What should cold tyre pressures be in this hot weather?
Do I set the tyre pressures to the manufactures pressures regardless of the ambient temperature. Recently the heatwave has raised the tyres when cold from 33/30 to 37/34. If I hadn’t let some air out they would have been over 40PSI when warmed up
Asked on 28 May 2026 by Simon Duquenoy
Answered by
David Ross
Tyre pressures vary with temperature, both in terms of the ambient temperature as well as the air inside the tyres getting warmer as the vehicle is in motion. Typically the increase is between 1 and 2 PSI for every 10°C of temperature increase. Tyres are built with tolerances to allow for this, but if you are driving long distances at higher speeds with ambient temperatures of significantly more than 30°C you may wish to set the tyres to their lowest recommended temperature and monitor them via the TPMS.
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