Low tire pressure; cooler temps

[rsomrek]

The past few days have been rainy and cooler in the Midwest. Although tire pressure has not been an issue up to this point, now I consistently/constantly get low tire pressure alerts. (TP used to be steady at 41 psi now has dropped to 36 psi, uniformly on all 4 tires).

I fully understand the relationship between temperature and pressure. What concerns me is that 1) I don't know how the 'silence' the alerts, and (more worrisome) 2) is this going to be a monthly/seasonal thing where I have to inflate/deflate the tires to accommodate the recommended pressure. As someone who only seasonally checked tire pressure before the M3, it's kind of annoying to keep getting the alerts and thinking that inflating/deflating is a daily/weekly thing.

 

[TexasEV]

So you’d rather not know that your tire pressure is low? If your tires only have 36 psi, put some air in them!

 

[Yangy]

I just pumped up mine to 42psi and I think they should last at least a couple months before I switch to snow tires. It's well worth it though, I can feel the car drives much lighter.

 

[animorph]

Just put air in when TPMS says to. That's about the least you can do.

 

[jadatis]

For savety of tires you dont have to worry.
So no overheating expected because of the more deflection the lower pressure gives.
The relatively high pressure of every vehicle with battery, is done for lesser rolingresistance.
You could ask to lower the alarmsetting, and accept a lower actiradius, in favour of more comfort and gripp.
If you give me axleweights and tiredata, I can calculate a safe lowest pressure, and a highest pressure with still acceptable comfort and gripp.

 

[Hamilton C]

I do not have my Tesla yet, (Hopefully in November) but tire pressure is tire pressure.

I am fastidious about checking my tire pressure with a digital gauge to insure I get maximum mileage from my tires. Over the years I have replaced too many tires due to uneven or premature wear. Waiting for a TPMS an alarm is not optimum

The weather temp impacts tire pressure in two ways:
1. Air becomes denser and pressure drops accordingly (you knew that)
2. Metal in wheels changes dimensionally rapidly with temperature change and so the radius and circumference are constantly changing by very tiny amounts, but with variation up and down on a daily basis, each change offers the opportunity for a tiny amount of air to leak out as the rubber shifts on the rim.
3.The high speed rotation of the tires on the road with constant bumps contributes to tiny but cumulative loss of air pressure around the rims in normal use, even with more or less steady air temperatures.

Always check your tire pressure when the tires are at ambient temperature, that is wait some time, say 15 minutes or more, after driving before you check pressure. If you do not have a compressor at home, check pressure at home and note the discrepancy from recommended pressure. Then go to a "gas?" station or convenience store with an air supply, check the air pressure, and then raise the tire pressures by the amount of the discrepancy you noted..

It is quite normal to add air to your tires as the weather cools down.
On rare occasions such as when I move car in January from northern NY in winter (temps in the teens) to south Florida where the temp is in the 70's, I may need to let out a tiny amount of air. But this is the exception. Your tires, mostly at the rim, are probably leaking tiny amounts of air just from normal driving.

And the change in the temperature of the tire material as it heats up at high speed, and picks up heat on a hot sunny day can raises tire pressure. So ALWAYS check your tire pressure after the car is parked in your garage or shade for a reasonable time after use. For example, if my car is parked in the sun in early morning, there is a measurable difference between tires on the full sun side and those on the shade side after staying in position for several hours.​

I live in Syracuse, NY where winter temps drop to the teens (So I routinely add air to maintain recommended pressure). and winter in south Florida where driving Alligator alley (I-75 Naples to Miami) at a study 90 mph for 90 minutes is guaranteed to raise tire pressure. So I have to be sure to check temperature only in the cool of the evening long after I stopped driving.

OK this is much too long an rambling, and you probably knew all of this, but for maximum tire life, don't wait for a TPMS alarm to check your tire pressure.​

 

[run-the-joules]

The past few days have been rainy and cooler in the Midwest. Although tire pressure has not been an issue up to this point, now I consistently/constantly get low tire pressure alerts. (TP used to be steady at 41 psi now has dropped to 36 psi, uniformly on all 4 tires).

