For a while I had been driving with one my front tires being a little low, and with the storm that hit the midwest a few days ago the temperature dropped within a matter of hours. The day after the storm I went to school and in my way back I noticed the tire was completely deflated. Today I changed the tire and went to a nearby gas station to inflate it and see if it could keep the air inside. The tire appears perfectly normal but I'm afraid that is because there is no pressure pushing on it for the air to leak out.
What do you think? Should I put it back? Is it normal for tires to deflate in cold temperatures?
2006-12-03 11:37:00 · 9 answers · asked by thunderstorm 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
OK, listen: DO NOT put 50 p.s.i. in your tires, ever. Just look on the side of it. The maker of the tire will tell you not to put in more than 32 or 35. It is rare that 50 will cause a problem, but if it does, the problem will become medical.
So, the tire is off. Good. I hope you are not driving around with one of those stupid donut tires. If you are (especially if it is a front wheel drive), stop. That thing is only for emergencies and can cause you a lot of trouble if you keep driving on it.
Now, put in the max amount of air that the maker tells you, not 50 or 60 lbs. Get a spray bottle. Fill it up 3/4 of the way with warm water. Slowly add dishwashing liquid until it is full. Stand the tire up, with the valve stem up top. Spray liberally tread area of the tire. As you do so, slowly rotate all the way around until the stem is on top. Never take your eyes off the tread. If there is a leak in the tread portion, a foamy bubble pattern will appear. The soap will ensure that the bubbles don't just pop and show you nothing. If there is even a small hole, you will see it.
If nothing there then lie the tire flat. Liberally spray along the rim line and wait. If there is a leak at the rim it will be very slow and take longer for the soap to foam up. Turn over and repeat. By the way: when you are spraying the stem side, take the cap off and spray the whole thing really well. It could leak around the base or even from the core.
Now you know how to really check for a leak.
But, you still might miss it if you are not really careful. If you find a leak, how are you going to fix it? Do you have a plugging kit or a bead splitter? No. Furthermore, if you have trouble, that might prompt you to drive around longer on that ridiculous and dangerous thing, they call a spare tire these days.
Since you have the tire off, take it to your local service station, or tire mechanic and have them fix it for you. If you carry it in yourself it will cost less. And it won't cost much to fix anyhow, unless there is damage caused by driving flat, or a side wall puncture. You may then have to replace the tire. I have looked at literally thousands of flats and only maybe 10% had to be replaced for severe damage.
Good luck.
2006-12-03 12:31:12 · answer #1 · answered by kfhaggerty 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Spray water all over the tire and look for bubbles blowing. Be sure to include the valve stem. Anywhere that there is a leak you will see bubbles as the air leaks out. Because there is already pressure from the inside air pressure it will not male much difference if the tire is on the car or not. Tire pressure will decrease to a small degree in cold temperatures but not a whole lot.
2006-12-03 19:47:58 · answer #2 · answered by quagi m 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes, it is normal for tires to lose air pressure in cold weather, but to the extent you speak of, I'm not sure. I'd recommend you do what Silverstang says and have it checked for a small nail or a leaky valve stem so you won't find yourself out in such nasty weather with a flat tire. And, as goingtoantherlevel says, aluminum rims or aluminum wheels can have leaks that you need to check for, so go to a tire store or a gas station and see if they can find anything by inflating the tires to say 50 psi and spraying soap on it or dunking it in a tub of water, whichever has the least chance of freezing on you. God Bless you.
2006-12-03 19:50:15 · answer #3 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
you may have a slow leak. you should already own a tire pressure guage but if not go out and buy one and then use it, regularly. Air temperature will affect a tire's inflation but not enough for it to go completely flat.
2006-12-03 19:44:32 · answer #4 · answered by Wreynor 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It has a problem without a doubt have it checked out , if only one goes flat instead of all four that rules out the cold weather theory . Simple flat tire , take it to a tire store , its cheap its quick . Good luck
2006-12-03 20:12:06 · answer #5 · answered by chris78corvette 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
tires will appear to deflate in cold temps because the cold will make the air molecules in the tires smaller. opposite is true in hot temps, where the air expands. you could get the tire checked for leaks if you are still worried. you could also try using nitrogen in your tires which leak more slowly as the molucules are bigger than air molecules. good luck.
2006-12-03 19:49:52 · answer #6 · answered by Special K 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I'd get it leak checked to make sure there is no nail or something that is stuck in there. Or something that isn't leaking out the valve or something.
2006-12-03 19:42:48 · answer #7 · answered by Silverstang 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yea tires will go down during cold weather.if its a good tire,put it back on,but in cold weather,keep an eye on the pressure,because they will go down.
2006-12-03 21:47:53 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes it could ex specialty with aluminum rim
2006-12-03 19:43:24 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