How Often do you get low tire pressure warning that requires topping off the air?

[Wildbill]

I picked up my Model 3 in late September 2018. At that time, I remember all 4 tires showed 40 psi.

Yesterday, I got the first low tire pressure warning with all 4 tires showing 38 psi.

So, it took about 3 months for me to get the low tire pressure warning (from 40 to 38 psi).

Is this what other people are experiencing? Do you fill up the tires about every 3 months?

 

[Snow Drift]

How cold has it been in SF? Here in NY with temps between 15-40° the TPMS will go off at times bc the air is cold and so the tire pressure is a little low. However, after driving for awhile the tires heat up and the PSI rises to stock numbers and the light goes off. You shouldn’t need to fill up unless something is wrong or it’s been a long time, like years since you added any air.

 

[albtrssp]

Yeah, but that warning is really damn annoying, and for me, it didn't actually disappear until I parked the car and left again later.

 

[Wildbill]

How cold has it been in SF? Here in NY with temps between 15-40° the TPMS will go off at times bc the air is cold and so the tire pressure is a little low. However, after driving for awhile the tires heat up and the PSI rises to stock numbers and the light goes off. You shouldn’t need to fill up unless something is wrong or it’s been a long time, like years since you added any air.

Yesterday was not that cold. It was in the 50's.

I have driven in the last few weeks with temp in the low 40's and I did not get the warning. The psi did drop to 38. So, I will add more air/pressure to increase to 42 psi.

I was wondering do people get out their air pumps every 3 months to add more pressure to the tires?

 

[Sophias_dad]

Your problem was that your car was delivered at 40psi. 42 is normal, 45 is the old standard(more range, harsher ride).

Did the average temp in SF dropped 20 degrees since Sept.... Rule of thumb is 1 psi per 10 degrees fahrenheit....

Yes, people who see a real Winter will may add air every month as it gets colder. I imagine many people ignore their tires for the period when its warming up in the Spring(leading to overfilled tires in Summer!), so by the following Winter they might not need to add as much.

Don't rely entirely on the TPMS sensors to tell you the pressures, either. They may be correct, or off by a PSI or two. The fact that they all decreased at the same rate tells me your tires don't have a leak, and are just subject to the Ideal Gas Law like everyone else.

 

[dhrivnak]

Entirely normal especially as you go from summer to fall. For best safety and range keep them above 40. And unfortunately it can take a little Driving after the air for the warnings to disappear

 

[Uncle Paul]

These tire pressure warnings are Federally mandated as a way to keep people from driving on improperly inflated tires. Curious that it applies to Tesla as it was originally intended to make sure that drivers did not reduce their gas mileage by driving on low pressure tires.

Your drivers door will have a sticker explaining what your proper pressure should be.

 

[JeffK]

Curious that it applies to Tesla as it was originally intended to make sure that drivers did not reduce their gas mileage by driving on low pressure tires.

It's still less efficient and can eat at your sidewalls

 

[Mobile Ranger]

Your owners manual states to check the pressures daily. I check once a week. So a 2 psi drop in a couple of months with the season change is normal.

Open your driver door and look on the body side on the lower right. You'll see a yellow sticker with recommended cold fill range. It should say 42 or 45 psi. If you're at 40 psi and drive a few miles to a rest stop or gas station and now it's gone up to 43, that doesn't mean you're only 2 psi under from 45, you're still 5 psi under. Heat and rotation of the tires can affect that number in as little as half a mile.

That sticker should be on every car.

 

[TT97]

My sticker shows 42 but find the ride too soft at that level so I keep my tires at 46 psi. I check about once per month. My TMPS sensors report several psi low as they will not show 46 psi until after the tires heat up.

 

[Sophias_dad]

These tire pressure warnings are Federally mandated as a way to keep people from driving on improperly inflated tires. Curious that it applies to Tesla as it was originally intended to make sure that drivers did not reduce their gas mileage by driving on low pressure tires.
.

I may well be wrong, but I thought that TPMS was at least in part a response to the infamous Ford Exploder tires that would become less inflated just due to neglect and eventually fail spectacularly in the fairly high center-of-gravity Ford Explorer, causing rollovers and hospital/cemetery visits...

Tire-pressure monitoring system - Wikipedia says so, so it must be true

 

[Petrlol]

I had tpms warnings off and on at 40 psi cold. Took it from the 47 at delivery to 40...

Then up to 42 and it's been great with no warnings for 2 months.

 

[Snow Drift]

Yesterday was not that cold. It was in the 50's.

I have driven in the last few weeks with temp in the low 40's and I did not get the warning. The psi did drop to 38. So, I will add more air/pressure to increase to 42 psi.

I was wondering do people get out their air pumps every 3 months to add more pressure to the tires?

No, you don’t need to. The air inside the tire is cold, not missing. Just let the tires heat up. If the TPMS doesn’t go off and the PSI don’t increase then add air or check for a leak.

 

[run-the-joules]

Never so far, because I maintain my air pressure properly. I regularly check the cold inflation pressure and keep it at 45.

Again: the COLD inflation pressure, before you start driving and warm up the tires.

Check your tread depth regularly too so you don't become one of those idiots who doesn't know they need new tires until they're showing belts and have a blowout.

 

[run-the-joules]

If you're at 40 psi and drive a few miles to a rest stop or gas station and now it's gone up to 43, that doesn't mean you're only 2 psi under from 45, you're still 5 psi under. Heat and rotation of the tires can affect that number in as little as half a mile.

ding ding ding

 

[Tam]

I have been checking my tires' air pressure and fill them up pretty much every month since I got my Model S in 2012 and same with 2017 Model X and 2018 Model 3.

 

[gilscales]

I picked up my Model 3 in late September 2018. At that time, I remember all 4 tires showed 40 psi.

Yesterday, I got the first low tire pressure warning with all 4 tires showing 38 psi.

So, it took about 3 months for me to get the low tire pressure warning (from 40 to 38 psi).

Is this what other people are experiencing? Do you fill up the tires about every 3 months?

2 times in 8 months

 

[MMBTUS]

Elon likes and recommends 39psi cold. Small performance hit for some comfort gain. Four months without warnings. YMMV.

 

[Msjulie]

Never so far, because I maintain my air pressure properly. I regularly check the cold inflation pressure and keep it at 45.

Ditto. Also, having dual motor means I need to do more to keep my efficiency as best as possible because my right foot gained weight...

 

[keydiver]

I have found that my tires typically lose about 1 psi per month. Supposedly it is less loss if you fill with nitrogen, but I don't like paying for air. But, as others noted, you also need to take note of the temperature changes. We just had a cold snap here in south Florida, and I "lost" 5 psi overnight. But, guess what, I found it again as soon as things warmed back up today.