[ThilakNex]

Hey all,

I would like to share the horrific experience I faced today morning after inflating my Tata Nexon's tyres at one of the Bharath Petroleum pumps at Bengaluru.

I use my car very rarely mostly for long drives and rest of the time it will be rested on a slanted surface due to which left side tyres lose pressure occasionally. Today morning I wanted to take the car out and noticed left side tyres were a bit flatter than normal. Took the car to the petrol pump, filled the petrol and headed to the tyre inflator. noticed that the guy took too much time to fill the air and the pressure gauge was showing abnormally low pressure on almost all the tyres. Being suspicious, stepped out of the car and enquired the guy about this abnormality. the response was as pale was expected stating pressure is too low on all tyres and that's why it is taking so long for him to finish up. things didn't seem perfect and I asked him to stop.

A bit later once traffic got cleared, I noticed, the car is behaving abnormally as if I am riding on some thin layer of ice. it was slightly out of balance. Car was responding and made horrific noise for every single little bump. My doubt was real. Petrol pump guy had clearly over-inflated my cars tyre!!!

I have already driven 25kms from the petrol pump and didn't want to take any risk further. Hopped into yet another fuel pump to check the pressure.
Got shocked to see that previous petrol pump guy had filled almost 90+ psi in all the tyres whereas the recommended pressure is 30 psi

Even though happy for the fact that I noticed the abnormal response from the car (though bit late), I am worried if this overinflation has caused any permanent damage to the tyres given the fact that it has run for around an hour and 25 Kms. Can the experts shed some info on it?

[Shreyans_Jain]

90psi?

Thank your lucky stars the tire didn't burst. Always make it a point to fill air from a trusted fuel bunk or tire shop. If you don't have one in vicinity, just ask the tire guy to add an extra 5psi, instead of asking him to top up to any x pressure. This is a safer bet.

Do remember, you don't HAVE TO fill up air immediately if you suspect low pressure. You can easily drive around town at our low urban speeds all day with pressures as low as 20psi if you really have to.

Your tire is most likely OK. City running over small distance shouldn't be damaging

[saket77]

I can understand these public stations filling excess air (not upto 90psi though) but why did it take 25 kms for you to realise the same? Bouncing car, suspension noise, rough ride manners, abnormal steering behavior are giveaways for this situation and that should have been dealt much earlier.

Anyways, inspect for any physical damage on tires. Shouldn't be much of concern now that what's done is done and now its set right. Any damage to suspension in this case, even if small, is irreversible, so no point sweating on it.

And most importantly, get a good make air compressor and carry in the boot. Apart from being a day saver in some situations, they help you immensely in maintaining (& checking) cold tire pressure.

Regards,
Saket

[pavi]

I think you have broken every record of over inflation pressure readings till now recorded by forum members. Are you sure that it is 90psi not 60psi, because I have only heard about up to 45 psi. I don't think it would have caused any issue to your tires, as the tires would not have heated up much in that 25 kms, but it would have been catastrophic if the tyres burst on highways.

Trying to be a real Indian, 'you should happy that you got more product for the same money' .

[ariesonu]

Originally Posted by ThilakNex

Hey all,
I would like to share the horrific experience I faced today morning after inflating my Tata Nexon's tyres at one of the Bharath Petroleum pumps at Bengaluru.

have already driven 25kms from the petrol pump and didn't want to take any risk further. Hopped into yet another fuel pump to check the pressure.
Got shocked to see that previous petrol pump guy had filled almost 90+ psi in all the tyres whereas the recommended pressure is 30 psi

How sure can you be sure that 2nd PP attendant's gauge was not malfunctioning?? 90+ PSI is abnormally high.

It is always prudent to get tyres air fill done from PUNCTURE shops or carry your own gauge.

Regards-Sonu

[sdp1975]

Tyres take a lot to burst - 200 psi or more. I don't expect any damage to your tyres from 90 psi.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by ThilakNex

Hey all,

I would like to share the horrific experience I faced today morning after inflating my Tata Nexon's tyres at one of the Bharath Petroleum pumps at Bengaluru.

Was the air pump automatic or was the guy using a handheld gauge?

Got shocked to see that previous petrol pump guy had filled almost 90+ psi in all the tyres whereas the recommended pressure is 30 psi

90+ Psi? Was it a place where there were trucks, because I tried to unsuccessfully fill 90+ PSI on my cycle from 4-5 pumps. One guy then told me to visit pumps where truckers go. I stick to my trusty hand pump now (for cycle).

