# Car tyre blowing off when you inflate it - any danger? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 14, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705 "2011-08-14T18:23:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/1 "2011-08-14T18:23:35Z")
When I check / fill my tyre pressures at the garage, I often find myself squatting down with the air hose, with my head right next to the tyre. If, for whatever reason, the tyre blew off the rim, would there be any danger to this? There was a sad story a while back, [described here](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1263095/U-S-Air-Force-captain-Jenna-Wilcox-holiday-Scotland-dies-freak-accident-sports-car-tyre-explodes-lap.html) about someone replacing a wheel on their sports car (with a ‘bulging’ tyre), but having no space in the boot to store the old wheel. The passenger carried it in their lap, it somehow exploded and they died. 30psi or so doesn’t sound like much overall, but I guess it depends on the circumstances of the blow-out. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/2 "2011-08-14T18:34:41Z")
pick a location that has a pressure gauge in the fill hose if possible, don’t trust it to be accurate just a help to how full the tire is. use a good tire pressure gauge that you own and trust to check the pressure frequently as you fill the tire, fill a number of seconds and check the pressure. you will then approach the intended pressure slowly and safely. with experience you will get a sense for how long it takes to add a certain amount of pressure to speed up the process though always use a gauge to check. if the tire or wheel has any obvious damage to not put air into it. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/3 "2011-08-14T18:39:08Z")
People have been killed inflating tires, but it’s an extremely rare occurrence. This was much more common in the days of [split rims](http://www.ehow.com/list_7426633_dangers-split-rim-wheel_.html). ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/4 "2011-08-14T19:07:04Z")
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one thinking about that every time I inflate a tire. Also good to know that the tire exploding doesn’t happen often. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Bosstrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstrain)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/5 "2011-08-14T19:14:43Z")
To avoid the risk altogether you could pull into Valvoline or something and have some general maintenance performed, generally you only need to fill the air in the tires way less than you need an oil change, in my experience at least. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/6 "2011-08-14T19:21:46Z")
Directly back to the OP in plain English: If the tire fails you are very likely to be hurt. If it happens to fail right near your head, fatal injures are very much possible. It’s not very likely for the “tire to blow off the rim”. More likely is that a section of tire will rip open. Or even, especially for non-steel wheels, for a chunk of the wheel to crack off. 30 psi doesn’t sound like a lot, but the total energy of howevery many cubic inches of compressed air the tire contains will all be concentrated on the spot of the failure. Which is plenty enough energy to accelerate a chunk of tire or steel cord or aluminum rim to body-ripping speeds. If through inattention or a defective gauge you were to overinflate a healthy tire/rim to bursting, that might occur at 90 or 120psi. Which is more than enough energy to drive the resulting shrapnel through your skull. Millions of tires are inflated every day without incident. So the risk, measured in likelihood of occurrence, is low. But the risk, measured in severity of potential consequences, is pretty large. I have always treated inflating tires like any other use of power tools. If you keep your mind in the game, you’ll be fine. Treat it casually or cluelessly, and you’re an accident waiting to happen. Do that enough, and \*if \* eventually becomes _when_. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/7 "2011-08-14T19:23:52Z")
always good to check the pressure in your spare tire once or twice a year. it’s only useful to you on that dark and stormy night if it has air in it. ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/8 "2011-08-14T21:00:11Z")
That accident you cited was a rare oddball situation. The tire was ready to blow. That’s why they were changing it. To put that bulge up against her body was very unwise. In second guessing, they could have let some air out of the tire. Would you put a bomb on your chest? You could safely inflate a tire at the service station to a level far above the recommended pressure and never have a problem. The steel belted tire can’t go anywhere and you are not pressing against it either. People used to routinely blow up bike tires by accident when gas stations had free air with high pressure and volume. Only the ego was hurt when it happened. PS\> A cheap digital tire gauge is nice to have. I use 40# with a -2# stagger on the left front. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Conqueror\_Worm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@The\_Conqueror\_Worm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Conqueror_Worm)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/9 "2011-08-14T21:37:52Z")
