cold weather travel

Passin Thru wrote:
We ran heavy trucks for well over 3 million miles and never checked the air pressure from FL-MO-CA-MT or anywhere else from -50 to 130 F. We thumped them with a tire billy and if they all sounded the same we went. You can hear if one is low.

That explains why we see parts of truck tires all over the highway. Since the pressure drops in ALL tires when the temps drop they will all sound the same when thumped and will all be low in tire pressure.
There are so many articles from "real" experts out there that say that tire pressure drops when driving from warm temps to cold temps that the air pressure needs to be increased or your tires are under inflated and dangerous.
On one of our trips I could hear the TPMS going off on the vehicle next to us as the driver was getting ready to depart on a cold morning. He told me that he didn't have to add air since the tires would heat up in 5-10 miles and the low pressure warning would go off. Stupid!!!
If I would have left Florida yesterday morning, the outside temp was 80. Right now in St. Louis, MO the temp is 13 degrees, or a 67 degree difference. If you think your tire pressure would not drop to the point of having dangerously under inflated tires, you are an accident waiting to happen.

My tow car lost tire pressure at Lake Havasu City, AZ. after a cold spell last year. The tire light came on the dashboard warning me. I went to Lakeside Tire in LHC and the manager told me it's quite common for tires to lose air after a cold spell. He also told me that I was the 12th vehicle to come in that day with low tire pressure. I've never had that happen to me before during cold spells in the Pacific Northwest?

I check mine for leaks before driving. I'm covered for low pressure regardless of the cause.

Passin Thru wrote:
We ran heavy trucks for well over 3 million miles and never checked the air pressure from FL-MO-CA-MT or anywhere else from -50 to 130 F. We thumped them with a tire billy and if they all sounded the same we went. You can hear if one is low.

Got the same experience. You are spot on!!!

I just kick mine in the morning. See you on the road! :)

We ran heavy trucks for well over 3 million miles and never checked the air pressure from FL-MO-CA-MT or anywhere else from -50 to 130 F. We thumped them with a tire billy and if they all sounded the same we went. You can hear if one is low.

I usually check mine at least once a year unless one looks low or its driving funny----but I don't seem to do anything the way the experts do....supposed to be 20 here in the morning and I am not checking my air---no way!

It is a good idea to check tire pressure frequently, most are not going to do not this daily...you are probably pretty safe to check in FL and then in MO when you arrive. Heat affects temp readings, is the reason to check cold not sure how the air temp will effect your tires at the lower MO temps but long haul truckers criss cross all the time so not a real issue...as long as you check them now and then..

I agree. When on the road, I check my tires EVERY morning and make sure they are the right pressure for THAT morning, whatever that temperature may be.

Ed Headington

DannyLeininger wrote:

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.

I disagree with the above. The correct tire pressure is determined by the weight of your MH and set at about 70 degrees. As the temps drop, so will the tire pressure, but this is factored in by the tire designers.

If your tires are properly inflated in Florida, they will be fine in Missouri.

Do a search for How Tire Pressures are affected by cold Temps and you will find lots of info on this topic/

Enjoy the cold!

Perhaps you should have done a search on tire pressures and cold weather. I did, which is why I posted what I did. Read this whole article from the tire experts. They do not even mention 70 degrees because you set your tire pressure for the ACTUAL outside temperature. I guess it is no wonder that some people have blowouts and then blame it on the tire manufacturer.
As their next to the last paragraph states:
It's important to remember that your vehicle's recommended tire pressure is its cold tire inflation pressure. It should be checked in the morning before you drive more than a few miles, or before rising ambient temperatures or the sun's radiant heat affects it.

Tire pressure and temperature

Another article that says the same thing: Tires and temperature
I like their statements:
Remember, it's not the tire that supports the load, but the air inside it. And as per Charles' Law, as the temperature decreases, so does the volume of air inside the tire. That causes a drop in pressure as well, which means the tire cannot support as much weight.
If you're starting out in San Diego with 105 psi in your steer tires at 70 degrees Fahrenheit, your tires might be at 90 psi in Bismark. That would put you 15 psi underinflated, or looking at it another way, that tire could be overloaded by as much as 1,000 pounds depending on the tire size, as per the inflation tables.