Why check temp on tires? Really necessary?

I check the temps of the hubs every time I stop. That should give me an indication of anything going on.

Were I to buy one I'd be more interested in the temp of the wheel than the tire.

Never used one. Never seen anyone use one. Only place I ever heard it mentioned is on these forums.

I check temperatures of my tires for the same reason I watch my engine temperatures and oil levels.

A tire getting hot could be a sign of under inflation. A tire that is under inflated will flex more, creating more heat. It is the heat that ultimately causes the tire to fail. I don't have an IR gun, or else I would check.

Its important to know hub temps because it could be a bad bearing. Its important to know tire temps because it could be a loss of pressure that could lead to a blowout.

At $25 it's a useful device for checking a variety of temperature situations.

Probably the number one tire failure is due to under inflation causing the tire to overheat. Plus it's an opportunity to visually check the tires/wheels. And I check the tow setup, etc. And I shoot the radiator to see how it's cooking.

I've never found any problems but at least I'm outside checking.

One tire/wheel being notably hotter the others may be an indication of low tire pressure, dragging brake, bad bearing, etc. Quick and easy check during fuel/food/rest stop.

More of a reference number to know in case of long term failure rather than trying to stop a sudden break down at that very moment. I shoot my hubs (125 ish) and tranny pan (200 ish) occasionally just to stay familiar.

Remember, the spot to distance ratio of most of those infrared meters is about 8:1, so about 8" dia at one foot distance. The laser dot is merely an aiming point. If you stand back 2' and shoot the hub, you're averaging the whole tire. You gotta get close to be accurate.

I do not have an infrared unit. But I do lay my hands on my tires quite often when I stop just to see if they are too hot. Probably will buy the device someday.

Fastfwd75 wrote:
So I have read a few times now on this forum that people will check the temp of the tires with a laser infrared.

I'm guessing this is to prevent blowouts due to rubbing brakes?

Is this really necessary or just something people will do if they already own an infrared thermometer? Only for big motorhomes or for trailers too?

I am guessing most people don't do this but if the risk is real and frequent on travel trailers a 20-50$ thermometer is not a costly precaution.

Buy a good reliable Tire Pressure Monitoring System and you won't need a laser.

Plus not only will you know the temperatures of the tires,but have notice of an impending tire failure due to air loss.