Cooler Temps > You Checked Your Tire Pressures, Right?

Air moves through the semi-permiable material found in rubber tires, and will naturally seep out at a rate of 1-2 PSI per month.

The drop in ambient temps will produce something far more dramatic: it's not uncommon to see a drop of 10 or more PSI when temps get chilly out. So much so that tire shops see a big increase in bead integrity problems, where tires drop pressure to the point where they lose bead seating altogether.

And I'm sure that everyone here checks tire pressure once a month anyway, and knows about this, right?

-JD

I check tire pressures weekly. I noticed that my tire pressure in my tires dropped from 35psi to 23psi when it got REAL chilly over here in Arkansas. Got 'em back up to 30psi.. was supposed to get warm the next day. It did.

-Mike

-- A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT Cold air intake FRPP 3.73 gears Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter Full Boar turbo mufflers Hi-speed fan switch

255/60R-15 rear tires Subframe connectors

So you're saying it's time to change out of our summer air?

Steve

72 Skylark Custom455

"A Guy Named Steve" wrote

I heard that Pep Boys is having a special on their 4 tire flush and fill. They'll even put in aftermarket Helium instead of OEM air, since we all know that a car will go faster if it's lighter.

Entering into the unknown, V'ger seeks information used to maintain his Vintage Burgundy 1965 Ford Mustang 2+2 w/289 ci 4v oem A Code V8, C4 Trans,

16x8" Vintage 40 wheels, with BF Goodrich gForce T/A 225/50ZR16 tires, American Racing "Mustang" Centercaps, and a whole lot of other stuff; )

LOL that's great...

-Mike

-- A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT Cold air intake FRPP 3.73 gears Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter Full Boar turbo mufflers Hi-speed fan switch

255/60R-15 rear tires Subframe connectors

Costco is using Nitrogen.

Steve

72 Skylark Custom455

When I was a tire buster in the early 80's every time the temps plunged below freezing you used to get a spate of tire repairs. Most were on alloy wheels that people used in the winter. The lower pressure in the cold would lessen the pressure of the bead seal and allow a slow leak to develop at the bead due to corrosion of the alloy ( from salt usually) Thus would begin the vicious cycle of the air leaking pressure dropping MORE air leaking MORE pressure drop.... next morning...flat... If you have the wherewithal to pump your tire up chances are it would hold fine for a day or two allowing you to get to work and not have to get dirty changing it out. I worked piece work so we hated those jobs as they were the most labour intensive for the same amount as a simple tire plug. Mark ( for maintaining balancing) and dismount the tire. Spin the wheel on the balancer and sand the bead. Remount the tire and slop on the sealant. Fixed... and of course install it on the car as it usually came in the trunk! StuK

"66 6F HCS" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

But then you might lose traction.

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

Good deal, especially if you grab the coupon for only $79.95 from Sunday's newspaper.

Pfft... Helium...

I only use AmsAir synthetic air!.... shoot me an email and I'll hook you up with a can :)

"Joe" wrote

Nah, that's what the huge exhaust tip is for, jet propulsion.

hehe, riiiight. I can sure tell here in the Phoenix area. When temps start to drop below 100 I see a LOT more blown tires on the road. Tires suffer in the 120 degrees all summer, the dorp in temp/pressure is their death.

Remove NO-SPAM from email address when replying

For a temperature drop from 85 F (summer day) to 35 F (winter day), I would expect a tire's pressure to drop from 32 to 28 psi due to temperature only. Since this will take 1-3 months, it's roughly equal to the loss due to permeation, imo.

That's good stuff!

Are you an authorized dealer, or is this grey market stuff?

Steve

72 Skylark Custom455

Entering into the unknown, V'ger seeks information used to maintain his Vintage Burgundy 1965 Ford Mustang 2+2 w/289 ci 4v oem A Code V8, C4 Trans,

16x8" Vintage 40 wheels, with BF Goodrich gForce T/A 225/50ZR16 tires, American Racing "Mustang" Centercaps, and a whole lot of other stuff; )

Air shocks have become obsolete.

Steve

72 Skylark Custom455

This isn't my experience. I get a 3-5 psi. difference when checking tire pressures between tires that have the sun shining on them, and others that don't. Add permiation of 1-2 psi/mo. to dropping ambient temps, and you can easily end up with a 10+ psi. drop in just a few weeks.

Why am I debating this?

-JD

Oh yeah. That makes sense. Tires, being black, will suck up heat from the sun like crazy. The sunny one could easily be 50 F higher than the shady one.