Tire pressures

[Decimal Cat]

Just my experience with tire pressures. .

This evening after I finally got a tire pressure gauge that worked (digital,
Accutire pro), I checked the pressures in my Loyale's tires. I never
bothered with it before, because I ass-u-me'd that if they were really bad,
they'd be slouching at the bottoms.

How wrong I was!

I checked the tires, and not a single one had over 25 PSI. In fact, the rear
right tire was down to 17.5!

So I took 'er to the local gas station and evened them up to 30 PSI each
(manual says 28, I decided to overpump them a little), remembering how a lot
of people here had said the handling was much better after their car's tire
pressures were evened. After I'd done this, I got into the car, and got back
onto the road. . and the result was everything I'd hoped for.

The car handles/rides much better than it used to. It used to feel
'squishy', but I thought this was just how the Loyale normally was. Not only
that, the tires are gripping the road better. Before, I'd had problems with
them squealing when going around corners. . remains to be seen whether this
will continue or not. (No, I don't floor it to get around corners, they'd
just sometimes do it under normal conditions. )

Anyone else have a similar experience?

--Decimal Cat

 

[Tony Hwang]

Hi,
You suppose to check tire whenever you fill up. Where have you been?
And once a week walk around the car. You see airline pilots walk around
his plane before taking off? Same idea.
Tony

 

[Winifried Carbunkle]

This evening after I finally got a tire pressure gauge that worked (digital,
Accutire pro), I checked the pressures in my Loyale's tires. I never
bothered with it before, because I ass-u-me'd that if they were really bad,
they'd be slouching at the bottoms.

I can smell a low tire after a bit of highway driving. But I too got
a fancy new digital gauge recently. After a lifetime of stick gauges,
then dial gauges, this digital is great! I especially like that it
lights up, because now checking pressure at night is no hassle (that's
when all the air pumps are unused at all stations!)

Only concern with it is that it looks quite like a small revolver.
I've walked toward the station attendants with it in my hand, to
request air pump be turned on, and seen alarmed looks on their faces!

 

[Clive]

Do you have oil?
Does the cooling system have water?
Sheesh.
C

 

[Winifried Carbunkle]

Hmm. . that explains the slight rubber-y scent in the air I'd been smelling
whenever I'd park after a long drive. How low does a tire have to be before
it starts to smell?

While all my tires emit a bit of "black rubber stink" anytime they've
had a few minutes of continuous rolling at highway speeds, a tire
just down a few pounds will emit much more noticable odor than the
others.

Is the Hummer the only car offering dashboard gauges to show each
tire's air pressure?

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

Anybody try out those AccuPressure dealies that replace your valve stem
caps? They're available in dofferent pressures and turn green-yellow-red
to warn of underinflation. One concern would be if they are attractive
to thieves but they seem like a good idea. I think I saw them on ebay
for about $16 or so. I think JC whitney and others have them.

Carl
1 Lucky Texan

 

[Decimal Cat]

Unfortunately I was not. The rear right tire really had gotten as low as
17.5PSI. . but that was the only wheel on the car that was under 25 PSI, and
it (thankfully) wasn't one of the drive wheels unless the 4WD was engaged.

In my defense, I hadn't had any prior experience with cars or tires at all
(except bicycle tires when I was a kid) before owning a car, and my driver's
ed classroom teacher apparently couldn't be bothered to teach us that the
tire pressures really were important. As I said in my original post, I
ass-u-me'd (assumed) that the tires would be slouching at the bottoms if
they'd gotten bad. Checking the tire pressures is now incorporated into my
fill-up procedure. Problem is, there seems to be differing opinions about
whether the tire pressures should be checked when hot or cold. .? Not sure,
but mine were only lukewarm when I read the PSI and pumped them up. It's
really a pain to check mine when cold - I have to drive to a gas station
where an air hose is, and then wait for them to cool before I do anything.

Anyway, the manual on the car said the tires should be 28 PSI the world
around. . I decided to run 30, because I've read in many articles written by
credible sources that higher pressure gives slightly better mileage and tire
life.

I've learned my lesson. . at least I didn't learn it the hard way when one
of my drive train components was damaged by it or a wheel was bent, eh? (
You should have seen the look on my face when I saw the reading on that
gauge after I took it off the rear right tire. . )

--Decimal Cat

 

[Cam Penner]

fill-up procedure. Problem is, there seems to be differing opinions about
whether the tire pressures should be checked when hot or cold. .? Not sure,
but mine were only lukewarm when I read the PSI and pumped them up. It's
really a pain to check mine when cold - I have to drive to a gas station
where an air hose is, and then wait for them to cool before I do anything.

Check'm at home when they're cold. Note which ones need
air, and how much.
(ie: Front left at 28, needs 4 more...)

When you get to the service station check'm again. Front
left now at 30, needs about 4 - fill to just over 34.
Repeat for all 4 wheels.

Checking them cold is the only way to get repeatable
consistent readings - without checking the temperature of
the tire as well. It just requires a bit of short term
memory to remember which tires need which amount of extra
air. If you do it regularly it's usually only one or two
at a time anyhow.

(and yes, I have ruined a perfectly good set of tires by
being lazy with tire pressure. Cost me a good 20,000 miles
of wear. But never again. )

 

[Tony Hwang]

Hi,
Guage or not. You ought to feel when tire needs more or less air.
Tony

 

[Decimal Cat]

*nods* S'what I thought.

I can fill the tires at home when they're cold/been sitting in my driveway
all night even though I don't have a compressor, because I do have a small
12V electric tire pump. Only problem is it takes five minutes to put ten PSI
in one tire. If the tire is starting from no pressurization at all, clip the
hose on it and go have lunch.

That's why I got lazy and went to the gas station.

I know someone who once blew a bicycle tire up real well. . it was pretty
low, so he just clipped the compressor hose on it and turned around to talk
to his friend. Well, this worked fine for about thirty seconds, at which
point the tire exploded. Fortunately nobody was hurt.

I can just imagine what a pressure gauge would have read while that
happened. .

"15. . 20. . 30. . 40. . 45. . *KABOOM!* . . 0. ." *g*

--Decimal Cat

 

[xymergy]

There are cheap rechargeable battery-operated or lighter-outlet
operated tire compressors you can buy for $50 or $60 or so; I have one
that I use for all my car and motorcycle tires, well worth owning.
Check Sears for specials.

 

[Edward Hayes]

Another thought: Overfill the tires at the gas station by about 5 pounds.
After sitting all night recheck in the morning at home. I check my tires
each month or before any highway trip, and walk around each day. eddie