When your car tyre is low on air, you’ll do just about anything to get it back up to pressure, even if that means using a bike pump. We worry about doing more damage if we drive for a long time with low air, so we’ll try almost anything to get it fixed as soon as possible.

But if there isn’t a gas station open nearby or you’re too scared to drive it to the station with a low tyre, you might want to use a bike pump to do the job.

Many people have talked about whether or not this really works and whether or not driving on a tyre that has been pumped up with a bike pump is bad for the tyre.

So, can a bike pump be used to fill up a car tyre?

You can pump up a car tyre with a bike pump that works with Schrader valves. Because a bike pump only holds a small amount of air, it will take a lot longer to fill up a car tyre with it.

With that in mind, let’s talk about the risks and benefits of using a bike pump.

Can a Bike Pump Work on My Car Tires?

Yes, is the correct answer.

Most standard bike tyres are made with enough air pressure in them so that you can drive on them again.

But since this is not how the bike pump is supposed to be used, you will need to be careful so you don’t damage anything.

You don’t need to know much about how this works, other than the fact that it is a pump that can work on a bigger tyre than the one on a bike.

After all, it is designed to do this job, just on a different kind of vehicle.

What Precautions To Take

Using a bike pump to put air in your car tyre can be a last-ditch effort to get your car to a gas station with an air pump.

But you shouldn’t just grab the pump you have and try to put it on your car right away.

You should check a few things and make sure you understand them before you start. This will protect your car tyre from damage and make sure there are no surprises along the way.

Check Your Valve Type

You can use a bike pump to pump up your car tyre, but you have to make sure you know what kind of valve is on the end of the bike pump.

Schrader and Presta are the two types that usually come with a standard bike pump. At the end of the pump is a thin piece of metal that has been threaded. This is a Presta valve. Your tyres won’t work with this.

But if your bike pump or kit comes with a Schrader valve, you can switch out the other option for this one, which will fit on your car’s tyres.

This will make it easy to hook up the pump and start filling the tyre with air.

Know That It Will Take Quite a While

Even though a bike pump can do the job, that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. This is because a bike pump is much smaller and will take much longer to do the job than other options.

Also, since you have to pump the bike yourself with a manual pump, it will be a pretty hard workout. Certainly not the worst thing that could happen.

It takes a long time for a bike pump to get a tyre where it needs to be.

You will also have to be in an awkward position that makes you hunch over a bit. If you are not physically fit or able to do this, you might need to ask someone who can for help.

Or, if you are older and don’t have the strength to do it yourself, you can call someone to do it for you so you can at least get to the tyre shop to find out why it was low in the first place.

You Still Have To Check the Tire Pressure

It will be harder if you don’t have a gauge, which most responsible car owners do. But if you have a tyre gauge, use it to check how low the pressure is in your tyres.

You might notice that the tyre is a little low, but the pressure is higher than you’d expect!

This can tell you that you will only need to add a small amount of air to get the pressure right.

If your tyre pressure is very low and keeps going down every time you check, there is probably something wrong with the valve or a hole in the tyre that is letting air out.

You don’t want to leave the pressure too low, but you also don’t want to overfill the tyre.

If you don’t know what your car’s recommended tyre pressure is, you can usually look at the tyre itself to find out. If you can’t read the number on the tyre, you can look on the inside of the door of your car.

There is a sticker that tells you how much air pressure you should try to get.

If your tyre is very low, you might get too tired to fill it all the way up. But you don’t want to drive with tyres that are too flat. This could make your tyre pop, your rim bend, or your car lose a little bit of control.

You don’t want to take any chances, even if you think you’ll be fine. Fill it up all the way, even if you’re tired of pumping, and you won’t have to deal with other problems.

Warning!

If you want to check the pressure in your tyres, you should make sure your car is on a flat surface.

This will give you a more accurate reading of your tyre pressure and make sure you are really putting enough air in your tyres to keep them from getting damaged.

Why Would You Need To?

Well, cars are often one of the biggest problems people face in their lives because they need care and maintenance that not everyone likes to deal with.

Tires are just one part of a car. You should check the tread and have your tyres rotated every six months. You should also clean your tyres when you clean your car and replace them when the tread is worn out.

Also, buying new tyres can cost a lot of money. So, if you have a car that could cause a lot of problems, it is not unusual to step outside in the morning and find that one of your tyres is flat or has low air pressure.

Or, you might hit something on the road and then feel like you’re losing control. This could be because your tyre is letting air out.

If your tyres are flat and you don’t have time to get them checked or wait for someone to pick you up and buy a tyre pump, you might need to make your own solution.

A tyre pump is a more common tool that most people have, and even if it only worked temporarily, it could help make the problem less stressful.

Final thoughts on inflating a car tire with a bike pump

Putting air in your car tyres with a bike pump is not the best way to do it, but if you need air right away, it may be the only option you have.

No matter where you are—at home, on vacation, or in the middle of a trip—you want to keep your car in the best shape possible so that it can get you to the gas station or tyre shop.

It will take time, you might get a little sweaty, and it’s not the best way to solve the problem.

But you can do it when you need to, and it can work well enough to get you from A to B without ruining a tyre that could have been fixed at a tyre shop.

So, if you are ever in a jam and need to put air in your tyres, check to see if you have a bike pump and you will be able to take care of it.