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  1. #1

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    Winter Safety Prep Item: Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires

    If you live in the northern tier of states in the USA, you know that cold weather has set in. In preparing your vehicle for winter, one item that SHOULD be at the top of the list is checking your tire`s air pressure. I know that many newer vehicles now come with tire pressure monitors, but they may not come on until you have a serious tire pressure problem or low tire pressure (usually below 22 PSI). I am reminding Autopians to do this because tires generally loose about 1 pound-per-square inch (PSI) of pressure for every 10°F drop in in ambient temperature. So the last time you checked your tires at this early fall at 70°F may be 5 pounds lower when it is now 20°F and that can impact in how your vehicle handles, its gas mileage, and how tires wear. Also, if you have aluminum rims (as many vehicles do these days) you will loose air through that porous metal more quickly than with steel rims.
    If it has been a while, you should also check the spare tire in the trunk or under the vehicle frame, if it is so equipped. MOST collapsible spare tires require an inflation of 60 PSI to be considered safe for use, and while it is a pain to remove to check and inflate to the proper PSI, its also much bigger "inconvenience" should you need to use it in an emergency in the middle of no-where.
    Most vehicles have a tire inflation information placard either in the glove box OR on the driver`s side door sill frame for the OEM tires. If you have a different set of rims and tires than what came with the vehicle, you may need to consult with the tire manufacturer for that vehicle.
    Personally, I inflate to about 1 PSI OVER the recommended amount on the placard. Those recommended tire pressures are usually for the best comfort in ride and handling based on extensive vehicle test driving. I do so because tires do loose pressure through the tire itself over time OR when colder weather may set in in the future.

    Also, if you have taken the added expense of having nitrogen gas to inflate your tires with, you can still use compressed air with it to achieve the proper inflation. Nitrogen will not change in pressure as much as compressed natural air due to ambient temperature fluctuations, nor will it escape as easily through the tire rubber over time, hence, tires pressures are more stable, which is why nitrogen is used in the first place.

    Also, there is "some school of thought"` about lowering tire pressures (about 4-6 PSI BELOW the recommended pressure) when driving on ice to increase the tire foot print for increased traction and stability. Yes, I must admit, that I have done this with All-Season tires in extreme cases when caught in such a weather driving situation. Did it help? Not sure. Driving slowly, not making sudden steering wheel movements, and gradual brake pressures as needed (even with ABS) probably has a greater impact on driving on ice, as does having a vehicle with All-Wheel Drive and, most of all, having Winter-rated tires versus All-Season tires. Just remember to re-inflate them to the recommended PSI for normal winter driving.
    GB detailer
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  2. #2
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    Re: Winter Safety Prep Item: Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires

    Step 1: Get the correct tires.

    All seasons are simply not in the same category as dedicated seasonal tires. I just threw on my blizzaks, what a difference.
    Rupes 21 MK II, Rupes 15 MK II, Rupes 21, Rupes LHR75e, Rupes Duetto, Rupes Ibrid-L, Rupes LH18ENS, Flex PE-14-2, Dodo Juice V1

    Quote Originally Posted by rlmccarty2000 View Post
    At $21.99 it will remain a secret to me.
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  3. #3
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    Re: Winter Safety Prep Item: Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires

    Well and now you also have the choice of all weather tires ( not to be confused with all season). This category was started by nokian. Now Goodyear, Michelin, toyo all have them too.

  4. #4

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    Re: Winter Safety Prep Item: Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires

    Quote Originally Posted by Coleroad View Post
    Well and now you also have the choice of all weather tires ( not to be confused with all season). This category was started by nokian. Now Goodyear, Michelin, toyo all have them too.
    We`ll see on that one. I know the Vredstein`s have gotten good reviews now that they sell them at TireRack, but the older versions were not very impressive. And the tread life, and of the Nokian`s, wasn`t very good. At least the older versions, IMO, these were the epitome of the "good at nothing" tire, or whatever that all-season tire criticism was...again, IMO--not noticeably better in the snow than a good all-season, and noticeably worse in wear, noise, and warm weather handling than a good all-season.

  5. #5

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    Re: Winter Safety Prep Item: Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires

    Lonnie- Good on you for mentioning the Spare!

    And remember to check whether the lug nuts/bolts used for winter wheels will work on it and take the same wrench (I have to keep a set of oe lugs in the A8 during the winter for this reason).

    I don`t bother running Nitrogen in some of our vehicles because it can complicate resetting inflation pressures on cars where different conditions/use require different psi.

    Proper psi is a somewhat complicated subject and quite vehicle-specific in some cases...for our vehicles, after the VDI tests on how it can affect handling (especially their decision to suspend testing over safety concerns at psi that many would consider OK), I run mine pretty high and just live with the center-tread wear. I`m not gonna flip a vehicle because sidewall deflection caused rim-to- pavement contact (gee, guess why there are so many rollovers these days despite all the stability/etc. systems..). Remember that what really matters is how a vehicle behaves during those once/lifetime incidents; live to tell

  6. #6

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    Re: Winter Safety Prep Item: Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires

    Quote Originally Posted by Accumulator View Post
    I don`t bother running Nitrogen in some of our vehicles because it can complicate resetting inflation pressures on cars where different conditions/use require different psi.
    How so?

  7. #7

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    Re: Winter Safety Prep Item: Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires

    Setec Astronomy- Might be an unfounded concern, but I don`t like to increase psi when needed by adding air to the nitrogen. E.g., the Audis get theirs raised quite a bit when more heavily loaded, and I pump `em up on the Crown Vic for serious use (it handles best with psi *way* over the "reasonable wear pattern" limit for daily use).

