Neglected by many, tire pressure is an extremely important parameter that we need to know every time we go on the road. In this article, we will help you understand what tire pressure means, how it is measured, what is the optimal tire pressure for a Toyota Aygo, where to find the recommended tire pressure, what the TPMS system and warning light are, and most importantly, what can happen if you drive with too much or too little air in your tires.
Why is it recommended to always have the correct tire pressure in your car?
Many comfort and safety factors depend on and are influenced by tire pressure. We will list them below:
- Braking distance
- Car stability
- Tire condition and wear
- Toe angle
- Car grip
- Fuel consumption
- Your safety, risk of explosion
If you don’t have a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) installed in your car from the factory, you can add an aftermarket one with internal sensors, which is very useful. If you don’t want to spend money on a TPMS system and don’t have sensors installed from the factory, you can check the tire pressure at any gas station or tire shop in 3 minutes. If you keep the correct tire pressure all the time, your car will run well, feel more stable, and overall, you will be safer. In addition to that, you will save money. Your car will consume less fuel, and you won’t have to replace the tires as often.
What happens if the tires on a Toyota Aygo are deflated?
When the pressure is too low, the tire will no longer have a large contact patch with the road. Basically, only the sidewalls will touch the road, and the tread, which is in the middle, will have little or no contact. The tires overheat, the car consumes more fuel, stability decreases, braking distance increases significantly, maneuverability decreases, and the tires will wear out much faster and unevenly.
What happens if the tires on a Toyota Aygo are overinflated?
They will be like balloons now, and the tread will only have contact with the road in the center. The contact patch thus decreases. The car is prone to skidding, losing control in corners, braking becomes much more difficult, the tread wears out quickly, and there is a risk of explosion at any time.
We assume you now realize how important it is to always have the correct tire pressure. But where can you find out what the correct pressure is?
What is the correct tire pressure for a Toyota Aygo?
Every driver asks this question. You can find the correct tire pressure for your car in three places:
- In the car’s manual
- On the driver’s side door pillar
- On the inside of the fuel tank cap
TPMS Warning Light on a Toyota Aygo – What Does It Mean?
Possibly the most ignored warning light, along with the one that alerts you that you’re out of windshield washer fluid. The TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) warning light can save your life by warning you in advance of a flat tire, especially at high speeds. When it first appears, pull over and visually check the tire conditions. If you don’t see anything strange, you should know that the warning light comes on when the pressure drops from, let’s say, 2.2 bars to 1.9 bars. You can continue driving like this until the next tire service without any problems.
If you notice that it always comes on in the morning when it’s cold outside and after a few kilometers, it goes off, the explanation is as follows. The system is set to monitor a pressure of, let’s say, 2.2 bars. You drive the car to the mountains where the temperature is 20 degrees lower. The tire temperature also drops, and automatically the pressure drops by about 0.2-0.3 bars. After driving for a few kilometers, due to contact with the asphalt, the air in the tires heats up, the pressure increases, and the warning light disappears.
In the newest TPMS systems, you will find a sensor on each wheel. Information is transmitted by radio waves, and you can even see the real-time pressure on the car’s central navigation system. If one sensor malfunctions or sends information that doesn’t meet the parameters, the car’s computer will illuminate the TPMS warning light on the dashboard.
Why Does the TPMS Warning Light Blink on a Toyota Aygo?
This happens when the system has lost its electrical charge and the sensors have reset. If you’ve left the car without a battery for a long time, or if it’s just been to the service where the terminals have been removed for a longer time, the TPMS will blink on the dashboard. After driving a few minutes with the car, the warning light will disappear.
Driving a car with too low tire pressure means that you are exposing yourself to the danger of tire explosion. Moreover, such an under-inflated tire significantly increases the braking distance, and maneuvering the car becomes difficult. Once you have checked the tire pressure on your Toyota Aygo and topped it up where needed, don’t worry if the warning light doesn’t go off when you start the car. In most cases, it will disappear after a few minutes of driving.
So, make sure to periodically check that you have the correct tire pressure and never hesitate to visit a tire shop when problems start to appear and the TPMS warning light comes on in the dashboard.
Is it worth putting nitrogen in the tires of a Toyota Aygo?
No, nitrogen is mainly used to reduce temperature at high speeds. On the roads in Romania, these speeds are rarely if ever reached. The price for nitrogen is much higher than for regular air, and you won’t feel any difference because nothing different happens inside the tire when you’re driving at legal speeds. However, if you plan to drive your car on a race track, it may be worth considering.
