Do tires get flat spots in cold weather?

Question

My 2005 Acura TL starts off each day with a really bumpy ride (feels like a flat tire), yet after 10-15 minutes, the ride is smoother. The local dealer tells me it's because "flat spots" form overnight on my "performance" tires. Car only has 8K miles. Alignment is fine. Tires were rotated recently. I think the (original Michelin) tires are faulty and the dealer won't admit it. The loaner car didn't have this problem at all... Any ideas?

Answer 1

Cold weather can make the air molecules in the tire contract, reducing the the air pressure and causing "square wheels" syndrome. Once your tires warm up they should be fine. Cold weather also causes the rubber in some tires to loose some flexibility, causing flat spot. Again, these should disappear as the tire warms up. Performance tires have stiffer rubber in the sidewalls than normal tires, which may compound the problem of flat spotting. The flat spots would take longer to work out. If they don't take it to a tire shop, you may have a leak, which also can be caused by cold weather.

Answer 2

Flat Spot Tires

Answer 3

The dealer is correct. Your tires are prone to flat spots because this is a common characteristic of high-performance tires like those fitted to your Acura (your loaner may not have HP tires). As I recall about a year or maybe 2 ago Mercedes Benz put out a TSB that suggested that when storing its vehicles for any extended period the wheels should be removed or the vehicle at least lifted off the ground to avoid the flat spotting that is characteristic of high-performance tires.

My Sentra with 45-series W-rated Continentals does exactly the same thing as your Acura.

Answer 4

On a 2005 Acura TL the Michelin MXM4 tire's you are running on the vehicle will not create flat spots from just sitting over night no matter how cold it is . Flat spots accrue when the vehicle slams on the brakes or bad shocks or struts on the vehicle is not holding the tire to the road. Maybe you should try putting nitrogen in you tire's instead of compressed air. With nitrogen the tire pressure wont fluctuate when the tire's get hot or cold, and there is no water molecules in nitrogen like compressed air.

Answer 5

Flat spots accure for a number of reasons. When I worked for a car dealership we would have a number of "bad tires" internal broken belts, flat spots, etc. A number of tires are damaged when the cars are strapped down to a car trailer, train, or ship, to secure the vehicle during shipping. Now each manufacture normally have and obsever or their own shipping team, because the wrong tire pressure and the wrong strap tension can easily damage a tire. Also if you have radial tires rotating the tires against the direction of travell may also cause this problem.
I would bother the dealership/manufacture where I bought the car until they fixed the problem. If not the by another set of tires and see if the problem goes away.
Best of luck.

Answer 6

The dealer wan't lying to you. You will have flat spots on your tires after sitting overnight in the cold. As soon as they warm up this problem goes away...happens with all tires. My tires do the same thing and it is quite annoying but you just need to have patience until your tires warm up.

Answer 7

Check your tire pressure when they are cold.
Should be about 32-35 psi.

Air expands as it warms up. So, after driving it, it will increase the pressure in your tire causing it to seem properly inflated.

Answer 8

This should help for any and all recalls on Michelins. As for the "flatspot" in winter, weather has nothing to do with it. "flatspots" are caused by 2 different things. One: Looking up your brakes and Two: letting your vehicle sit for too long without air in the tires.

Answer 9

yes tires get flat spots but they shouldnt just sitting over night usually when they sit for a looonngggg period of time ..tell them that you want the tires replaced

Answer 10

no worry.