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

The Driver said:
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.
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Agreed. I`ve been using dedicated winter tires for over 20 years.

Once you do, you`ll never go back.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
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.
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They remind me of a "synthetic oil blend". A waste of money. Either use synthetic or petroleum oil.
 
Oneheadlite said:
Glad to see the spare tire mentioned - it’s very common to find them virtually flat when checking them at maintenance services.
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Yes, good tip...for people who aren`t going to just call roadside assistance...which I guess is us.

Oneheadlite said:
I’m also in the camp of just topping off nitrogen tires with plain air. So many cars I see with the nitrogen caps are just as low if not lower than “regular air” tires. It seems the owners have been sold on the concept that the tires just won’t go low...
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I guess it`s kind of like the "oh, my car is clearcoated, it doesn`t need to be waxed". I guess the question is...don`t these people have TPMS, and do they just ignore it? And of course half the tires rolling around have a screw or nail stuck in them...one time I got an allen wrench stuck in one of mine...could hear that, though Made it home before it went flat. The tire place (that I referred to before) had nothing to say about it...I guess they`ve seen wackier stuff.
 
I have a nitro machine at my work for tires and I don’t fill my own personal with it. I just use the normal shop air.

Like mentioned it’s already 80% give or take nitro. People with nitro in the tires still seem to magically need top offs cause the tire light came on. No magic about keeping them filled for life. Some tires just seem to lose air more so than others. Probably why some tires take dressing better than others lol


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I’m also on the run a winter tire side of the fence. Although there are years you wonder if it was worth it. It’s still cheaper than a collision or 2

I also like to run more Psi like accumulator does. Heck I ran near double in 1 car


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MattPersman said:
Like mentioned it’s already 80% give or take nitro. People with nitro in the tires still seem to magically need top offs cause the tire light came on. No magic about keeping them filled for life. Some tires just seem to lose air more so than others.
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The argument is that nitrogen will leak less, not that it won`t leak at all (but I guess they sell it that way). I`m not sure the argument even holds up, I`ll have to look into that at some point if I have time and I think of it. There are other good reasons not to have oxygen in there, however...not sure how that argument holds up, either.

Certainly different tires have different permeability which can change with age and temperature, and there are all the variables of wheel condition (both porosity and bead leaks, not to mention valve stem leaks, through or around), plus unrepaired punctures.

Can you share the make/model of the nitrogen generator at work?
 
MattPersman said:
I have a nitro machine at my work for tires and I don’t fill my own personal with it. I just use the normal shop air.

Like mentioned it’s already 80% give or take nitro. People with nitro in the tires still seem to magically need top offs cause the tire light came on. No magic about keeping them filled for life. Some tires just seem to lose air more so than others. Probably why some tires take dressing better than others lol


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It is true because tire compound age has something to do with this as witnessed by tire sidewall cracking (AKA, tire rot) that occurs near the rim. Ozone is the biggest enemy of tire rubber compounds followed by heat induced into the tire, either from running at high speeds and aggressive driving (cornering) or towing or hauling a heavy load. Rim material also plays a part in this, as steel is more dense than aluminum or magnesium, so a steel rim will not loose air pressure as fast as aluminum. Not sure where carbon fiber rims fits into this category.

As since we are on the subject of air pressure loss subject to tire age, a new study (not sure who did this, like Consumer`s Report or AAA) suggests that tires be replaced every five years due to tire rot and sidewall degradation for safety reasons regardless of how many miles are on the tire. On daily drivers that may be true, but for garage queens and collector cars that only see the sun (not rain!) a few times a year with OEM (Original Equipment of Manufacturer), that is a problem. Collectors know that finding original old OEM tires to have a truly 100-point concourse year/era-correct vehicle, (Not New tires made from the original molds or New Old Stock (NOS)) is almost impossible and when they do, the price is astronomical, depending on the condition. That said, vehicles that are more than 50-years old are probably shod with some non-OEM aftermarket tire or an NOS OEM tire because the old original OEM (sorry about the double-double term!) tires have rotted away and are simply not useable, just so the vehicle is drivable and road-worthy.
 
Lonnie said:
As since we are on the subject of air pressure loss subject to tire age, a new study (not sure who did this, like Consumer`s Report or AAA) suggests that tires be replaced every five years due to tire rot and sidewall degradation for safety reasons regardless of how many miles are on the tire.
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Boy we had a heated discussion about this in a thread here or AGO started by Swanic, or about Swanic using his 10 year old spare to drive around on. Lot of factors here...they could use better rubber compounds that would have a longer life, but that would be more expensive and what percentage of tires go past 5 years between wearout and puncture? For various reasons, almost all the cars in my sphere of influence (family and friends) have or will have tires that are more than 5 years old...that`s a lot of tires to throw out just on GP`s. And what about your spare tire that`s never been used (oh wait, I do have one that I used a couple of times)?

There`s no question that rubber degrades, but some of it is due to the rubber, and some to conditions...complicated.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Apparently I haven`t had enough time to learn about Kammler...

EDIT: Quick Google of Kammler...that`s starting to sound like the zero point story from a few years ago...LOL
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Bingo ;) Don`t *you* start forgetting stuff.....

