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I hope you realize that you are never going to get an accurate reading of your tire pressure by doing things that way.
Unless that tire store is less than 2 miles (of slow driving) from your house, by the time that you get there, the tires will have gained a few lbs of pressure as a result of the drive. And then, after the tires cool down, they will have less pressure than when they were checked/inflated at the tire store.
The only accurate way to check tire pressure is before the car has been driven for the day, or after it has sat for several hours. That is why I check the tire pressure at home with a good-quality dial-type tire pressure gauge. And then, if they need air, I use my electric tire inflator that runs off of the cigarette lighter socket. I strongly suggest that you do something similar.
First of all a Discount Tire store is only 1/2 mile from my house. Secondly you're describing ideal conditions whereas most people, and especially women are not going to do as you recommend. It's not feasable to most and if they are concerned about their tires then they should pull in at any time it's convenient for them. Better than not doing it at all.
And before you respond I know it's best when tires are cold, but you need to look at the practicality of the average driver.
First of all a Discount Tire store is only 1/2 mile from my house. Secondly you're describing ideal conditions whereas most people, and especially women are not going to do as you recommend. It's not feasable to most and if they are concerned about their tires then they should pull in at any time it's convenient for them. Better than not doing it at all.
And before you respond I know it's best when tires are cold, but you need to look at the practicality of the average driver.
If that tire shop is only 1/2 mile from your house, then you can get an accurate pressure reading at that facility. Good for you!
But...just because "most people and especially women" don't do the right thing does not make it...correct... or...advisable...or even safe or economical in the long run. Yes, it is "better than not doing it at all", but...checking/correcting tire pressure is not exactly rocket science or brain surgery.
Most folks, if given good advice on this topic, should be able to master the tasks of checking tire pressure and using an electric tire inflator as necessary--before they leave the convenience of their own driveway.
To suggest that this is a complex task is just not accurate.
It's become so much of an ordeal that whenever I have to fill the tires, I'll fill them all the way to the sidewall max.. and wait many months until they're about 5 psi below the manufacturer's recommendation before filling them all the way to sidewall max.
I know that underinflated tires are very hazardous.. I also know it's probably not a good idea to run the tires at the sidewall max either. But being such an inconvenient and awkward ordeal, I procrastinate filling until the last minute (5 psi under) and fill them to the max. Maybe i'm clumsy but it's so difficult angling the pump nozzle so that the air ends up in the tires and does not end up taking air out of the tires instead. And don't get me started about using a separate tire pressure gauge and having to realign the pump nozzle back again to pump air. Turning on the pump and being able to fill 1 tire in 1 round before the pump shuts off is a success (relatively speaking.)
Is there any viable alternative to pulling up to those air pumps at them gas stations? Any recommendations for air pumps to buy instead?
For tire pressure, you are supposed to reference the CAR MANUFACTURERS SPECS (usually inside a door jam), not the specs listed on the tire.
The "swing" of 10 psi will not hurt the tire.
On some trucks they recomend a psi of 40 in the rear tires without a load and 60psi with a load.
They can't do it right as the tire(s) leak.
Find the leak and get it fixed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vmaxnc
a 10 psi swing isn't good for the tire or the economy. Why not just fill it to 35 psi, like the (assumed) auto manufacturer states is proper for the vehicle?
Why not just do it right, without all the silly "strategy"?
This thread is so full of FAIL that it isn't funny. The max PSI on the sidewall is COLD, which is defined as 59°F. The engineers that designed the tire know that it will be used in hot weather and high speed driving. They won't risk lawsuits from people injured by tires that were just inflated to the sidewall pressure. A properly mounted, healthy tire should be able to take at least twice the pressure stamped on the sidewall before failing. In my workplace, we even have a chart to compensate for temperature deviations. For example, if a truck tire is supposed to be at 120 PSI, but the temperature is 95°F, we put 130 PSI on it. I see tires with 150 PSI on a daily basis, usually from the same drivers that don't know how to use a jake brake and ride the service brakes all the way down the mountain. And this is on tires that have a sidewall max psi of 120 PSI. Nothing has exploded so far.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ragnarkar
1) Because even with the 10 point swing, a fillup is required every 2-4 months. This is true on 2 different vehicles with tires all bought new in the last 1.5 years.
Have you considered the possibility that your tire pressure gauge is defective? I've seen some that are wildly innacurate and I've seen others that won't read past a certain PSI.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Retriever
Unless that tire store is less than 2 miles (of slow driving) from your house, by the time that you get there, the tires will have gained a few lbs of pressure as a result of the drive. And then, after the tires cool down, they will have less pressure than when they were checked/inflated at the tire store.
Easy solution. Check the tire PSI before you leave and again when you reach the service station. If the PSI increased by 2, then overfill the tires by the same amount. Recheck the next morning when the tire is cold. It should be damn close.
Easy solution. Check the tire PSI before you leave and again when you reach the service station. If the PSI increased by 2, then overfill the tires by the same amount. Recheck the next morning when the tire is cold. It should be damn close.
Of course that is easy.
However, for folks who consider the very act of checking tire pressure to be...a pain in the butt...onerous...messy...not necessary to do on a regular basis...
Is it likely that these folks will check their tire pressure twice on the same day?
...does anybody still carry and use a hand operated tire pump?
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