Tire Pressure Vs. Ambient
I recently found that adjusting our tires to the cold inflation temperature base on the local ambient may not be the correct way to do this. Based on this info, the ambient temp for setting tire pres...
Forum Discussion
Kaz wrote:X2, this is reality. Tire pressures rise with temperature. Who's kidding who? Should we ignore that scientific fact, or should we factor that into our decisions when we fill our tires?
I'm not sure why this seems controversial: the science is sound. For example, here's what Roger Marble says on RV Tire Safety: "As you work through my earlier posts you will see the general guideline for pressure increase of about 2 percent for every 10°F, so if you set your cold pressure to 80 psi in Oklahoma City in November and it's 45°F you may see your cold pressure has increased to 86 psi in Phoenix the next morning when it is 85°F." Or running it the other way, if you set your cold pressure at 86 psi at 85°F, the cold pressure would be 80 psi at 45°F. So, the question is, if the cold pressure is right in Phoenix, should you add air when you get to Oklahoma City?
I like to go with reality, it works out much nicer for me. I'll fill my tires at the end of the day with extra heat adjusted pressure and the next day they are perfect at 65 degrees. Reality works great for me.
The only tricky part is in the winter when temps are in the 20s and 30s. But if we are filling our tires in the 20s, maybe there is something else that's wrong. Maybe we should move south.