I fully understand the relationship between temperature and pressure. What concerns me is that 1) I don't know how the 'silence' the alerts, and (more worrisome) 2) is this going to be a monthly/seasonal thing where I have to inflate/deflate the tires to accommodate the recommended pressure. As someone who only seasonally checked tire pressure before the M3, it's kind of annoying to keep getting the alerts and thinking that inflating/deflating is a daily/weekly thing.

Are you also one of those people who doesn't replace their tires until you can see the belt showing where there used to be rubber?

 

[Shizzrock]

You can fill them with nitrogen, 5 psi seems like a lot though. Through my experience its usually like 1 psi every ten degrees

 

[Marsnaut]

Same happened to me today. Delivered at the near perfect 39 psi for the summer. Today temperatures dropped down to mid 60s and psi dropped to 35-36. I'll be pumping air in tomorrow to solve the issue. No worries since it is temperature and affected all tires. It's more troubling when only one tire is affected because it means the issue is likely due to something else.

 

[fasteddie7]

is this going to be a monthly/seasonal thing where I have to inflate/deflate the tires to accommodate the recommended pressure.

Nope, tires don’t last more than a season, by the time the weather changes, you’ll be ready for a new set.

 

[jerry33]

You can fill them with nitrogen, 5 psi seems like a lot though. Through my experience its usually like 1 psi every ten degrees

Just the same as air. Nitrogen has no benefits for on-road use.

 

[AngelArm1110]

First thing I'm doing with mine is taking the sensors out!! Seriously they're the worst, and they leak like a sieve, if I had a nickle for every tire repair I've had to turn away because it was a leaky sensor stem that we couldn't replace, I wouldn't need to take any other business. To hell with sensors, not until they undergo a massive redesign

 

[Shizzrock]

Just the same as air. Nitrogen has no benefits for on-road use.

Come on man, at least do a google search first

Nitrogen vs Air In Tires - Why Nitrogen in Tires

 

[Big Dog]

Just the same as air. Nitrogen has no benefits for on-road use.

Not true. Its a larger element and doesn't leak as much. Now, that being said, it definitely ain't worth it if you have to pay extra to fill your tires with N2. But if you frequent a tire place like Costco that routinely fills with N2 at no extra charge, then its worth doing.

 

[jerry33]

Come on man, at least do a google search first

Nitrogen vs Air In Tires - Why Nitrogen in Tires

Unfortunately those articles are incorrect. Nitrogen inflation has a place in aircraft, subway, and underground mine tires, but it’s about fire saftey, not inflation.

 

[jerry33]

Not true. Its a larger element and doesn't leak as much. Now, that being said, it definitely ain't worth it if you have to pay extra to fill your tires with N2. But if you frequent a tire place like Costco that routinely fills with N2 at no extra charge, then its worth doing.

That was true before air tight butyl rubber was used, its not true today, but someone thought they coild make money onit.

 

[Shizzrock]

Unfortunately those articles are incorrect. Nitrogen inflation has a place in aircraft, subway, and underground mine tires, but it’s about fire saftey, not inflation.

What part of the popular mechanics article do you think is incorrect?

 

[rsomrek]

Come on man, at least do a google search first

Nitrogen vs Air In Tires - Why Nitrogen in Tires

Wow, this thread has really taken a turn since I started it. I only wanted to be able to cancel the tire pressure warning every time the temperature changes. Seems the guys in temperate climates experience a narrow enough monthly/annual range in temperatures that my post draws comments that might be interpreted to suggest laziness at worst. No I don't ride my tires until tread bare (run-the-joules)! For those of us in more moderate/extreme climates (ranging from -20 to +100 degrees) adding air every week or two gets to be a real pain. Before you take off on me, I love my M3 but I'm willing to take a hit to my Wh/mi to have tire pressure within a 5 psi range. I check the pressure regularly but I have better things to do than pump up tires when the temperature drops 10 degrees for a few days. (That's where I am with my life. Bravo for those who can afford the attention and time to keep tire pressure on-the-button!))

