| hasaanbhutta |
here is the deal. got my tires replaced last month at Costco and they set the pressure at 33PSI. it was ok until it started snowing and today when the temprature is -11C i got a loud noise.... BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPP.... yes TPMS detected a flat tire which was infact low pressure because of cold. the reading was at 26 and after 25 mins of driving and dropping kiddo and wifey off, and finally at work, it was upto 30PSI. now my question is, since its gonna be like that and temp will go down for the next 3-4 months, should i talk to Costco and get the pressure adjusted at 37-39 (or may be 35) PSI at normal temprature so when i start in the morning and then in the evening, i dont have to listen to that lovely tune and not worry about the tread life at low pressure and snow ?
thanks in advance.... |
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| manitoba murano |
Our climate here is almost identical to yours.
I pumped 'em up to 33lbs at about -15 last year, and they were at about 30lbs even when it dipped down to -25. When it gets colder (like -35 to -40), the sensors seem to fail completely, and the pressure drops to about 28lbs.
So for Jan/Feb I pump them back up to about 31 if it's really cold, or 33 if it's just frikkin cold (they go up to about 33 or 34 on a LONG drive), and bleed a bit of air back out when March comes along and things warm up. When it is really cold, like Jan/Feb, they really don't seem to heat up much at all--but I don't verify this too often as the TMPS doesn't function well, and checking them manually means risking freezing your digits to the wheel. |
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| Eric L. |
| Yes you should definitely get your tires inflated. Are you choosing Costco because they use nitrogen? In either case, I would slightly overinflate tires (i.e. above the stock 33psi, maybe 35-36psi), then you won't ever have to worry about the TPMS going off (and it gives slightly sharper handling). |
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| Kris |
Hasaanbhutta
Tire pressure should be 33psi cold, meaning checked at ambient temperature before you start driving. This is what I would advise – go to Costco and get yourself a small compressor - $20 or so. Check the tire pressure in the morning before you start driving and inflate it to 33psi. Do it at regular intervals.
Even here in Atlanta I have to inflate tires before our winter (or what we call winter). |
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| manitoba murano |
My only addition to the above would be to NOT do this too frequently when it's really cold, as the valves can stick open (frozen) and leak, especially when adding compressed air. Not to mention that the compressor will almost certainly fail at jan/Feb 'ambient' temperatures.
If you can park your car in a garage overnight, and it's warm enough (like -10) and it's -30 outside, you'll find that about 36lbs at -10 works out to about 31-32lbs at -30. Assuming you don't have a slow leak (which you would already know about), checking the pressure every month or two, when you get a chance to park inside overnight, should suffice--and save your fingertips. |
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| Stu |
quote:
Originally posted by Kris
Hasaanbhutta
Tire pressure should be 33psi cold, meaning checked at ambient temperature before you start driving. This is what I would advise – go to Costco and get yourself a small compressor - $20 or so. Check the tire pressure in the morning before you start driving and inflate it to 33psi. Do it at regular intervals.
Even here in Atlanta I have to inflate tires before our winter (or what we call winter).
I think you're missing the point. If you set your tires to 33 PSI when it is cold, you will have 28 PSI or lower and alarms when it gets REAL COLD.
Trust me, when it is -15F you don't want to be inflating your tires with a $20 compressor. You want to spend about as much time outside as it takes to get from house to your vehicle, hoping that the door isn't frozen solid, going as fast as you can without slipping and doing the classic "Flying W" as you break your a$$ on the ice. :20: |
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