‘The bead hasn’t popped yet’: Mechanic shares the one mistake that turns a routine tire fill into a nightmare

A mechanic’s Facebook video has racked up over 1 million views by showing what goes through his mind when filling a tire way past safe pressure levels. Nathan Coleman posted a reel that perfectly captures the nervousness mechanics feel when they have to pump a tire full of way more air than normal.

According to Motor 1, the video uses a funny meme of two scared-looking dogs to represent mechanics dealing with an overfilled tire. Coleman added the song Covet by Basement to make the whole thing feel even more tense and uncomfortable. The caption simply says “Ticking Time Bomb.”

“Me and the homie when the tire is at 121psi and the bead hasn’t popped yet,” Coleman wrote on Facebook. He used the scared dog meme to show just how scary it can be when you’re filling a tire way above the normal PSI, which stands for pounds per square inch. Most regular car tires only need about 32 to 35 PSI. Sometimes mechanics have to use extra pressure to get the tire bead to pop into place on the wheel rim, but going too high is really dangerous.

This hits way too close to home for many mechanics

Tires can blow out for different reasons, but putting in the wrong amount of air is a big one. CarParts says blowouts happen from both too little and too much air. The safest thing to do is stick to whatever PSI number is written on the sticker inside your driver’s side door. The most common cause of tire explosions is actually heat. When things get hot, the tire gets bigger. If it gets too big, the rubber breaks down and can burst open.

When you put too much air in a tire, it becomes really stiff and hard. This makes it easier for the tire to get damaged if you hit a pothole or run over something sharp. Too much air also makes the tire bulge in the middle, so only the center part touches the road. 

This wears out the middle of the tire really fast. If a tire blows out while you’re driving, you can lose control of your car and it takes longer to stop. This puts you and everyone else on the road in danger. Like many mechanics who refuse certain risky jobs, some have their own limits when it comes to tire pressure.

Lots of people left comments sharing their own scary experiences with overfilled tires. One person said, “Oh man, anything over 55 is no go Someone else wrote, “Used to do 90 till I saw a big dude fly across another shop, now 65.” A few mechanics also talked about what happened to them.

“Had a tire explode in my face back as a lube tech with only 44 psi and I had long Jesus like hair to my lower back and it blew it all back like an old L’Oreal commercial with Fabio. I still stop at 43 psi and let someone else deal with it,” one commenter explained. There are four ways to stop a tire from blowing out. 

First, always keep your tires at the PSI your car maker recommends. Second, try to avoid running over nails or driving through potholes. Third, get new tires when your old ones are worn out because you’re three times more likely to crash on bad tires. Fourth, take your car in for regular checkups and get your tires rotated when you change your oil. While this mechanic was transparent about the risks, not all mechanics are as straightforward with their customers.