Never Assume !

OFDPOS wrote:
Well maybe I should have used a better head line then "assume" my bad..

I usually always check the tires, but this time around was thinking uhm NOT thinking about them and was doing all the other pre-check stuff and you know how it goes I'll do it after I do this and then start on something else..

When I replaced the tires I had them install the solid valve stems , BUT I went the cheap route and bought solid valve stem extenders NOT the Tire Man ones ! now I wished I would have gotten...
Two of the valve stems its like watching the grass grow to get any air in them... :(
But the other three tires were within a lb or two where I put them last October..

I have a suspicion its the extender leaking ?? I'm going to put some soapy water on it and see if there is any bubbles...
I read the reviews on the ones I got and all comments were great ,, outstanding blah blah blah ...

I'm going to go ahead and order the Tire Man valve stems and have them installed before we really get out for longer trips...
Unfortunately I can't get them here in time for this weekend .

Still taking it to the tire shop today and see if they can see whats up...
I'll post up findings.

When I first got the MH I put the extenders on and had a leak in one. After having this problem I tighten all of them and put soapy water around them for the first year to check for leaks. Never had another leak in 10 years. I don't have a TPMS but I check them like I check my tow car. On a trip I check with an IR gun when I stop at rest areas or for gas. I lose very little air as I said in my first post.

wa8yxm wrote:
Recommend a good TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitor System)

The Pressure Pro (your choice of two different companies) reports the tire pressure, several others will report LOW pressure. now I had issues with sensors leaking but ..... When the pressure goes down. Trust me.. I KNEW IT.

In fact first time out with the system I found I'd been screwed.. About 2/3 the way to destination the alarm went off, Low pressure, Left Front, Towed.

Sure enough it was low.. So I aired it up.. Over the weekend it went flat several times, So I checked it every time I got in and aired up as needed.. Finally returned home Sunday Evening.

Monday Morning I aired it up again, went to tire store, they removed the screw, put in a proper patch (not a plug) no charge (road hazard warranty) (And you thought I meant something else by Screwed didn't you)

Another RVer about the same time, Same system, decided to put it in later, Same tire Flat, Shredded, Rim totaled, Brake rotor, Fender well, over 2,000 in secondary damage.

My cost was around 100 bucks. Less over 2,000 in damages = quite a savings.

So I went on their website , never got to the Prices but come on really..
Copied this right off their site :
Complete your PressurePro System with Sensors, a power cord and antenna. Download our full catalog to view all cord, antenna and mounting options.


They sell you the monitor then apparently the sensors that have NON chargeable OR replaceable batteries , ok oh hey you'll need a power cord,, that will be $$$ oh and you'll need an antenna too that will be $$$

Was this what you had to do ?

Or am I interpreting their website wrong ;)

Ok just got back from the tire shop , nothing found tire wise BUT said that the metal valve stem nut (NOT the extender) wasn't as tight as it should have been . The guy said he snugged it up a turn or so . We'll see !!

Next up dave54 comment on TPMS ..

Learned a lesson about these things too , on vehicles that come with TPMS and reg sized spare tires NOT the little donuts.. Hey they have one in them too.
Last winter went out got in our Toy FJ and when I started it up the low tire light was on since this being an 08 its not the new fang-dangled type that tells you with tire is low !
I checked all 4 tires all were at the correct setting. So I went by the tire shop since they had just rotated the tires the week before, they checked the tires and said uhm must have a bad TPMS sensor ? Not wanting to buy one from them I said I'll go by the Toyota dealer.
Guy behind the counter said they very rarely see one go bad and asked if I had checked the spare tire ?? The light bulb went off in my head DOH didn't even don on me that it would have a TPMS in it. Got home pulled the cover off it, checked it and it had 28 lbs ap in it. brought the ap up to the others, started the FJ and the light went out...

I'm still going to order a set of those Tire Man Valve stems !!!

Recommend a good TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitor System)

The Pressure Pro (your choice of two different companies) reports the tire pressure, several others will report LOW pressure. now I had issues with sensors leaking but ..... When the pressure goes down. Trust me.. I KNEW IT.

In fact first time out with the system I found I'd been screwed.. About 2/3 the way to destination the alarm went off, Low pressure, Left Front, Towed.

Sure enough it was low.. So I aired it up.. Over the weekend it went flat several times, So I checked it every time I got in and aired up as needed.. Finally returned home Sunday Evening.

Monday Morning I aired it up again, went to tire store, they removed the screw, put in a proper patch (not a plug) no charge (road hazard warranty) (And you thought I meant something else by Screwed didn't you)

Another RVer about the same time, Same system, decided to put it in later, Same tire Flat, Shredded, Rim totaled, Brake rotor, Fender well, over 2,000 in secondary damage.

My cost was around 100 bucks. Less over 2,000 in damages = quite a savings.

Romer1 wrote:
...Not trying to start anything, but do you do the same for your daily driver? If not, how are those tires different?

Both daily drivers have built in TPMS.
Yes, I check them roughly weekly. Not only for air, but also plop on my back and poke my head under for tire condition and undercarriage. Bolt torque check monthly.

I check the TT tires three times after arriving. I check the first morning after arriving -- pressure, torque, visual on the entire undercarriage (I check the entire rig all around top and bottom.) That way if there is a problem I have several days to take care of it. I check pressure again the day before we leave -- again, if a tire is low I can inflate it without causing a travel delay. Final check is the morning we leave. Been doing this for years, never had to delay travel the morning we leave because of a mechanical problem.

Of course, now that I said that, you know what will happen next trip... :)

K3WE wrote:
Not sure how to say this, but if you assumed tires would hold air all winter, that's a really bad bad bad assumption.

If you go by the book, you really can't assume they'll hold air for a day. Ideally you check the tires at the initiation of every drive and at every fuel stop...

...and maybe that seems extreme and I know a lot of folks don't do the every trip/every fuel up, but seriously after anything more than a month or two, you really need an 'official' pressure reading and several visual inspections in between.

Not trying to start anything, but do you do the same for your daily driver? If not, how are those tires different?

Well maybe I should have used a better head line then "assume" my bad..

I usually always check the tires, but this time around was thinking uhm NOT thinking about them and was doing all the other pre-check stuff and you know how it goes I'll do it after I do this and then start on something else..

When I replaced the tires I had them install the solid valve stems , BUT I went the cheap route and bought solid valve stem extenders NOT the Tire Man ones ! now I wished I would have gotten...
Two of the valve stems its like watching the grass grow to get any air in them... :(
But the other three tires were within a lb or two where I put them last October..

I have a suspicion its the extender leaking ?? I'm going to put some soapy water on it and see if there is any bubbles...
I read the reviews on the ones I got and all comments were great ,, outstanding blah blah blah ...

I'm going to go ahead and order the Tire Man valve stems and have them installed before we really get out for longer trips...
Unfortunately I can't get them here in time for this weekend .

Still taking it to the tire shop today and see if they can see whats up...
I'll post up findings.

Just a suggestion, if you are not seeing any tire damage to account for the leak, you might check the wheel. Had that problem years ago....

I agree with Homer you have a leak somewhere. I check my tires regularly but only add maybe 5 psi in a year.

You are right one should always check the tire pressures for safety's sake. However, you have something in that tire; in 40 years I have never seen more that about 7-10 lbs drop in tire pressures over a winter storage.