Even though happy for the fact that I noticed the abnormal response from the car (though bit late), I am worried if this overinflation has caused any permanent damage to the tyres given the fact that it has run for around an hour and 25 Kms. Can the experts shed some info on it?

You will have to visually inspect the tyres for any damage. I don't think it should be a cause of concern, but do check if a nail or anything sharp could have damaged your tyre when over inflated.

[condor]

1) The pressure guage at the pumps dont always work correct

2) Any of the Nexon guys here - can you check what is the max rating of the tyre ? Should be marked on the tyres.

[Kosfactor]

Are you worried about any damage that may have been caused to a tire due to over inflation?

Take it to a tire shop, ask them to remove the tires from the rims, inspect it for any cracks bulges etc , if all checks out okay, put it back on the car.

This activity may cause some money and time, but the peace of mind is priceless, and remember to check the air pressure every two weeks, that way you know you only loose one PSI at a time when checking, if not the gauge is incorrect.

Hope this helps!

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by ThilakNex

Even though happy for the fact that I noticed the abnormal response from the car (though bit late), I am worried if this overinflation has caused any permanent damage to the tyres given the fact that it has run for around an hour and 25 Kms. Can the experts shed some info on it?

I am not very sure whether the over inflation was to the extent of 90 pSI. Most of these petrol pumps have out of calibration gauges. So while the first one might have overinflated the tyres hi might not have filled in as high as 90 pSI. Similarly the pump that you went next probably again had a badly calibrated guage that showed the pressure to be that high.

Having said that, could it have damaged the tyres? I don't think so. A nail can go in easily through an over inflated tyre but that will show you a loss in tyre pressure by evening at least. Otherwise you did not have a puncture. A weak valve can also spring a leak under high pressure but again that will show up by evening.

Other possibilities could be crack in the sidewalls, unnatural bulges etc. These are things that you can easily detect on a visual inspection. In my opinion there are very less chances of these having happened. A bigger risk is in the possibility of damage in the suspensions... struts going soft, springs getting cracked or even a damaged lower ball joint if you crashed through a few sizable potholes with such high tyre pressure. Check for those. Generally you will be able to make out such damages when you drive your car. Like a knocking sound from the suspensions, particularly on rough roads, or too much of vehicle diving on braking etc.

Keep an eye open to those for the next 1-2 weeks.

[nkghai]

Tyre pressure is somehow the most neglected aspect in most of the vehicles particularly with Non BHP types. How many times i see vehicles with clear sign of over inflation and under inflation running full steam on the road. Owners/Drivers are always not the culprit. Tyre filling shops/stations are a lot to blame. Must check it at least once a month from reliable automated stations. Even the authorized dealers tend to goof up. I can quote two instances of over inflation in my vehicle .

• I took delivery of my Creta in Sep 2015 and straight away went to a fuel station (within a km of the dealership). As per habit then went to the get tyre pressure checked. Above 40 psi in all tyres.

• Had to get a puncture fixed, got it done in front of me. Even after telling and checking on manual gauge when i went to the petrol pump it was 38 psi

[ThilakNex]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

90psi?

Thank your lucky stars the tire didn't burst. Always make it a point to fill air from a trusted fuel bunk or tire shop. If you don't have one in vicinity, just ask the tire guy to add an extra 5psi, instead of asking him to top up to any x pressure. This is a safer bet.

True that. Its one of the popular pump indeed. maybe today his machine was malfunctioning. Thanks for the valuable suggestions.

Originally Posted by saket77

I can understand these public stations filling excess air (not upto 90psi though) but why did it take 25 kms for you to realise the same? Bouncing car, suspension noise, rough ride manners, abnormal steering behavior are giveaways for this situation and that should have been dealt much earlier.

And most importantly, get a good make air compressor and carry in the boot. Apart from being a day saver in some situations, they help you immensely in maintaining (& checking) cold tire pressure.

Regards,
Saket

In slow stop and go traffic I guess I overlooked the indications. My fault though. Yes, Its high time to buy a good air compressor. Thanks for the suggestion mate.

Originally Posted by pavi

I think you have broken every record of over inflation pressure readings till now recorded by forum members. Are you sure that it is 90psi not 60psi, because I have only heard about up to 45 psi. I don't think it would have caused any issue to your tires, as the tires would not have heated up much in that 25 kms, but it would have been catastrophic if the tyres burst on highways.

