Slow punctures may be more difficult to detect than traditional punctures. Still, driving with such damage poses serious danger and costs both money and lives on the road.
To protect against this possibility, it’s a good idea to conduct regular visual inspections of your tyres. Here are some telltale signs to look out for.
Gradual Loss Of Tire Pressure
If you notice that one or more of your tyres is gradually losing air pressure while driving, that could be an indicator of slow punctures. Slow punctures occur due to small holes or sidewall damage allowing air escape gradually over time, leading to your pressure in your tyre decreasing over time. Here’s how to drive on a slow puncture.
Over time, this can result in decreased driver comfort (as potholes will feel bumpier), reduced steering response and handling capabilities and ultimately, it could impact brake performance negatively.
If your slow puncture is due to an embedded object like a nail or screw, an experienced technician may be able to use a rubber plug to temporarily patch up the hole in order to stabilize your tire’s tread surface and reduce wear-and-tear damage. Unfortunately if damage to your sidewall or corrosion of your rim have caused it, this solution may no longer work and you will require new tyres instead.
Frequent Tire Refills Needed
Avoiding slow punctures could result in large tears or complete tyre blowout, and lead to dramatic drops in driver comfort – especially over potholes – as well as changes to steering response, handling performance, and braking performance. As such, neglecting these issues may result in serious discomfort for you while driving on bumpy roads – not to mention changes in steering response and handling characteristics and reductions in braking power.
Make it part of your weekly routine to purchase an affordable tyre pressure gauge and start monitoring your tyres weekly. If refilling them more frequently is needed than usual this could indicate there is a slow puncture present; professionals can fix this by replacing the leaking valve or repairing slow puncture damage; however if sidewall damage from nails or screws has occurred then replacement might be required instead.
Visible Punctures Or Nails
Nails that puncture your tire may not necessarily lead to a complete blowout, but could reduce air pressure and cause it to slowly leak over time. Most nails lie flat on the road surface but when driven over they may become propelled upward and penetrate your tire’s tread layer.
Nails or sharp objects that puncture holes in a tyre’s sidewall can be very hazardous for drivers and other road users, so it is vitally important to inspect each of your car’s tyres regularly, especially before embarking on long journeys. If any particular tyre feels soft or produces hissing noises this could indicate slow punctures – another telltale sign could be its softness being due to slow punctures.
Uneven Tire Wear Feel
Slow punctures cause your tyre to gradually lose air pressure, leading to uneven wear that causes it to drift when driving and can often be felt as vibration in the steering wheel at higher speeds.
Over time, driving with a slow puncture can lead to structural issues in your tyre and ultimately result in a sudden blowout. Therefore, it is vital that any slow punctures are detected early and addressed.
A great way to do this is using a pressure gauge regularly when checking tyre pressure levels; doing this will save money in costly repairs or replacement costs while simultaneously increasing handling performance and lifespan of tyres.
Vibration
Vibrations in your steering wheel could be an indicator of a slow puncture. As your tyres lose air and become unbalanced, they may create vibrations when travelling at high speeds that cause your steering wheel to vibrate unpredictably.
