cold weather travel

Good grief, this is certainly an emotional discussion.

I spoke to a guy from triptek about how they programmed the TPMS in my coach. He told me that they set the ideal pressure at 65 degrees and then report back what the pressure should be at the actual temperature. For example, my front tires require 120 PSI at 65 degrees. But if I'm filling them at 90 degrees, my TPMS will ask for more pressure.

As far as I know, the triptek is the only system I've seen do this.

I'm not sure I agree with this because it could lead to over inflation, but it certainly sounds more sophisticated than hitting my tires with a billy club.

JumboJet wrote:
Like most people responding to this thread, we aren't saying tire pressure needs to be neglected, but I have never worried about going from 60F to -9F while traveling. Built into the tires are a safe operating range.

That is why I posted the link from the trucking site. Tire pressure
They did the tests and say that you should worry about it.
Unless you know that you are starting off well above the correct tire pressure for your load, as the temps drop, so does your tire pressure. Once you get below the correct tire pressure, you have started to overload the tire. An under-inflated tire is the worst thing you can do to any tire.
There IS NOT a safety margin for under-inflation. There is a safety margin for the higher pressure caused by heat generated by the rolling tire. That is why the tire pressure stamped on the side of the tire is the MINIMUM tire pressure for a given load.
Oh, last year we traveled from Florida to visit Glacier NP, staying in Cut Bank, MT in October. I did not wait for an oil change to check my tire pressures.

Like most people responding to this thread, we aren't saying tire pressure needs to be neglected, but I have never worried about going from 60F to -9F while traveling. Built into the tires are a safe operating range.

We traveled from Arkansas in July to Glacier National park in Montana. On the way back home while in Aspen, CO I checked the tire temperatures and pressure. I was running 19.5" Load Range H tires that had 90 psi in them when I left Arkansas. In Aspen, after a good hard 4 hours of driving, they were showing 105 psi.

When the weather turns colder, I do see a lot of vehicles with under-inflated tires. I check mine between and after oil changes.

The tech at the dealer where I have my oil changed and 23 point inspection performed, lied about the tire pressures. I carried the truck back the next morning and the tech was made to perform the 23 point inspection all over, clean the inside, and wash the outside. Duallys are a hassle to check tire pressure.

JumboJet wrote:

rgatijnet1 wrote:

I guess you forgot what the topic was about....Driving from Florida to Missouri. When the topic was started, the temperature difference was in excess of 60 degrees at those locations. In that case the pressure drop would have been close to 16 pounds.

What you are forgetting is that friction of the tire will increase the pressure as the loaded rig rolls down the road.

So what you start with will not be what you have 50 miles down the road.

Some people are just anal about everything. There is a fair balance to life. Try to maintain that.

Common sense says to check tire pressure frequently. Check oil levels frequently. Be sure your alternator is charging your batteries, etc. etc. etc.

I have been driving all types of vehicles for 52 years with 1,000,000's of miles during those 52 years.

I have had ONE blowout on an OEM tire after hitting a pot hole at 70 mph. Just ONE! A couple of flats from nails, etc. but just ONE blowout caused by a pot hole.

I do purchase quality tires.

I doubt if too many people would drive straight through from Florida to Missouri. That is why in the very FIRST reply to the OP I told him to check his air in his tires after his OVERNIGHT stops. With the rapidly dropping temps he would experiencing when this topic started, he would be adding air at the start of each day. I did not say to stop 50 miles down the road, or anything else to that affect, that you infer.
I regularly make the drive each Winter from HOT Florida to below freezing temperatures as we go north. I passed my experience with the rapidly dropping temperatures on to the OP. The OP says that he is starting off with the CORRECT PSI. He did not say he added extra pressure to account for the temperature drop. In that case, when he got up the next morning, after his first stop, the temperatures would be considerably cooler and his tires would be well below the CORRECT pressure.

rgatijnet1 wrote:

I guess you forgot what the topic was about....Driving from Florida to Missouri. When the topic was started, the temperature difference was in excess of 60 degrees at those locations. In that case the pressure drop would have been close to 16 pounds.

What you are forgetting is that friction of the tire will increase the pressure as the loaded rig rolls down the road.

So what you start with will not be what you have 50 miles down the road.

Some people are just anal about everything. There is a fair balance to life. Try to maintain that.

Common sense says to check tire pressure frequently. Check oil levels frequently. Be sure your alternator is charging your batteries, etc. etc. etc.

I have been driving all types of vehicles for 52 years with 1,000,000's of miles during those 52 years.

I have had ONE blowout on an OEM tire after hitting a pot hole at 70 mph. Just ONE! A couple of flats from nails, etc. but just ONE blowout caused by a pot hole.

I do purchase quality tires.