As for the nitrogen vs air "controversy," as Shizzrock's referenced article notes air is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. Oxygen is a is a volatile, "toxic" gas that causes a whole lot of problems (fire, rust, black on silver, etc.). Life has accommodated it but it still does tremendous damage. It oxidizes rubber so the idea is that if you put nitrogen in your tires you prevent oxidation damage. For those of you that a buying new tires every year, you're wasting money! You'll never see the effects in that short a period. Think Popular Mechanics (Shizzrock) is wrong/right? Fake news!! There is science behind this; check it out somewhere beside a quick Google search! I's say Jerry33 has the right bead on this - nitrogen is best used as a fire protection.

As far as nitrogen being a "larger element," come on! We're talking atomic sizes and thinking that leaky valves make a difference! The size of a bad sealing values looks like a super-sized hole to an elemental-sized atom.

Anyway, the temps have risen here in the Midwest again so my tire alerts have 'turned off." Problem solved?!

 

[Shizzrock]

Wow, this thread has really taken a turn since I started it. I only wanted to be able to cancel the tire pressure warning every time the temperature changes. Seems the guys in temperate climates experience a narrow enough monthly/annual range in temperatures that my post draws comments that might be interpreted to suggest laziness at worst. No I don't ride my tires until tread bare (run-the-joules)! For those of us in more moderate/extreme climates (ranging from -20 to +100 degrees) adding air every week or two gets to be a real pain. Before you take off on me, I love my M3 but I'm willing to take a hit to my Wh/mi to have tire pressure within a 5 psi range. I check the pressure regularly but I have better things to do than pump up tires when the temperature drops 10 degrees for a few days. (That's where I am with my life. Bravo for those who can afford the attention and time to keep tire pressure on-the-button!))

As for the nitrogen vs air "controversy," as Shizzrock's referenced article notes air is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. Oxygen is a is a volatile, "toxic" gas that causes a whole lot of problems (fire, rust, black on silver, etc.). Life has accommodated it but it still does tremendous damage. It oxidizes rubber so the idea is that if you put nitrogen in your tires you prevent oxidation damage. For those of you that a buying new tires every year, you're wasting money! You'll never see the effects in that short a period. Think Popular Mechanics (Shizzrock) is wrong/right? Fake news!! There is science behind this; check it out somewhere beside a quick Google search! I's say Jerry33 has the right bead on this - nitrogen is best used as a fire protection.

As far as nitrogen being a "larger element," come on! We're talking atomic sizes and thinking that leaky valves make a difference! The size of a bad sealing values looks like a super-sized hole to an elemental-sized atom.

Anyway, the temps have risen here in the Midwest again so my tire alerts have 'turned off." Problem solved?!

Hey man, I was just trying to help. You were worried about fluctuating pressures and I suggested using Nitrogen, which is proven by me to keep more consistent pressures. How do I know? I have a nitrogen tank. What don't I know? How nitrogen interacts on an atomic level. But every time you post something here there's a bunch of nerds having some sort of nerd competition, when none of them have actually, you know, tried out what they are talking about.

 

[rsomrek]

Hey man, I was just trying to help. You were worried about fluctuating pressures and I suggested using Nitrogen, which is proven by me to keep more consistent pressures. How do I know? I have a nitrogen tank. What don't I know? How nitrogen interacts on an atomic level. But every time you post something here there's a bunch of nerds having some sort of nerd competition, when none of them have actually, you know, tried out what they are talking about.

Hey, nothing personal.

You obviously have experience with using nitrogen and that's worth something. Like you, I came here with what I thought was a simple question and got a whole bunch of comments impugning laziness and questioning things that weren't up for discussion.

I'm cool.