My TL runs great but I have noticed a very annoying little problem with the tire pressure. Whenever the temperature outside drops to below 20 degrees or so, the tire pressure in my driver side rear tire loses about 7-8 lbs. I refill it, and it is fine for a while until the temperature drops again!

I've checked for small puntctures, etc, etc but the tire looks very good.

Does anyone else have this issue? Thanks for the input and I apologize if this is a subject already beat to death!

 

Are you relying onthe TPMS or are you doing this manually?

 

hmm, usually 1psi per 10 degree of temperature change. But then again -20F is pretty damn cold.

Have you checked the actual valve core (stem)? Maybe thats leaking air, just simply put a drop of saliva on top, if a bubble forms without breaking up, than it's good, no leak.
I had that problem on my other cars, but once I replaced the stem, a few bux, the problem went away.

 

Has the tire shop submerged the tire in water ot you checking visually?

Also it could be the valve in the stem. After you air it up spit on your finger and run it over the top of the stem to make a membrane and see if leaking air makes a bubble.

 

Thanks for the responses. I am relying on the TPMS.

I thought it might be a small leak, but I took the car cross country for a few weeks and never had the issue! Once I came back to the New York area and the temperature started to really flucuate, then the problem started happening again. Very odd because it only happens to one of the tires!

Guess I will have to take it in and have it looked at!

 

Ok, never rely on the TPMS for precise results. Use a tire pressure gauge to monitor your tires. Your TMPS sensors maybe wrong.

 

It is strange that you are losing air only in one tire.
You should try checking it manually.
Maybe the TPMS module is not working correctly.

 

The TMPS SHOULD be right....or else why would Acura put something that don't work on their vehicles???

 

This is my 3rd car with TMPS, they are NOT accurate, it is an approximation. I'm very anal about my PSIs, I only use TMPS to make sure I'm not losing air, but not how much air I actually have.

TMPS definitely works, however, it is a not a precise instrument that a gearhead would use. my of course.

 

It is very odd that it is only one tire. So either the TPMS is not functioning corectly or the tire is losing air.

Since I have been pumping 7-10 ibs in the tire for the last 3 weeks or so, I suspect the tire is losing air and the TPMS is working correctly.

But the tire does not lose air on a regular basis llike it normally would if it were a leak. Only when the temp changes and only in that one tire.

I hate having to pull over into a gas station at night after work and refill one tire. It's a real pain.

Thanks for the responses.

 

dont fully trust your TPMS simple reason

when weathers cold air condenses and gets packed tighter it fools the TPMS, thus

thinking your tires flat, when you have warm weather air expands making the the air

in the tire expand and making it seem like there more air. it should be fine all the

other wheels are ok, but you might wanna manually check it just inase

 

fill with Nitrogen and you won't have that much fluctuation. was -20c outside the other day and my tps was going crazy, giving me low pressure warnings on all tires. as i started driving after 15min the warnings went away as the temp/pressure went up.

my bro runs Nitrogen in his RX8, and it's the only way he rolls.

I had air in my tires, summer settings, 240 in the front and 220 in rear after warm up. in -20 front went down to 184 and 164 in the rear on a cold start. now ur tps warnings come on real nice.

 

Sorry to be off topic ......Hey Acura Driver, after last nights game, I think it's time to change the aviator.

 

I don't buy that whole nitrogen in tires resists pressure fluctuation more than "air" in tires. All gases follow the Ideal Gas Law and will expand/contract with temp changes. Approx. 78 % of the air you're breathing right now is nitrogen and about 20 % oxygen. The other 2 % is argon, CO2, methane, H2O vapor, and other gases. My point is that compressed air is about 78 % nitrogen right now.

If I remember my highschool chemistry, nitrogen is only 1 proton less than oxygen (15 vs. 16). This means that pure nitrogen in the PV=nRT equation will resist a temp change or pressure change by about 1/16th more than pure oxygen (or is it doubled since oxygen is O2 not O)? My point is you're already @ 78 % nitrogen, if you go to 99 % the change will not be that dramatic at all. The only advantage I see to using pure nitrogen is that there shouldn't be any water vapor in the tire that might have some effect at keeping it from dry rotting from the inside assuming the air used was REALLY wet and that dry rotting from the inside-out is a problem.

That's my

 

^^

Don't crap on a good marketing campaign with a little science. It's un-American.


(It is O2, but the gas you use to fill with Nitrogen is N2.)

 

mmade22,

Change my Avatar? NEVER! They had a good season but it ended on a very bad note. Next year will be great!

Thanks for all the tips guys!

 

You're right... both are diatomic. So O2 or N2 you're talking about a difference of 32 vs. 30 in the n term of the equation or ~7 %. Also remember we're not comparing pure O2 to pure N2; we're comparing about 80/20 N2/O2 vs. 100 N2. So in round numbers, about 2 % difference from the 80/20 mix to pure nitrogen. 2 % isn't shit! That whole "pure nitrogen" in tires is a scam... and if you believe it, then I have some magic beans I'll sell you

 

darksky, I want some magic beans, lol

Such businesses don't expect the public to have the basic chemistry knowledge or read between the lines.

Did any of you've seen the Discovery 2057 shows, where they showed those sick looking tires, which had no tubes, but threaded design?