How often do you check your Truck's tire pressure?
How often do you check your truck tires and trailer’s Air Pressure carrying your Truck Campers?
Do you vary your diligence with the wheel type?
Tire Size and type?
A friend asked me about tire inflation and how often is too often in checking air pressure on our heavy weighted vehicles. Now, that my friends, is a really good question. Especially in regards to the recent discussion on 19.5” tires.
From my racing days, I learned one thing, the lighter the unsprung weight of a vehicle the easier it is to move a vehicle around and of course, the faster it will go. Well, that transfers to our trucks too. With my vintage racing, we often used Hallibrand Knockoff Wheels (spinners with pin lock). These special wheels were produced from Magnesium. Super light, but porous. Thus the issue of wheel porosity.
The lighter the material, typically the more porous, meaning air will permeate the wheels, thus slowly deflating the tire, if left unchecked. The Magnesium wheels were so porous, the tires would deflate in a few hours. The side effect of moisture laden air expanding, often helped with the loss of air, in these tires. Coatings and other additives were applied and blended into the moulding of these wheels, as well as modern wheels and tires. For lighter tires often loss air pressure as well, typically due to their reduced sidewalls and designs.
So with that, one might expect the ultra-expensive Carbon Fiber Wheels being the least porous, but who would want to spend more than $10k per wheel? As it is well known that polymer wheels have the best air retention, but lose favor for their lack of durability. Modern Aluminum wheels are still susceptible for air loss, over time, than their heavier counter parts, Steel. Newer science allows less porosity of Aluminum Wheels, but it is still an issue and needing more monitoring/air pressure verification. Especially when lower quality manufacturing is used and why the higher quality Aluminum Wheels are sought by Commercial Trucking, for their minimal porosity issues.
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Do you vary your diligence with the wheel type?
Tire Size and type?
A friend asked me about tire inflation and how often is too often in checking air pressure on our heavy weighted vehicles. Now, that my friends, is a really good question. Especially in regards to the recent discussion on 19.5” tires.
From my racing days, I learned one thing, the lighter the unsprung weight of a vehicle the easier it is to move a vehicle around and of course, the faster it will go. Well, that transfers to our trucks too. With my vintage racing, we often used Hallibrand Knockoff Wheels (spinners with pin lock). These special wheels were produced from Magnesium. Super light, but porous. Thus the issue of wheel porosity.
The lighter the material, typically the more porous, meaning air will permeate the wheels, thus slowly deflating the tire, if left unchecked. The Magnesium wheels were so porous, the tires would deflate in a few hours. The side effect of moisture laden air expanding, often helped with the loss of air, in these tires. Coatings and other additives were applied and blended into the moulding of these wheels, as well as modern wheels and tires. For lighter tires often loss air pressure as well, typically due to their reduced sidewalls and designs.
So with that, one might expect the ultra-expensive Carbon Fiber Wheels being the least porous, but who would want to spend more than $10k per wheel? As it is well known that polymer wheels have the best air retention, but lose favor for their lack of durability. Modern Aluminum wheels are still susceptible for air loss, over time, than their heavier counter parts, Steel. Newer science allows less porosity of Aluminum Wheels, but it is still an issue and needing more monitoring/air pressure verification. Especially when lower quality manufacturing is used and why the higher quality Aluminum Wheels are sought by Commercial Trucking, for their minimal porosity issues.
b
