Does tire pressure increase when you put more weight on the tire? There are conflicting ideas…
I’ve been looking around the Internet. Some people suggest adding weight to a vehicle will increase its tire pressure; some say it won’t.
I’m of the opinion that added weight won’t increase a vehicle’s tire pressure, by the following reasoning. At a fixed temperature, PV=k, that is, pressure multiplied by volume is constant for a confined gas.
Given PV=k (assuming fixed temperature), the only way for pressure to increase is if volume decreases. Yet, it seems unlikely to me that a tire will shrink as more weight is put on it. The tire can bulge out the sides, for instance, to make up for a decrease in height.
I plan to revisit this topic, but that’s my idea so far.
Source:
White, J.E. (1987). Physical Chemistry. Books for Professionals, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
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