Vibration- Another sign of a slow puncture is vibrations from your steering wheel. When your tyre loses air, it can cause your wheel to become unbalanced. Due to this, you'll feel a vibration especially when travelling at a high speed.
Check tyre pressure: If you have a tyre pressure gauge, measure the air pressure in the suspected punctured tyre. Compare it to the recommended pressure specified by the vehicle manufacturer. If there's a significant difference, it could indicate a puncture.
Slow punctures can be dangerous. A slow puncture means that your tyre is structurally compromised. This could eventually lead to a catastrophic failure. If it occurs at speed, then it isn't good news.
If you don't hear your tire going flat, you're going to feel it. When you have a flat tire and you're driving, it'll feel like your vehicle is being pulled to the side of the flat tire, and it'll feel like you can't accelerate.
Expect to hear a loud boom or bang of the tyre popping reverberating through the car. Then you would hear a whooshing sound or the sound of air quickly escaping from the tyre, and finally the sound of a deflated tyre hitting the road (like a flapping or flopping as it hits).
Slow punctures are common, but they can also be very difficult to detect. This means that many of us could be driving around with a gradually deflating tyre for weeks or even months, without having any idea there's a problem.
If the leakage is slow, you may be able to continue driving for several hundred miles before you think about changing the tire. However, if the puncture is severe, you'll likely need to replace your tire immediately before driving on it further.
Common causes of a drop in Tyre Pressure include: Temperature changes (mostly in winter) Small punctures of cuts of the car tyre. Damaged rim (cracks, scratches, bends, rust etc)
Vibration- Another sign of a slow puncture is vibrations from your steering wheel. When your tyre loses air, it can cause your wheel to become unbalanced. Due to this, you'll feel a vibration especially when travelling at a high speed.
Flat tires can be caused by defective or worn tread. If the tire has lost air, it could be a sign of an issue with the rubber itself due to normal wear and tear. The cause may also come from a sharp object puncturing the tire, causing it to leak air and creating a flat spot on the surface.
Valve Stem Leak
Flat tires aren't always caused by a hole in the rubber. Instead, a malfunction or leak in the valve stem can be the culprit. The valve stem is the part of the tire that you unscrew when adding air.
If the slow puncture is caused by debris piercing the rubber (which is the most common cause of this issue), then you can repair the tyre with a rubber plug. For a temporary home repair, carefully remove the debris that has caused the puncture, and then use the 'gunk' in a puncture repair kit to seal the hole.
But as the load on the tyre temporarily shifts (maybe under braking, acceleration or steering), it opens up to allow a small amount of air out. Each time this happens, more and more air gradually escapes. Ignoring a slow puncture can lead to a larger tear or even a sudden tyre blowout.
The Location of the Puncture on the Tyre
The British Tyre Manufacturers' Association requires should only get tyre repairs if the damage is on the central ¾ of the tyre. Any puncture too close to the sidewall will not ensure a lasting or safe repair.
Tire pressure between 32 to 35 PSI is most suitable for most vehicles. However, one can go as low as 20 PSI (although that is not recommended). Anything below 20 PSI is considered a flat tire. PSI stands for Pounds per Square Inch.
There are two main types of TPMS sensors. Direct sensors are small, wireless devices inside each tire, which report the tire's pressure reading to your dashboard. Indirect sensors work by measuring wheel spin and can only tell if a tire's pressure is low.
Damaged or worn valve stems often cause overnight tire pressure loss. This small tire component, through which air is added to or released from the tire, can become damaged, corroded, or loose over time. Inspect the stems for cracks and cuts, or listen closely and look for a noticeable hiss.
BS AU 159 is also very clear on what size of car tyre puncture is safe to repair. If the damaged area has a diameter of 6mm or more, then you must replace – not repair – your tyre.
Bulges or blisters.
If you see a bulge or blister on the sidewall, replace the tire at once. These signal potential weak spots that could lead to tire failure.
Under hot weather and highway conditions, the temperature of the air inside the tire rises about 50 degrees. That increases the pressure inside the tire about 5 psi. The burst pressure of a tire is about 200 psi.
Uneven wear is a leading cause of tire noises because contact between the road and uneven tires isn't uniform. The unbalanced tread depths cause tires to emit loud noises while driving. Usually, you'll hear sounds caused by uneven wear coming from one tire. Alignment issues can also cause tire noises.
Driving on a flat tyre is not just unsafe, it can also cause damage to the wheel the longer you drive on it for. If the tyre is still fully on the rim of the wheel, it will provide some cushioning over a short distance, but you run the risk of the rubber starting to break off.
One of the easiest ways to locate an air leak in your tire is by listening to the tire. Many people can find the leak in a tire by listening to be the hissing sound of the are leaving the tire. The closer you get to the air leak's location, the louder the hissing sound will become.
Other frequent causes of air loss in just one tire can be from hitting curbs and potholes, which causes damage to the tire's sidewall, forcing air out of the tire. This is an important time to check the tire for bulging or slashing and have it properly inspected for possible damage.