Read the vehicle specification, use equipment instructions and a gauge, then recheck, replace the cap and record conditions.
Original workflow illustration for ordinary mounted passenger-car tires, not tire mounting or damage repair.

Confirm the task before connecting a pump.

Start with an ordinary tire mounted on the vehicle, a known applicable specification and the equipment’s instructions. This is not a tire-mounting, bead-seating, puncture-repair or high-pressure commercial-tire procedure.

Inspect first. Damage, a very low or flat tire, rapid loss, or abnormal vehicle behavior calls for appropriate assistance. Filling a tire does not establish that it has escaped damage from earlier underinflation.

Use a gauge to close the loop.

The following summarizes Michelin’s inflation guidance and Continental’s gauge procedure; follow the vehicle and pump instructions if they specify additional steps.

  1. Park appropriately and obtain a cold reading under your vehicle’s instructions. This site otherwise uses a three-hour rested condition.
  2. Remove the valve cap. Seat the gauge correctly and record the reading.
  3. If adjustment is needed, connect the compatible air hose according to the equipment instructions.
  4. Add air in short amounts and recheck with the gauge; do not rely on elapsed pumping time.
  5. Compare the actual reading with the applicable specification. Replace the valve cap when finished. USTMA explains that a sealing cap helps keep moisture and dirt out and provides an additional seal.

The setting on a pump and the reading on your own gauge are observations to verify, not proof of calibrated accuracy. Persistent disagreement needs a reliable check.

What if reaching the pump required driving?

Keep that fact with the reading. Do not bleed a warm tire down to a cold target. Use the vehicle’s procedure or qualified assistance for the immediate situation and arrange a cold recheck. The site does not supply a universal warm-fill allowance.

See the warm-garage and pump-trip guide for planning a check without treating a temperature model as an inflation target.

At a service station or with a portable inflator.

Check the actual equipment’s connector, pressure range, power and operating instructions. A portable compressor’s duty cycle and temperature limits are model-specific. Stop if equipment is damaged or cannot be used as instructed.

We do not have live local availability, prices, free-air policies or opening hours. Verify the station or service directly; a search result marked “near me” does not prove it is open or safe to reach. Repeated need for air belongs in the inspection and recording path.

Sources & scope

Primary sources checked November 5, 2026. This is not a vehicle-specific inspection.