car’s tires
Steps to inflate your car tires with a bike pump: Without further ado, let me get into my step-by-step guide. Believe me, this process works because this exact process was used not so long ago.
Step 1: Measure the situation
Let’s start by assessing how bad the situation really is. Do you have nails or screws in your tires? How flat do tires look? Are you in a situation where you can safely spend 30 minutes inflating your tires without injury?
Step #2: Remove the stem cover
Look at your flattened tires. Along the center ring, you should notice that your valve stem is sticking out.
This is a black inner tube sticking out of the tire.
This stem has a small cap on the top. You won’t be able to do anything until the lid is removed.
Grasp it with your finger and tighten it counterclockwise (remember, left-handed loosely). Remove the cover completely and place it in a place where it won’t get lost, such as your pocket.
Step 3: Take a pressure reading
This is where your tire pressure gauge comes in handy. Push it over the now exposed valve stem and see how much pressure your tires have.
You’ll need to look for the “psi” reading – short for “pressure per square inch.” Essentially, it gives a benchmark value for tire pressure. Quantifying every square inch allows all the different tires to use the same language when talking about their pressure.
Step 4: Find the recommended stress level
Pop your driver’s door (if it’s safe to do so). On the inner frame, you will find a white sticker with some yellow color. This will tell you how much pressure the manufacturer recommends to apply to each tire.
Typically, you’ll find two different values:
- Recommended psi values for the first two tires
- Recommended psi values for the rear two tires
If you can’t find this sticker, search Google for the psi value of your specific make, model, and year. It should be around 30 psi.
Step 5: Lock the bike pump
Steps to inflate your car’s tires with a bicycle pump: Now, insert the black valve of your bike pump into the valve stem of your tire. The bicycle pump has a small arm on the rear of the valve.
When you place the valve on the tire stem, the arm needs to go straight down.
To lock the bike pump, the arm needs to be lifted 90 degrees upwards. Once locked, the arm will be perpendicular to the tube that feeds the black valve.
Now your bike pump is officially locked.
Step 6: Start pumping
That’s where the fun starts – it’s time to start pumping your bike down.
Your bike pump may have some sort of platform at the bottom. I like to put my feet on this platform to hold the pump in place.
You will use both hands to lift the handle of the pump vertically upwards and then push it vertically downwards. The action looks like people blowing up explosives on the TV show of the day.
Each time you push the handle of the pump all the way down, the internal air of the tire is pressurized.
Step 7: Check the tire pressure
After pumping for a while, you need to check the tire pressure. This is done by swinging that arm down and removing the valve from the tire’s valve stem to unlock the bike pump valve.
Place the tire pressure gauge on the tire’s valve stem and take a reading. Reset the meter and take two more readings to make sure the readings are correct.
Step 8: Repeat these steps until the pressure reaches 5 psi
Continue to steps 6 and 7 until you reach a psi value that is 5 psi off the recommended value (according to the label inside the driver’s door).
Why 5 psi? Well, this value will get you close enough so that you can drive to a safe place where there is an air pump and save you time. Otherwise, you’ll waste more time manually pumping your tires.
Note: Every time you put the bike pump back on the tire valve stem, remember to check if it is locked or unlocked. If pumped while the valve is not locked in place, all the air will escape without entering the tire. You will waste your time.
A quick way to check if it’s locked is to gently pull the valve, like you’re going to remove it. If it doesn’t come off immediately, then you’re locked out.
Step 9: If your tires are overinflated, release the pressure
Steps to inflate your car’s tires with a bike pump: Maybe you’re an overly ambitious bike pump, and you’re putting too much air in your tires. You might be thinking, “Oh, that’s great. Now, I don’t have to worry about them being low for long periods of time anymore. ”
The sad truth is that over-inflated tires are just as dangerous as under-inflated tires. The tread won’t stick properly to the road underneath it.
This is where a screwdriver or pebbles come in handy. You will release a little pressure from the tires.
Make sure to remove the cover from the valve stem of the tire and remove the bike pump as well. Use a pebble or screwdriver to gently push into the tire’s valve stem.
Doing so will cause you to hear a hissing sound. This is the air that escapes from the tire through that little valve.
Make sure you only do it for a few seconds at most. Remove your pebbles or tools and grab your tire pressure gauge and check it. If it’s still high, repeat the process again for a few seconds and check again.
Be careful not to overdo it in the opposite direction and expel too much air. It’s a delicate balance.
The good news is that if you happen to release too much air during this step, then your bike pump is within reach.
Conclusion
Can you inflate car tires with a bike pump? I’m happy to pass on some good news to you guys that bike pumps can actually be used to inflate car tires. If you’d like to see answers to more automotive questions, leave a comment below or read the rest of my blog.
