Sooner or later moisture build up in your tires will cause water vapor to become water and only through special precautions you can prevent it from ever becoming a problem.
Your tires are inflated with air; when water gets into the tire, it moves freely around and affects the balance of the tire. Air temperature fluctuations complicate things even more.
Firstly, how does water get in my tire?
In most cases, water moisture will enter the tire through the air hose when you inflate your tire. Always release some air from the air hose before inflating your tires to get rid of excess moisture there might be in the airlines. Air compressors don’t eliminate the moisture in the air, and there is always some moisture in the air even on a dry day. When the water vapor in the tire cools down to the dew point it will form water. Air compressors actually have the nasty habit of concentrating water instead of eliminating it.
Another problem might be water entering through the bead of the tire. The tire may not have been fitted on the rim yet while fixing it and water found its way in or the tire was deflated too much when driving in wet conditions.
A Faulty valve or a slow puncture may also be the culprit of water finding its way into your tire.
What dangers does water in your tire pose?
Water in your tire will change constantly into vapor gas and back to water again. When you live in a cold area the water in your tire can freeze and when you drive can slosh around in your tire causing a problem where the wheel isn’t balanced anymore. The tire can cause vibrations and can even wobble out of control if there is enough water in the tire.
When you inflate your tire and most of the water is in a liquid state and suddenly changes the state of water into gas, the pressure will increase and could even cause a blowout. Water expands a lot when it changes into a gas state. Over-inflated tires will wear down faster in the middle of the tread shortening their life and handling will be compromised.
Most newer cars have tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) installed on the wheels. When this TPMS tool are exposed to water it can influence the TPMS sensors giving faulty data or even damaging them resulting in a replacement.
Tire air moisture and evaporation
Water in a tire will evaporate and, in this process, it will take the air along with it. This is one of the reasons a tire will deflate without having a leak or puncture.
How can I get rid of water in my tire?
If you are concerned about water build up in your tire you can remove the tire and deflate it completely, getting rid of the air together with the water. Then afterward inflate it again making sure you use dry air.
Conclusion
Water or water moisture build up in tires is a common thing and can be speeded up by many factors. There are many ways to prevent water buildup like checking the air hose first for water in the air lines before inflating them.
Make sure you don’t have a valve leak or a slow puncture where water can slip into the tire. To make sure you don’t have a valve leak you can check it by putting dishwashing soap in the valve and see if it forms bubbles. Check the tire air pressure weekly or 2 weekly to make sure it doesn’t have leaks.
When you first realize you have water in your tire or tires it is important to get rid of it as quickly as possible for it can cause instabilities when driving, making driving unsafe. It can also damage your TPMS sensor if you have one.
