Tire Pressure & Cold Temps

Geico266

Geico266

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Jun 15, 2008
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Husker Nation, NE
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Geico
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For airplanes and vehicles!

Every winter I notice the pressure in my truck tires drops 8 PSI, and my aircraft tires are lower also. Then I start noticing all of the vehicles around me with low tires due to the cold temps. :rolleyes:

Time to air up boys and girls!

You are welcome! :D
 
The biggest difference in most tires comes when the air in the tire drops below the dewpoint of the air inside the tire.

Gasses expand and contract a bit due to temperature. But when the water in the air goes from the gaseous state to the liquid state, there's a much more dramatic change in volume.

It's the reason that dry-nitrogen is a good choice. If you get to the condensation point of the N2, then it's really too damn cold to be driving.
 
Yep, my TPMS light came on yesterday, all four tires were 4 psi low.
 
GeorgeC said:
Yep, my TPMS light came on yesterday, all four tires were 4 psi low.
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That's what happens to my wife's car every winter. That's the reminder to me to fire up the compressor and get all eight tires topped off.
 
Call me anal!

I check the tires on the 4-wheeled vehicles monthly and before a long trip.
I check the tires on the motorcycle weekly and before a long trip.
I check the airplane tires at every pre-flight.
 
My Ram has tire pressure monitoring on each tire. I can see the pressures on the dash screen. Pretty cool.
 
With the crazy temp swings we get here in CO I would be airing up/down 8 times a week....
 
Bill Jennings said:
Call me anal!

I check the tires on the 4-wheeled vehicles monthly and before a long trip.
I check the tires on the motorcycle weekly and before a long trip.
I check the airplane tires at every pre-flight.
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OK, you're an a**hole! :rofl:

(Oh, is that not what you meant?)
 
JeffDG said:
... Gasses expand and contract a bit due to temperature. ...
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I guess it depends on your definition of "a bit."

The gas law they taught me many moons ago is PV=NRT, which makes Pressure in a given volume proportional to Temperature in degrees above absolute zero. If the temperature in Fahrenheit drops from 70 to 20/by 50 degrees, that is about 10% of the way to absolute zero so your tire pressure will also drop by about 10%. That's definitely enough to turn on the TPMS lights in our cars.
 
Always thought this was common knowledge....you rotate the air in your tires every change of season....

Remove the summer air and replace with winter air....duh!!!:rolleyes:
 
TEFLONSEAN said:
Always thought this was common knowledge....you rotate the air in your tires every change of season....



Remove the summer air and replace with winter air....duh!!!:rolleyes:
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Some idiot tried to sell me a Nitrogen tire fill once by telling me the O2 molecules were small enough to leak through the tire whereas the N molecules wouldn't leak out.

So I said, "cool. So if I keep filling with regular air that's over 80% N, eventually the fire will filter out all the O2 and will be full of almost all N molecules! The tire is like a sieve! It'll just keep getting closer to pure N over time and additional fill ups!"

I think his brain exploded shortly thereafter.
 
I had a tire serviced and he put in air not thinking about it. Was 90 plus degree temps. Flew 4 plus hours at 25000 ft. When I put on brakes landing it spun tire on rim breaking valve stem. I will remember to remind them to use nitrogen from now on.
 
denverpilot said:
Some idiot tried to sell me a Nitrogen tire fill once by telling me the O2 molecules were small enough to leak through the tire whereas the N molecules wouldn't leak out.

So I said, "cool. So if I keep filling with regular air that's over 80% N, eventually the fire will filter out all the O2 and will be full of almost all N molecules! The tire is like a sieve! It'll just keep getting closer to pure N over time and additional fill ups!"

I think his brain exploded shortly thereafter.
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Had to get a flat fixed yesterday, the shop filled it with N. Even they agreed it was silly but Home Office likes the marketing effect.
 
murphey said:
Had to get a flat fixed yesterday, the shop filled it with N. Even they agreed it was silly but Home Office likes the marketing effect.
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Plus you get those cool green valve stem caps too!! :D
 
I fill my tires/tubes with high desert air, the stuff is so dry it virtually never sees dew point.

Next time you stop in the desert you might want to get the air in your tires changed. :yes:
 
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I will be happy to box up some "desert" air and send it along. Just pay the shipping.
 
kgruber said:
I will be happy to box up some "desert" air and send it along. Just pay the shipping.
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That Washington desert air is pretty crappy if you have to give it away. Once people try the dry air here in Colorado they never go back to their old brand.

Colorado air, $30/cubic foot delivered to your door anywhere in the continental US. Hawaii, Alaska, and foreign shipping available at slightly higher rates. Service members need not apply since they have a plentiful supply of hot air available direct from Washington D.C.
 
I think I can capture some free range KS air. From the prairie to you.
 
North Texas air from a Harbor Freight compressor seems to work just fine for me... especially with LeakGuard inner tubes :yes:
 
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