TPMS - At what Temperature do I worry?
Bought a TireMinder TMG400C. Easily installed. We have a single axle popup, and the system has 4 sensors, so in addition to the popup tires I put sensors on the two TV rear tires. Took it on our fi...
Forum Discussion
....there are a few things that I discovered with TPM systems:
typically, most (not all) TPM systems only alarm when tire pressure is low, and will not indicate a dangerously-high tire pressure. Make sure you know specifically what your brand of TPMS can/can't do.
Another thing that should concern drivers is: everyone's tires had/have/will be checked at different "cold" temperatures (i.e. one guy will fill/adjust cold pressure when vehicle is rested for 3 hours or more at say 9F in winter; 63F in spring; 102F in summer; and 51F in fall. So, when the "cold" resting temperature of the tires (no matter where on the weather scale you are at) is checked and brought to spec at that x temperature, and the temperature changes as the day progresses: there is a relationship between ambient air temperature change, and the resting temperature of your tires: as ambient outside air temps change, so does the tire pressure in your vehicle's tires.
If you set your tire pressure in the hot summer, your TPMS may alarm when the cold fall arrives months later (as your tire's air contracts due to cold fall ambient temps); etc, etc. Also, as you drive, the tire friction on road, increasing daytime temperature, and incoming solar radiation striking your tire will all conspire to increase the pressure inside your tires.
I always readjust our cold resting (vehicle stopped for at least 4 hours in total shade) tire pressure as the outside ambient air temperature rises or falls significantly (from season to season; or from high mountain cold environments to low-land hot environments over short driving periods).
The issue of extreme hot weather driving and resultant potential over inflation and tire temperature over spec has to be addressed by each and every manufacturer (and tire model) individually!
typically, most (not all) TPM systems only alarm when tire pressure is low, and will not indicate a dangerously-high tire pressure. Make sure you know specifically what your brand of TPMS can/can't do.
Another thing that should concern drivers is: everyone's tires had/have/will be checked at different "cold" temperatures (i.e. one guy will fill/adjust cold pressure when vehicle is rested for 3 hours or more at say 9F in winter; 63F in spring; 102F in summer; and 51F in fall. So, when the "cold" resting temperature of the tires (no matter where on the weather scale you are at) is checked and brought to spec at that x temperature, and the temperature changes as the day progresses: there is a relationship between ambient air temperature change, and the resting temperature of your tires: as ambient outside air temps change, so does the tire pressure in your vehicle's tires.
If you set your tire pressure in the hot summer, your TPMS may alarm when the cold fall arrives months later (as your tire's air contracts due to cold fall ambient temps); etc, etc. Also, as you drive, the tire friction on road, increasing daytime temperature, and incoming solar radiation striking your tire will all conspire to increase the pressure inside your tires.
I always readjust our cold resting (vehicle stopped for at least 4 hours in total shade) tire pressure as the outside ambient air temperature rises or falls significantly (from season to season; or from high mountain cold environments to low-land hot environments over short driving periods).
The issue of extreme hot weather driving and resultant potential over inflation and tire temperature over spec has to be addressed by each and every manufacturer (and tire model) individually!
