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Can You Hand Pump a Car Tire?
Pumping car tire with hand pump
It is possible to pump car tires with a hand pump – it won’t be fully pumped, but pumped enough to get your car to a proper pump. That said, the hand pumps take a lot of effort to pump car tires but it’s possible.
To inflate your car tire at 30 psi you will need a good hand pump. Your car tire has a pressure valve that won’t allow the air to come out from the tire. The hand pump will require a lot of strength and probably 150 pumps to make 30 psi.
I have myself pumped my car tire with the hand pump. I was in a situation where I couldn’t find the air pump for my car, luckily I found a hand pump and I pumped the tire and drove safely to my destination. In this article, I’m going to tell you the alternative pumps for car tires that you can use in case of emergency.
Here is a YouTube video demonstrating a car tire inflating with a hand pump.
Alternative Pumps For Car Tire
1. Foot Pump
Foot Pump
A foot pump is a convenient way to inflate the car tire. Foot pumps can generate about 130 psi from a single barrel pump. Although the foot pumps take a bit of effort, they can inflate the tire quicker than a regular hand pump. There are different types of foot pumps available that can offer different psi.
2. Bike Pump
Bike Pump on car tire
A bike Pump can also be used to inflate the car tire. It will take a lot of effort and strength to inflate a flat tire with a bike bump. A bike pump can produce 60-70 psi. However, it’s not quicker or as powerful as compared to the foot pump.
3. Portable Air Compressor
Portable Air Compressor
Portable Air Compressors are the most convenient way to inflate a tire. Portable air compressors use from the 12v power socket of your car and can produce 150-300 psi. The portable air compressor can inflate a flat tire in 3-5 minutes. Depending upon the air compressor size it can take less or more than that.
Ways To Pump Tires Without a Pump
It could be hard to believe that you can pump a tire without a pump but it is possible, and there are a couple of ways to do that. Keep in mind that these are not anywhere close to the best way of inflating a tire. I would not recommend you to use these methods unless you don’t have a pump.
1. Using A Combustible Fluid
Inflate car tire with flame
You can inflate the car tire with the help of combustible fluid. I have seen this way on a highway a truck driver sprayed the combustible fluid inside the tire. Then he used to fire to ignite the fluid inside. The fluid was burnt quickly and as it was burning, the tire sucked the air from the atmosphere and it was instantly inflated. This is a quite dangerous way to do the job so be careful while using this method.
2. Inflating Tire With Another Tire
Inflate Tire With Hose Pipe
This method required a hose pipe and tire valves. You can attach the hose to the flat tire and connect the other end of the hose with another tire. This way you will use the pressure of the inflated tire to inflate the flat tire.
Here is a YouTube that shows how you can Inflate the tire without any pump,.
FAQs
Q: Can I Drive With Low Tire Pressure?
If your tire pressure is slightly lower than the recommended tire pressure then you can drive safely.
If the tire pressure is way lower than recommended tire pressure “which is 32 psi for most of the cars” then it’s risky to drive. If the tire pressure is under 20 psi then you should not drive your car because it’s a risk for your life. If your tire pressure is consistently getting low then you might possibly have a puncher. Don’t drive around with a puncher tire as it causes damage to the tire, wheel, and suspension.
Also Read: ABS Light Coming On & Off: Is It Serious? 5 Reason, Cost & Fix
Q: How Long Can You Drive on a Low-Pressure Tire?
Driving on a low-pressure tire depends upon the road type. If you are driving on a paved road with ideal road conditions then you can drive 50 miles with a low-pressure tire. Driving off-road is very crucial with low-pressure tires. You can only drive about 10 miles before the tire pressure goes lower any further. The off-road condition deflates the tires very quickly and the driving range is very minimal on the off-road surface.
Q: Can a Car Sit on a Flat Tire Overnight?
A car can sit on a flat tire overnight, Even though it’s not a great idea to leave your vehicle on a flat tire.
It’s okay if the car sits for 8-10 hours on a flat tire. As the period exceeds the body weight of that car will cause damage to the tire. The tire will get damaged from the sideways, and your wheels can get damaged as well. Especially if you have low-profile tires and the rims have sharp edges.
The best way to prevent this is by jacking up the car. This way you won’t be risking the tires and the wheel. If you don’t have a jack then you can leave the car on a flat tire overnight.