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Yes. After each overnight stop check your tires in the morning before you hit the road and you will find that you have to add air.

BS! What do you do when you travel from sea level to 11,000 feet? Stop and let the air out? No you don't. You know that airing them up at correct pressure at the ambient temperature where you live will be good for whatever temperature and elevation you encounter.

Friction of the loaded tire on the road increases tire temperature and pressures.

rgatijnet1 wrote:

hipower wrote:

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Reading some of the posts it is becoming very clear why some people have trouble with their tires. Of course, according to them, it is always the manufacturer's fault.
Maintaining proper air pressure at all times seems so basic and so important that it is preached by every tire manufacturer.

The problem with changing pressures is accelerated by our desire to maintain the ideal pressure for the weight being carried.

If we follow that thinking then adjusting the pressure every time we stop or the temperature goes up or down a few degrees would be the norm.

Running tires underinflated is asking for trouble in most cases. Those of us who run higher pressures than the supposed ideal based on weight will rarely see pressures drop enough due to temperature decreases to become a factor. If we as RV owners are anal enough about maintaining ideal pressures we would be stopping frequently to check the pressures and adjusting for low pressure as well as high pressure. I see drivers adding air, but have never seen anyone removing air because the pressure increased due to higher temps.

I guess you forgot what the topic was about....Driving from Florida to Missouri. When the topic was started, the temperature difference was in excess of 60 degrees at those locations. In that case the pressure drop would have been close to 16 pounds.
If you travel during the Winter to locations where the temperature has big swings, like in this topic and in the Western mountains, then you SHOULD raise or lower your pressure accordingly. Keeping with the topic, if someone during that same period of time traveled from Missouri south to Florida, and their tires were properly inflated in Missouri, then they would be 16 pounds over-inflated when they reached Florida. It seems obvious what you would do, which is drive around with grossly over-inflated tires because you have NEVER seen anyone remove air from their tires.
Some of us that do travel in the Winter and visit areas where we experience big temperature swings, do check our tire pressure each morning and adjust accordingly, either up or down. If you have never seen it being done it is because you don't travel to those areas or travel during very cold Winter temperatures.

Since my travels have frequently been from PA to FL and back in the dead of winter, I believe my experience would be appropriate. In over 30 years of RV travels I have run several sets of tires over 100,000 mile each and up to ten years before replacing them. I have never found the need to continually adjust pressures to achieve that tire life. I won't deny that temperature changes will change tire pressures, but if we follow that logic we will also see pressures change with changes in elevation, such as crossing mountain ranges.

End result, we will all do what we feel is required and live with the result. My experience both with my RV's and nearly 40 years of truck fleet operations has served me well, and I don't believe I will change what has worked for me.

Put in 6 lbs more and just go. You can over think these things. I run all my tires 5 lbs over all the time. I do not worry on the trip and check them when I get to my destination before leaving.

hipower wrote:
I see drivers adding air, but have never seen anyone removing air because the pressure increased due to higher temps.

Then you've never seen me.

hipower wrote:

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Reading some of the posts it is becoming very clear why some people have trouble with their tires. Of course, according to them, it is always the manufacturer's fault.
Maintaining proper air pressure at all times seems so basic and so important that it is preached by every tire manufacturer.

The problem with changing pressures is accelerated by our desire to maintain the ideal pressure for the weight being carried.

If we follow that thinking then adjusting the pressure every time we stop or the temperature goes up or down a few degrees would be the norm.

Running tires underinflated is asking for trouble in most cases. Those of us who run higher pressures than the supposed ideal based on weight will rarely see pressures drop enough due to temperature decreases to become a factor. If we as RV owners are anal enough about maintaining ideal pressures we would be stopping frequently to check the pressures and adjusting for low pressure as well as high pressure. I see drivers adding air, but have never seen anyone removing air because the pressure increased due to higher temps.

I guess you forgot what the topic was about....Driving from Florida to Missouri. When the topic was started, the temperature difference was in excess of 60 degrees at those locations. In that case the pressure drop would have been close to 16 pounds.
If you travel during the Winter to locations where the temperature has big swings, like in this topic and in the Western mountains, then you SHOULD raise or lower your pressure accordingly. Keeping with the topic, if someone during that same period of time traveled from Missouri south to Florida, and their tires were properly inflated in Missouri, then they would be 16 pounds over-inflated when they reached Florida. It seems obvious what you would do, which is drive around with grossly over-inflated tires because you have NEVER seen anyone remove air from their tires.
Some of us that do travel in the Winter and visit areas where we experience big temperature swings, do check our tire pressure each morning and adjust accordingly, either up or down. If you have never seen it being done it is because you don't travel to those areas or travel during very cold Winter temperatures.