There is always a danger (this is true in many things you do every day) but that story reads like a tabloid story akin to “aliens substituted one of their babies for mine.” ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/10 "2011-08-14T22:21:20Z")
> [@The\_Conqueror\_Worm](#): > > There is always a danger (this is true in many things you do every day) but that story reads like a tabloid story akin to “aliens substituted one of their babies for mine.” Don’t be silly. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/11 "2011-08-14T22:49:50Z")
Glad I’m not the only one: I had that exact thought just yesterday. I only had 20p and that only gave me 2 minutes’ air, so I had to be quick, which necessitated a squat with legs splayed as I pumped up each wheel. One tire was really flat and as the air rapidly pumped into it and I watched it inflate, I started thinking about the proximity of the family jewels to an immense amount of pressure, and the possibility of a rapid and violent orchidectomy. I readjusted my stance from then on. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/12 "2011-08-14T23:14:12Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > People have been killed inflating tires, but it’s an extremely rare occurrence. This was much more common in the days of [split rims](http://www.ehow.com/list_7426633_dangers-split-rim-wheel_.html). Split rims could be a real danger and there were numerous accidents with them. When inflating a tire with a split rim it was always recommended for the tire to be put inside a cage that was designed for the purpose. Of course, there were times when that advice got ignored and there were serious consequences. An automobile tire with no visible damage to the sidewall has very little chance of exploding or blowing off the rim. That’s why they are worked on and inflated without cages. It just doesn’t happen. A tire can safely hold a lot more pressure than what is recommended. Why anybody would mess with an obviously damaged, pressurized tire is something for Darwin to explain. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/13 "2011-08-14T23:25:48Z")
Although accidents are rare, no good reason not to keep as much of your valuable parts at arms length as possible. I know truck tires are sometimes caged when initially inflated before mounting. People need to consider the possibility of a blow out when they spend 20 minutes beside the same truck while passing it. You really don’t want to be beside it what a truck tire lets loose. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/14 "2011-08-15T01:03:21Z")
Tire shops change a zillion tires per day without any problem, and those tires are going from 0 to 60+ on passenger cars and pickups, and some are worn out and have been taken off and repaired, then inflated. The danger there is probably less than being struck by lightening. Checking the pressure or going from 28psi to 30psi is probably as likely as being struck by lightening while holding a winning lottery ticket because you’re not really doing anything to stress the tire. Of course, better safe than sorry. ---
**Author:** ![sich\_hinaufwinden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@sich\_hinaufwinden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sich_hinaufwinden)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/15 "2011-08-16T18:29:43Z")
> [@thelabdude](#): > > You really don’t want to be beside it what a truck tire lets loose. Just this morning on the way to work, one of the tires on a concrete truck blew out maybe 100 feet away from where I was. It was nothing short of an explosion - extremely loud and I felt the concussion. Scared the absolute heck out of me and I’m glad I wasn’t any closer. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/16 "2011-08-16T19:12:49Z")
This is why I usually just fill my tyres with Phoenicians. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/17 "2011-08-16T19:32:13Z")
Truck tire failures while inflating have killed a few people over the years. It’s rare, but not unheard of. Car tire deaths are lot more rare. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/18 "2011-08-16T21:03:58Z")
My reaction to the OP was “nonsense!” but after doing a little research it appears that tire failure is or at least was a significant risk for technicians who work on trucks: > **[Injuries from tire and wheel explosions during servicing - PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1854067/)** > > Exploding truck tires and wheel rims cause serious injuries. The use of safety cages during inflation as required by a 1980 Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard appears to have reduced injuries during truck tire inflation. The use... “For the period of 1978 through 1987, there were 694 reported injuries from explosions during tire servicing; 143 of them were fatal, resulting mainly from truck tires.” So it is not complete hogwash, but I’m sure the risks for passenger car tires are vanishingly small especially when taken in context of the myriad other risks associated with motor vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-tyre-blowing-off-when-you-inflate-it-any-danger/592705/19 "2011-08-16T21:25:02Z")
Many more people are killed each year while in the process of changing a flat tire vs. being killed by an exploding tire.