ATVs and UTVs are just like normal vehicles when in relation to their maintenance requirements. You have to keep their fluids topped off just like a car and you should fix any problems that you find as soon as you can, just like a regular car or truck. These vehicles also require maintenance of their wheels in regard to both wear on the wheels along with pressure in the wheel. This isn’t too different from regular car tire pressure but there are some differences. So, we will tell you how to check the tire pressure of your ATV or UTV to make sure there is no confusion.
Recommended Tire Pressure
To start to check your tire pressure, you should first learn what the desired tire pressure is. Every ATV and UTV has a different target tire pressure, and each type of wheel will also change the target pressure. This is because each different combination of wheels and vehicles are meant to fulfill different roles. For example, tires with lower pressure often have better grip and can off-road better because of it; this usually does come at the cost of some speed for the ATV.
If you have not yet looked into different types of tires for your ATV or UTV, you should definitely do so. The design of the ATV makes it innately great at traversing all sorts of various terrain, but you will find much better performance if you use specialty tires. your best course of action is to decide on your wheels based on the type of terrain that you will be driving on. Mud tires will serve you best on the mud, while all-purpose tires will get you all around good performance. When it comes to deep snow or really wet land, moving away from tires to something like ATV or UTV tracks can get you much better results.
Now, the best way to determine your desired tire pressure is to use one of the guides provided by the manufacturers. They provide guides and lists of the recommended values for tire pressure on your wheels, and checking these guides is typically the best way to find this information. Most often, you can look it up by searching for the type of wheel you bought online. The desired tire pressure given there is what you want to match when testing out your own tires.
Pressure Tire Gauge
The first thing to note is that you have to get a tire gauge built for ATVs and UTVs. A normal car tire gauge does not measure tire pressure correctly when it is too low. Usually, there is not enough pressure in an ATV and UTV tire to properly measure. A low-pressure tire gauge is the tool you will need to get an accurate pressure reading on your tires.
Now that you have a pressure gauge that can work on your tires, it is important to pick a target PSI for your tires. The recommended pressure for each tire usually is an average or range that you are looking to hit. This means that you can actually choose to go higher or lower in pressure to cause a difference in effects in the tires. Generally, the lower your tire pressure, the more traction the tires have when driving. This increase in traction gives you a better amount of control when it comes to driving off the road. However, this also causes the tires to require more power to move and reduces the overall speed because of it. This means that if you are not riding off-road, you should keep your tire pressure high to get the most speed out of your vehicle. You have to be careful about getting tire pressure that is too low or too high. A pressure too low can cause the tire to fall off, while a pressure that’s too high increases the likelihood of a popped tire. It is a good idea to say inside the recommended range, or at least close to it.
Once you have a target number in mind for your pressure you can head over to your tires. The wheels should all have a form of valve cap that covers the air valve. You will need to remove this cap from the wheel you want to test. After you remove the cap insert the pressure gauge into the valve. Depending on the exact type of pressure reader you should soon be able to determine the exact pressure of the tire by reading the gauge. Sometimes you need to turn the gauge on if it’s electric. If you hear any hissing coming from the valve when you are testing the tire, it means that your gauge is not sitting in the valve correctly. You will most likely need to change the angle of the gauge to get a proper reading without any air escaping the tire. You will need to repeat this process for each tire to get an accurate reading and to know what to do next.
Fixing the Tire
Once you have a record of the tire pressure on your ATV or UTV, you will need to determine if you are going to lower or raise the pressure. To release pressure from a tire you will need to release air from it. This can be accomplished by locating the stem of the tire again and pressing down on it after removing the cap. This is best done with a tool like a flathead screwdriver to properly press down the stem. To increase the tire pressure, you will need a tire inflator device that pumps air into the wheels. After getting an inflator, it is time to locate the stem of the wheel you wish to inflate. Once again you will remove the valve cap and insert the pump into the revealed valve. Make sure you are properly attached to prevent leaking as you pump. Activate the pump if it’s electrical, or manually pump the inflator to start filling the tires with air. Be careful not to overinflate, or else you might cause damage to the wheels.
If you follow this guide, you should now know how to check the tire pressure in your ATV or UTV. This should help you keep your vehicles better maintained. It should also empower you to take better control of your vehicle’s abilities, such as the vehicle’s handling and speed. However, tires are limited on the terrain they can travel, even with proper wheel care. ATV and UTV tracks do not have the same constraints and are worth looking into if you plan on driving on any harsh terrain.
