Tire pressure in Winter temps?

[Stoenr]

Need to change out the summer air for winter air, everybody knows this.

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[157db]

Originally Posted by Shard Phoenix

I think the risk the OP is talking about is filling his tires cold then getting them hot back at home and having a blowout.

The simple answer, dont fill your tires to max psi cold.
Drive them around a little before you air them up.

Lets see, filling them cold then getting them hot.
Tire pressure would increase. This would not cause
a blowout. Blowouts are most commonly because of
LOW inflation pressures and high speed sustained driving.
LOW air causes the sidewall to flex more than normal
and the heat builds up until you have a blowout.

Inflate them to the drivers side door specs then adjust
for driving style and tire wear indications. Never inflate
them to the MAX inflation pressure thats on the sidewall
of the tire. Thats the pressure for the maximum load range
of that particular tire.

Always inflate your tires cold as per manufaturers recomendations.
I thought that was common knowledge.

[Orion_240]

Most people can't get to an air hose on cold tires, which means driving anywhere from 2 blocks to 2 miles to the nearest gas station.
I'm assuming the 1 1/2 blocks of driving I do (to get to the corner Mobil) is not going to warm up the tires too much. I'm not doing burnouts out of my driveway! LOL!

But for those in the suburbs who have to drive a few minutes, have you done a pressure check at home and then at the gas station and seen a difference?

[157db]

Originally Posted by Orion_240

Most people can't get to an air hose on cold tires, which means driving anywhere from 2 blocks to 2 miles to the nearest gas station.
I'm assuming the 1 1/2 blocks of driving I do (to get to the corner Mobil) is not going to warm up the tires too much. I'm not doing burnouts out of my driveway! LOL!

But for those in the suburbs who have to drive a few minutes, have you done a pressure check at home and then at the gas station and seen a difference?

Two blocks wont cause any tire pressure changes.
Heck, even two miles wont effect it enough to worry about.
If you cant get to a station with air unless your tires are
warmed up, put a little more in them than recommended.
When you get home and the tires have cooled down, you can
let air OUT until the desired cold tire PSI is reached.
It can be done with a little thinking.
I know that not everyone has access to compressed air
when their tires are cold.

[Stoenr]

Stick your mouth over the stem and blow really really hard while pushing in the valve core

[157db]

Originally Posted by Stoenr

Stick your mouth over the stem and blow really really hard while pushing in the valve core

If you blow hard enough, you can overcome the spring pressure
of the valve core and no depressing is needed.

[Stoenr]

See, I gotta quit smoking.

[jaguarking11]

I bought a small compressos from target for about 9bux last year. I keep it in the trunk. Whenever I need air I plug it in the power outlet and it inflates my tires.

The thing paid for itself so far. Around here 3minutes of compressed air is around 75c, and I always end up needing more than 3minutes. My friends use it too.

[mustangman02232]

Originally Posted by Orion_240

but haven't people in the past recommended lower tire pressure for wet weather?
Is this another job for Mythbusters?

a lower PSI will have you riding on top of whatever rain/snow on the ground rather then sink through it

i run my fronts at 40 psi and my rears at 35 psi (try and keep some traction) you want to be closer to the max psi on the tires then. (ford exploder/firestone anyone) the tire company designed the tire, NOT ford, the psi on the sidewall is for max COLD psi, meaning that when the tires warm up they are designed to handel the extra psi that builds up.

the dumbest thing you can do is to pay to have your tires filled with nitrogen, just check your PSI regularly.

[Norm Peterson]

An argument can be made for increasing tire pressures slightly when there is snow/slush underfoot, but not as a general guideline for all driving conditions. For bare pavement/no snow in sight you want to stick closer to the 32 (or perhaps 35) that Ford recommends. I think there is some variation based on tire size, but I can't seem to open the MVMS pdf file to check.

Car mfrs choose tire sizes for a number of reasons, and having adequate rated load capacity at the factory-recommended inflation pressure is only one. Tire sizes and such are pretty much standardized, so Ford knew what would satisfy their basic requirements. (Then, for OE tires, there can be other criteria that may or may not show up in tires you buy afterward.)

The tire companies designed a tire in a size that Ford chose. Sidewall pressures have no relationship to the car beyond what the chosen size is rated at. Period.

With the stock shocks - rears in particular - somewhat lower pressures will actually help your overall

The Explorer/Firestone issue was in part an unusual conflict between handling requirements (think in terms of rollover prevention by reducing the tires' lateral grip), load capacity at that specified (and mildly reduced) inflation pressure, heat generation in the tire carcass, hot summer weather, and owners' typical lack of attention to it all letting the inflation go lower still.

N2 inflation isn't bad. Mostly it's just wasteful of your $.


Norm