  8. #8

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    Re: Winter Safety Prep Item: Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires

    Well...air is 80% nitrogen...and with the nitrogen systems that some of these tire shops use, the "nitrogen" might only be 93% nitrogen. I had a discussion with one of my tire shop guy who last I talked to him was traveling the racing circuit as the tire expert for a major tire company, who pointed out that the major contributor to pressure fluctuations is moisture content in the "air" in the tire, more so than the gas composition.

  9. #9

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    Re: Winter Safety Prep Item: Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires

    While this thread may morph into one about Winter-rated tires for winter driving, my MAIN concern is checking for proper tire pressure in cold(er) weather . Most vehicles that are driven year-round run All-Season tires and many drivers of those vehicles simply do not check their tire air pressure on a regular basis. Winter driving and extreme cold winter weather are a real life-threatening challenge if proper precautions are not taken. I cannot tell you how many countless vehicles I`ve witnessed on the side of the road with a flat tire in extreme cold simply from this overlooked vehicle item that, for the most part, is pretty easy to prevent. And if it does happen, their collapsible spare tire is useless because it has no or little air in it to be safely useable.

    I am sure you have seen vehicles go down the road or at stop lights with under-inflated tires, and it makes me cringe. In this day and age, if you point it out to someone stopped at a traffic light you are likely to get the finger or worse, a concealed carry weapon pointed at you, so I have refrained from doing so anymore. Most the time it is a less-than-maintained-looking older vehicle with a bunch of kids in it and a clueless driver of the impending disaster that may entail in extreme cold. The only "help" they will get is from a call to the police for a disabled vehicle and that may be some time before they respond. Unfortunate, but as stated, that is the day-and-age we live in.
    GB detailer

  10. #10

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    Re: Winter Safety Prep Item: Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires

    Setec Astronomy- Good argument that my concerns are unfounded, huh? It`s not like I tell `em to *not* use it, but my local places don`t. Shame my Audi dealer is *so* far away.

    On the moisture content, I wonder how well moisture/water traps/filters for the compressor/air system help with that.

  11. #11

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    Re: Winter Safety Prep Item: Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires

    Quote Originally Posted by Accumulator View Post
    Setec Astronomy- Good argument that my concerns are unfounded, huh? It`s not like I tell `em to *not* use it, but my local places don`t. Shame my Audi dealer is *so* far away.

    On the moisture content, I wonder how well moisture/water traps/filters for the compressor/air system help with that.
    Most commercial/industrial air compressors have some type of moisture removal condensers/separators installed on them, but probably NOT the one used to inflate tires at the gas station. Never thought of water or humidity as a component of tire air pressure fluctuation.
    GB detailer

  12. #12

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    Re: Winter Safety Prep Item: Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires

    Quote Originally Posted by Accumulator View Post
    On the moisture content, I wonder how well moisture/water traps/filters for the compressor/air system help with that.
    They don`t. The problem is most compressed air systems are only trying to get the dew point down to a certain level...which unless you use a deliquescent drier will be above freezing...which doesn`t help too much in the winter. I guess the membrane-separation that`s used for these nitrogen systems that the tire places use must take out all the water (vapor), however, since that molecule is (I guess) a lot bigger than the O2, but I don`t remember what that spec was.

    There`s much simpler and cheaper ways to get nitrogen...but I guess it`s all part of the show--they make these machines that you hook up to all 4 tires at once and it deflates them and then reinflates with nitrogen...that seems worth $100, doesn`t it?

    As my tire shop guy pointed out, if the selling point is that nitrogen leaks out less than air (and I`m not 100% sure that`s accurate), and air is 80% nitrogen, then after a while...you`re approaching 100% nitrogen anyway, because the only thing that should be leaking out is oxygen. So you`re effectively purifying the "air" in your tires all the time. Anyway, that was the discussion we had when I asked if they were jumping on the nitrogen band wagon.

  13. #13

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    Re: Winter Safety Prep Item: Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires

    Quote Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy View Post
    They don`t. The problem is ...
    Ah, OK, thanks for schooling me Gee, the stuff I`ve forgotten since my, uhm.. school daze

  14. #14

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    Re: Winter Safety Prep Item: Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires

    Quote Originally Posted by Accumulator View Post
    Ah, OK, thanks for schooling me Gee, the stuff I`ve forgotten since my, uhm.. school daze
    Nah...it`s not school stuff, no reason for you to have learned that unless it was germane to your profession or you make poor use of your time, like I do :p

  15. #15
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    Re: Winter Safety Prep Item: Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires

    Quote Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy View Post
    Well...air is 80% nitrogen...and with the nitrogen systems that some of these tire shops use, the "nitrogen" might only be 93% nitrogen. I had a discussion with one of my tire shop guy who last I talked to him was traveling the racing circuit as the tire expert for a major tire company, who pointed out that the major contributor to pressure fluctuations is moisture content in the "air" in the tire, more so than the gas composition.
    excatly, when NASCAR teams fill a tire. First they vacuum pull the tire too just shy of pulling the tire bead. Then they nitrogen fill, and then vacuum pull it again. They do this 3 or 4 times. This way it`s the least amount of moisture, and the most amount of nitrogen. I asked Tad and Jody (JTG Dougherty racing) about this when my wife and I were their gusts. He took me over to where Goodyear mounts and balances tires, and had them show us how it was done. I asked about it because I had wondered about the air already in the tire when it`s mounted.
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