Trouble Averted

About as much as you can without going crazy

 

Thinking about buying this: 12 VOLT ELECTRIC AIR PUMP w/GAUGE for Tires Bikes Cars Air Matresses : Amazon.com : Automotive

 

With a new car and new tires the need for pressure checks are minimal. Still, they must be done.

Manual pressure gauges can be had for less than $2 in most places. Any parts store will have some at the counter. Wal-Mart has them back in the auto section. I have one for each car and motorcycle, extras in my tool chest, and a couple down in the shed with the mower. I have found them to be consistent in their results. They are all non-electronic. It's been difficult to find an electronic one that I really like. I have gone through a number of them, thrown away most, and kept two. When you find one you like, keep it close.

I check my tires officially every couple of months. I look at them every time I walk up or walk away. I make it a point to feel them every time I drive. After having tire problems over the decades, a person tends to keep them in mind. I'm also am hyper-sensitive to the smell of anti-freeze. Like the time at the stoplight where I smelled anti-freeze and felt that electric shock go through my body...until I remembered I was riding my Harley (air cooled.)

Check your tire pressures and remember what they look like and feel like. Keep an eye on them. Check again in a month or two. Remember that pressures change with the seasons and to keep them at the chosen level. Find a couple of air stations near where you live and work. Other than that, no worries!

 

With about 17% of the reviews giving it a 1 out of 5, I would avoid this product.

 

I run my tires on both my cars at 40/38. However yesterday the dealer rotated them and set them to 36/36. The first thing I noticed was how quiet they were at that pressure. I guess I had just got used to the noise at 40/38 but man, 36/36 is quiet!

So I pumped them up to 40/40 now and now will experiment with 39/39 and 38/38 until I get to a noise/MPG range that I can accept.

All to think that all this time I though the tires were crummy because they were so loud.

 

I noticed that they were louder when I was turning corners at 40/38.

 

No not squealing. Kind of like a rough grating sound on corners, like the tires are complaining. When the pressure was lowered they quieted up. Anyway, I've never had a tire respond this way to when hardened up with air pressure.

 

With 46% giving it five stars, the fact that people are more likely to review when they're dissatisfied, and the fact that it's only $30, it might be worth the risk for me Do you have any others you'd suggest? I haven't looked all that much.

 

I saw a couple on Amazon that were rated a bit better for about the same price. Nothing outstandingly better through. I think any of the 4 star rated ~$30 ones are worth the risk.

Edit: Removed ref to Harbor Freight $9 compressor. I had good experience with one but the reviews show I was in a small minority.

 

Nod your head, look thoughtful, and await further report...

I haven't been able to get the tires on the C to squeal. I can in truck, can't in the Camaro, and the wifes Prius only a little bit. A lot of it depends on the tires. The good part is that you hear the squealing and can tell you're close to the limit. No squeal, no can tell. Bad juju.

 

That is a very good idea.

While the digital gauges can be entertaining, and serve as a check, a decent quality stick gauge is just fine. Plus no batteries to deal with. That's the basic gauge that looks like a pen, and the tire's pressure pushes out a post with psi lines.

You might need to buy one or two before you have a keeper. I recently picked up an extra one, and I can't for the life of me get it to seat properly on the valve.

The old one (later found it) has no such problems. It also reads up to and beyond 60 psi, which you'll need to check the spare. And while I've heard gauges that read the higher psi can be inaccurate, this one seems fine, checking with a digital and another stick type.

If you're looking for a place with air, maybe try Chevron stations. Up here they're the only outfit still providing *free* air, and their pumps are pretty dependable, easily accessible.

If you want some aerobic exercise, you can actually raise car tire pressures with a *decent* bicycle tire pump, though it takes a bit of work. I've got one that is pretty efficient, but the hose clip on mechanism is a bear. I only use it in a pinch, mainly just get air at the station.

Keep in mind to make the air the *first* stop on your list, hopefully only a mile or two. The more you drive the more tire pressures climb, and cold pressure is your target. If you do have to travel further to get air: check them cold, then recheck before adding air, and overshoot by at least that factor. Then check them the next day or so, when cold, and bleed out excess as needed.

Geesh, I writing a novel. ;D

 

*waves hand*
You dont need to rethink MPG. You need a grill block, you need block hearter, YOU NEED more MPG.