Does the car have to 'sit' before the tires cool down and you can get a good 'cold - tire' pressure reading.

 

I read somewhere recently that, if you've driven more than 5 minutes, it takes 2-3 hours for your tires to cool down for an accurate pressure reading. Seems like this would depend on how hard you were driving the car and what the ambient temperature is though.

I check tire pressure first in the morning before I move the car...usually once a week.

 

Let out all the hot air and refill with cool air from the compressor



hehehe


Mitch

 

Compressed air is not always cooler than whats in your tires.

Armando

 

question,
What is psi for our tires to be at? stock rims and tires....I would really like to know so I can start checking it frequently.

 

Stock pressure is using 32psi all the way around (on S02).

This is actually a good subject in that I measure tire pressure once on the road for a while to let the tires heat up. Because then the air expands and you might be sitting with more pressure than nec. and the car won't handle right.

Example: I like my car to be 32 in front and 30 in rear when hot. How much variance will there be when they are cold? Also, what potential increases will there be when they heat up, if I fill them cold at the above temps.?

Deiger

 

so 32 psi at 32f is more than 32psi at 82f? Maybe if I run my air hose thru the cooler with my beer I can save my extra air for later....anyone have a conversion table?

So is it the air temp or the tire temp?

an aircompressor intercooler....save ya lots of time at the track...

ok no more hot air jokes

fltsfshr

 

The recommended pressure of 32 psi should be measured with the tires COLD, as in after sitting overnight. If you adjust pressure to recommended values when they are hot you will not be putting enough air into your tires.

On the track, tires generally increase 5-6 psi when run hard, sometimes more, so I'll guess that pressure will increase 3-4 psi on the road. It's a pretty easy thing to check, just adjust pressures in the morning, go for a spirited long drive and check the pressures again. Also bear in mind that pressures will increase as the tire warms up during the day. I know that just sitting in grid at an autocross with one side of the car in the sun may cause a 1-2 psi increase on the sunny-side tires compared to the ones in the shade.

I run slightly higher cold pressures than recommended (34 psi rear and 36 psi front) because it gives me improved road feel and longer wear (at the expense of ride comfort).

 

FOR THE PEOPLE WITH TOO MUCH TIME AND MONEY... FILL YOUR TIRES WITH NITROGEN, IT WONT HEAT UP AS FAST (TIRE TEMP WONT CHANGE BUT YOUR LESS PRONE TO BLOWING THEM)