What are your Tire Pressure Monitoring/Adjustment Habits?

[Lazy2.5]

I own a 2015 Mazda 6 that does not tell me my tire pressures. It has an older style of TPMS that simply alerts you if one of your wheels are spinning faster than the others.

I bought one of these: Fanttik X8 Apex Portable Air Pump & Tire Inflator

Here in Canada, temperatures fluctuate dramatically from day to day, between days and nights, etc.

I read online that tire PSI changes by about 1psi with every 5-6C change in ambient temperatures, so that is usually when I check my tire pressures and adjust as needed.

If the suns rays are coming into contact with the tires on one side of the car, I will have to drop their pressure by 1-2PSI to match the other side.

I typically inflate to a target of 1PSI less than what is specified in my door, because I often drive in the mornings while ambient temperatures are still increasing, and I find that the slightly lower pressure helps with bad roads.

 

[GFrosty]

On my CX-5, when I'm ready to readjust the tire pressures, here's basically what I do:

• Late in the day, inflate at my local gas station. 40psi, usually. Then drive home and park.
• First thing next morning, adjust pressures and verify using an Accu-Gage pressure gauge.
• Reset the system.
• Every other time I adjust the pressures, I check the spare tire.
• As my driving is almost all pavement, and almost all "regular/sedate" driving, I don't concern myself over side-to-side performance differences, changes based on surface differences (ie, gravel/dirt versus pavement, track vs street). The same essential pressures I use vary slightly front to rear, but otherwise I just ensure the adjustment keeps them seasonally where they need to be.

If I've had dramatic temp changes in the area, I'll often re-do the pressures to accomodate that current temp range. My area tends to not get huge temp swings from one day to the next, aside from the seasonal changes.

 

[BoomerZoomr]

I don’t check my tire pressure when the sun has been shining on any of the tires. I only check my tire pressures when the car hasn’t been driven in the last few hours. Late afternoon is when I normally check the tires. Since the front tires carry more weight than the rear tires… I set the rear tires at the recommended pressure indicated on the sticker inside the driver door jamb, and the front tires one psi above the rear. (That might be an OCD thing ) By the time I check the tires again the pressures have dropped a bit. I use a Craftsman 20 volt inflator along with these two tools.

 

[Lazy2.5]

@BoomerZoomr: Off topic - I noticed you have both a CX-5 and a 6, which one do you prefer?

 

[BoomerZoomr]

@BoomerZoomr: Off topic - I noticed you have both a CX-5 and a 6, which one do you prefer?

My wife and I technically own both cars… but the CX-5 is mine and the 6 is hers. Since they are both Signature models, the driving experience has many similarities. I would say I prefer driving the CX-5, but that’s because I drive it more and I kinda prefer the SUV over a car. For a long road trip I would probably prefer the car. Strangely, I think the car would likely haul more groceries too. Bulky items would work better in the SUV.

 

[N7turbo]

Tire pressure should be measured and set when cool. You don't worry about what happens to them when warm as they are engineered to handle the expected expansion. I guess you could make an exception when traversing the Sonoran Desert or Death Valley.

I tend to use 35 psi, but I drop them to 30-32 psi during the snowy months.

I don't check them that often. Every couple of months maybe I'll adjust them. They don't deviate that much unless the seasons are changing.

 

[SparkYellow]

The TPMS on my CX-3 also doesn't specify which tire is low. When the alert comes on, I have to pull over and check all four. Somehow I've got quite a few false alarms.

My other cars don't have any monitoring system at all. I have used those kits where you replace the valve stem caps with Bluetooth enabled caps that can detect the psi and temp. The stats are displayed on a small screen that you can stick on your dash and charge by the sun. They work for a decent amount of time considering how much I paid. I stopped using them though, because the cap is constantly pushing on the valve stem rod (?), if I don't twist the cap on fully, it actually starts a leak. Each cap also needs a button battery. If I want to install another kit, I'd look for units over $50 with 4+ star reviews.