Trying to be a real Indian, 'you should happy that you got more product for the same money' .

Hahaha no doubt, I got hell more for the price I never paid. and yes I am very sure its 90+ in all the 4 tyres.

Originally Posted by ariesonu

How sure can you be sure that 2nd PP attendant's gauge was not malfunctioning?? 90+ PSI is abnormally high.

It is always prudent to get tyres air fill done from PUNCTURE shops or carry your own gauge.

Regards-Sonu

I am sure about 2nd PP gauge because the first one took way too much time filling the tyre up. It was kind of suspicious from the beginning and the drive felt more normal and comfortable after the adjustment in 2nd PP.

Originally Posted by sdp1975

Tyres take a lot to burst - 200 psi or more. I don't expect any damage to your tyres from 90 psi.

Your response really made my day. Hope it retains its composition as it was.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Was the air pump automatic or was the guy using a handheld gauge?

You will have to visually inspect the tyres for any damage. I don't think it should be a cause of concern, but do check if a nail or anything sharp could have damaged your tyre when over inflated.

It was automatic. The pump is the most popular one among regular passenger vehicles. Yes I need to inspect the tyre in detail in the evening.

Originally Posted by condor

1) The pressure guage at the pumps dont always work correct

2) Any of the Nexon guys here - can you check what is the max rating of the tyre ? Should be marked on the tyres.

Not sure about the marking on tyre but manual says it should be 30.

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Take it to a tire shop, ask them to remove the tires from the rims, inspect it for any cracks bulges etc , if all checks out okay, put it back on the car.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the suggestion. Surely I will follow this once after my initial observation for next 3 to 4 days.

Originally Posted by Zappo

Other possibilities could be crack in the sidewalls, unnatural bulges etc. These are things that you can easily detect on a visual inspection. In my opinion there are very less chances of these having happened. A bigger risk is in the possibility of damage in the suspensions... struts going soft, springs getting cracked or even a damaged lower ball joint if you crashed through a few sizable potholes with such high tyre pressure. Check for those. Generally you will be able to make out such damages when you drive your car. Like a knocking sound from the suspensions, particularly on rough roads, or too much of vehicle diving on braking etc.

Keep an eye open to those for the next 1-2 weeks.

That sounds scary!! Hope it might have caused much damage to the suspension section. Anyway will keep a close eye on it for the next 2 weeks as suggested by you. Thanks a lot.

Originally Posted by nkghai

Even the authorized dealers tend to goof up. I can quote two instances of over inflation in my vehicle.

No doubt. This happened with me too for my motorcycle. I have learnt always to go with psi mentioned in the manual afterwards.

[Miyata]

I agree with few of the observations above - many of these places do not have a calibrated setup and give inaccurate readouts. I keep my own personal pressure gauge (analog) as well to monitor the pressures occasionally.

When measured in "hot", it will anyway show higher pressure. From the description though it does anyway appear to be higher than recommended. Best to have your own air compressor unit.

So far I have found Shell to be a bit more reliable. IOCL comes 2nd on my list. The most erratic I've experienced has been HP - all anecdotal.

Prolonged exposure to such high pressure can cause issues with very uneven wear and tear, but for such durations, I think the tyres are quite forgiving.

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by ThilakNex

Got shocked to see that previous petrol pump guy had filled almost 90+ psi in all the tyres whereas the recommended pressure is 30 psi

Originally Posted by blackwasp

90+ Psi? Was it a place where there were trucks, because I tried to unsuccessfully fill 90+ PSI on my cycle from 4-5 pumps.

I doubt it would be 90 psi. Like Blackwasp, I too was looking for a pump that can fill bicycle tyres to very high pressure. But most of these would top out at 60 psi. Reason is their air storage tanks would have compressed air stored around that pressure, which is more than sufficient for cars and bikes. For anything higher, they'd have to start the pump and then try.

Could be that second guys gauge too is defective.

[sidpunjabi]

Originally Posted by ThilakNex

Got shocked to see that previous petrol pump guy had filled almost 90+ psi in all the tyres whereas the recommended pressure is 30 psi

What about the digital display of the air pump at the 2nd guy? Was that working fine? Many of these digital displays often go for a toss quickly but aren't repaired until the complete air-pump machine goes kaput.

The 1st guy probably overfilled it till 40 which the gauge read but a partially dead display may have shown it as a 90.