Sometimes the unexpected happens and as it is there are always random solutions to major problems. You got home late yesterday and realized the following morning that your car tire is so low and you can’t even make it to a gas station near you. How then will you air up your car tire?
Suddenly you remember there’s a bicycle pump in the garage for the kids’ bikes, but you aren’t sure if you can air up your car with a bicycle pump. Well, you can actually use a Bike pump to air up a car tire, it is very possible. However, you may need to take a look at some instructions to do it properly.
The best thing to do whenever you are going to air up your car tire is to assure your car is well balanced and not just that. It should be on a clean flat surface so you can get a more accurate reading on the actual air pressure in the tire. This will make it easier to balance the bike pump you’re using.
Once you are set and have your car in a comfortable position, you should proceed to remove the valve caps from your tire. You should not that these valves can be very easy to lose because of how tiny they are. You may want to have a small container or even a zip bag where you can put them in while at work so you don’t misplace them.
How You Should Air up a Car Tire With Bike Pump
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So, what’s necessary?
Check The Pressure
No doubt, you would have a pressure gauge because it is very important due to unforeseen emergencies. If you do not have a tire pressure gauge in your car glove box then you should get one. It is a standard maintenance guideline, which you will need to follow at all times.
We recommend you remove every stain of dirt from the tire valve to get an accurate reading.
Prepare The Pump
Now you need to take care of some things before filling the car tire with air from the bike pump. A bike pump is an essential component of a bicycle tool kit. It comes with more than one valve type end including the Schrader valve, and Presta valve. The bicycle pump with the Presta valve would include a thin and threaded metal cylinder, which will not work for your car tire. On the other hand, you need a Schrader valve, which has threading for a screw-on cap and small metal pin inside.
Fill The Tire
Finally, you should attach the bicycle pump valve to the air valve on the car tire. You might hear the air escaping until it seals, which is entirely reasonable. Next, raise and lower the pump bar. We recommend you frequently stop to measure the tire pressure, as you need to prevent the overfill of the car tire. If you fill in too much air, your tire can easily get punctured and that’s another random billing for you.
One thing, which you need to remember is bike pumps are slower to fill the car tire than the powered pump. Hence, it can take time for the car tire to load fully. The minimal pressure you need before you drive the vehicle is 5 PSI. It will help you inflate the car tire with a bike pump without any issue.
Bicycle Pump Flat Car Tire
Summary
I really hope you were able to find a complete answer to your question on can you pump a car tire with a bike pump. You only need to follow all the instructions mentioned on this page and your car tire will be set to run on the road.