I`d like to add that you should use the same tire gauge every time, if possible.
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And be sure it`s been calibrated. I don`t mind switching between gauges that`ve been calibrated.

FWIW, once I got a pair of genuinely calibrated (test specs were included) ones, I found that *NONE* of my others were within an acceptable range. Not one of `em. Some were off by a country mile.
 
I`m bad when it comes to replacing tires based purely on age. Never bitten me yet, but I`m sure not advocating that others do as I do. If I waited until they exhibited tread wear some of mine would *never* get replaced, but/so even I have my limits, but still...no way will I replace all my tires every five years. I don`t even drive some of my cars that often.
 
Lonnie said:
It is true because tire compound age has something to do with this as witnessed by tire sidewall cracking (AKA, tire rot) that occurs near the rim. Ozone is the biggest enemy of tire rubber compounds followed by heat induced into the tire, either from running at high speeds and aggressive driving (cornering) or towing or hauling a heavy load. Rim material also plays a part in this, as steel is more dense than aluminum or magnesium, so a steel rim will not loose air pressure as fast as aluminum. Not sure where carbon fiber rims fits into this category.

As since we are on the subject of air pressure loss subject to tire age, a new study (not sure who did this, like Consumer`s Report or AAA) suggests that tires be replaced every five years due to tire rot and sidewall degradation for safety reasons regardless of how many miles are on the tire. On daily drivers that may be true, but for garage queens and collector cars that only see the sun (not rain!) a few times a year with OEM (Original Equipment of Manufacturer), that is a problem. Collectors know that finding original old OEM tires to have a truly 100-point concourse year/era-correct vehicle, (Not New tires made from the original molds or New Old Stock (NOS)) is almost impossible and when they do, the price is astronomical, depending on the condition. That said, vehicles that are more than 50-years old are probably shod with some non-OEM aftermarket tire or an NOS OEM tire because the old original OEM (sorry about the double-double term!) tires have rotted away and are simply not useable, just so the vehicle is drivable and road-worthy.
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Is that 5 years from the date embossed on the side of the tire? I always wait for the tread to wear out or signs of dry rot. I bought a new 2006 VW Jetta and had to replace the tires after one year due to dry rot on the inside facing portion of the tire. No VW did not replace or warranty the tires, much to my dismay.
 
You guys are lucky. I wind up replacing tires every 3 years. Both the summer and winter sets. Those low-profile performance tires just don’t last much past 20-25k miles.

Accumulator,where do you get your tire gauges calibrated?
 
I always stay on top of tire pressures, especially when it’s cold, and it has started to get cold. Usually about every 6-8 weeks I will check. (Sometimes sooner Checked them this morning (6 vehicles). The 16 tundra (Bridgestone Duelers were only down 2 lbs. (nitrogen filled) although I have added regular air a few times. 17 Highlander with toyo open countrys were down 6psi and it doesn’t get driven that much. Thought that was a little strange. 06 Ridgeline down 4psi What tire gauges do Yal like I have 3. A slime 0-60. A victor and a pencil gauge. The pencil and slime gauge read the same. Victor is 1psi different the last time I compared. The slime one is what I use
 
Fishroes said:
I always stay on top of tire pressures, especially when it’s cold, and it has started to get cold. Usually about every 6-8 weeks I will check. (Sometimes sooner Checked them this morning (6 vehicles). The 16 tundra (Bridgestone Duelers were only down 2 lbs. (nitrogen filled) although I have added regular air a few times. 17 Highlander with toyo open countrys were down 6psi and it doesn’t get driven that much. Thought that was a little strange. 06 Ridgeline down 4psi What tire gauges do Yal like I have 3. A slime 0-60. A victor and a pencil gauge. The pencil and slime gauge read the same. Victor is 1psi different the last time I compared. The slime one is what I use
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I use an old Moroso,(USA made) analog 0-60psi model with a hose that has an integral bleeder.

Fortunately, our cars have TPMS and surprisingly enough, it`s within 1-2 lbs. of the gauge reading.

I also have TPMS in the winter wheel/tire set-ups.
 
Fishroes- That Victor 4 X 4 looks identical to one of my AccuGauges.

Older said:
You guys are lucky. I wind up replacing tires every 3 years. Both the summer and winter sets. Those low-profile performance tires just don’t last much past 20-25k miles../
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We don`t put 20K on a car for..gee, I dunno... that`d take us forever!

Accumulator,where do you get your tire gauges calibrated?
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I forget wherfe I bought `em, but I got two AccuGauge (sp? they might spell it weirdly) ones and they didn`t agree with each other or with my other gauges. So I contacted the seller, who connected me with Meiser and I sent them in. They sent them back working in complete agreement and with a test sheet.
[h=6]G.H. Meiser & Co.[/h] 18770 88th Ave Suite B
Mokena, IL 60448 USA
Telephone: 815-534-5578
 
I don`t know if these are the same people that used to make the gages for Brookstone back when...Jimmy Carter was president, but if they are, the Made In USA current equiv. seems to sell for $100. I still have a couple of those old Brookstone`s. Problem is the rubber got old and I got tired of fighting that so I bought some Chinese ones from Amazon that seem to work.

https://www.ghmeiser.com/index.htm
 
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