Stay Pumped Up in the Cold
Monday November 5, 2007
All 2008 cars will be equipped with TPMS (a Tire Pressure Management System) to let you know when you need to add air to your tires. Don't rely on these systems to keep your tires at proper inflation, they won't. These systems don't warn you until your tire has lost 25% of its pressure, the point at which danger may loom. Besides, there is a huge correlation between tire pressure and gas mileage so driving around 15% low is environmentally irresponsible and will cost you money in the long run. Tires will lose pressure over time regardless of conditions, so checking your tire pressure at least once a month should be on your don't-screw-it-up checklist. The temperature has finally dropped in any part of the country that actually gets a winter. This means your tire pressure has taken the plunge along with it. Did you know that for every 10 degrees the temperature drops, your tires lose 1-2 psi of air pressure? That's enough to give your gas mileage a punch in the stomach, for sure, not to mention the safety concerns that arise from low tire pressure. Don't delay, check your pressure today!
image courtesy of the NHTSA.
Comments
Tire pressure notes. First of every month I make the rounds of all ten tires on our two vehicles. I use a hand pump made for bycycles. Floor type with inlin pressure gage. About six or seven strokes to one PSI change. Saves gas by not driving to station. And with same gage every time.
I would bet that most compact spares are way under the necessary pressure for safe use. Eight years ago we had a blowout and the spare was 35 PSI. We only had a six inch long bike tire pump. It took twenty minutes and around 1200 strokes to get to 60 PSI! And it was hot, I was hotter.
That started the check proceedures. Have not had flat since then. Nor was there one in preceding fifteen or more years.
It saves gas!
So these pressure monitors will be another device to break down on our cars. Is it really that hard for people to check their tire pressure every 3 or 4 weeks?
Tell J. James that the best feature of TPMS is that it will detect a tire losing air from a puncture while it is in motion. I have seen countless tires ruined from a nail puncture encountered on a highway. You will get a warning in time to take appropriate action–put on spare or p ull in to repair facility.
Jerry’s right, the TPMS will serve its intended purpose of telling you when your tire is going flat. Unfortunately some dealers are promoting the system as more than it really is.
Duke has it right. Check your pressure on a regular basis and you’ll avoid expensive repairs and stranded nights. And that’s on top of the money you save on gas — low tires burn more gas.
Is there a problem if you inflate your tires to the recommended pressure when it’s cold out, then drive for a long period. Does the pressure increase with the heat of driving?
The recommended inflation pressures listed on the sidewall of your tires are what’s known as “cold tire pressures” meaning they are the measurements when you have not been driving. They do increase pressure as they warm up while you drive, but they are designed to do so.