Tire pressure - start trip cold to warm climate

[Hurk]

Good morning. We are heading out Dec 28. The temp here in Vancouver BC is -2 degrees Celsius and accordingly our tire psi is lower than at 7 degrees which is the temp I set the tires. I set tires at 100 psi and the reading at -2 is 93. I know that after 15 minutes driving they will be back at 100 so my thought is to just leave them? Two days into trip we will be at 15-20 degrees. Also the tire pressure chart shows I should set at 95 psi but I up it by 5. I think I will be ok?


Jim
Chilliwack BC
2007 Cayman

[CLIFFTALL]

I would agree that you'll be ok. That 5 lb cushion will take care of most of the 7 lb variance. I wouldn't fool with it . Have a safe trip.

[96 Wideglide]

You'll be fine.

I'm a month behind you . Push all the snow off the road for me please .

[Hurk]

Originally Posted by 96 Wideglide

You'll be fine.



I'm a month behind you . Push all the snow off the road for me please .

Up to a couple days ago had 30 in of snow on roof of RV. Heading down freeway wouldn't be fun for vehicles following me I'm sure I,would be a one vehicle blizzard! Now all the snow is gone all is good. As of today I-5 looks clear!


Jim
Chilliwack BC
2007 Cayman

[Sky_Boss]

Don't confuse "cold pressure" with what you will see once you get going. Tires are engineered to run safely with the tire pressure changes caused by heating while driving and other variable factors.

You should inflate your tires to your desired PSI based on it before the tires warm up to operating temps instead of expecting them to be at your desired pressure after being driven. In other words...start your cold day at 95 PSI or 100 if you wish.

Personally, I would start at 95 PSI because the PSI will increase about 2 PSI for every 10*F of ambient temperature rise as you travel south. That means if you go from 30*F to 50*F those tires will be at about 99 PSI when "cold".

Going from cold to warm temps is normally not a big deal. The only exception is if your tires are at or near their max cold PSI before you start your trip. As an example, I need to run 115 PSI on my front tires and their max cold PSI is 120 PSI. If I experience a change of 30*F, I am at my max cold PSI. Any additional increase of ambient cold tire temps above that pushes them further above max.

So, if your max cold PSI is well above 95 PSI...you won't have any problem except your ride might get a bit harsher due to the higher pressure. Besides, reducing tire pressure because of these factors is pretty easy.