Honda Car Forum

I was told not to check the tire pressure when the temperature is
below freezing, because the valves might stick. Is there any truth to
that? Is there a way to prevent the sticking?

--
I put 2 and 2 together and got 22.

Bruno <insert@address.here> sprach im
news:4d0aq0lneok9b1ra6stgm2t2nhd31jb3he@4ax.com:

> I was told not to check the tire pressure when the temperature is
> below freezing, because the valves might stick. Is there any truth to
> that? Is there a way to prevent the sticking?



That is total and complete nonsense. Who told you that? Your kid brother
pulling a prank on you?

Do you suppose that nobody in Alaska can check his pressures from November
till June?

You can check the pressure at 40-below with no ill effects.



--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

On 25 Nov 2004 03:21:03 GMT, "TeGGer®"
<teggeratistopdotcom@changetheobvious.invalid> removed the duct tape
and proclaimed:

>Bruno <insert@address.here> sprach im
>news:4d0aq0lneok9b1ra6stgm2t2nhd31jb3he@4ax.com :
>
>> I was told not to check the tire pressure when the temperature is
>> below freezing, because the valves might stick. Is there any truth to
>> that? Is there a way to prevent the sticking?
>
>
>
>That is total and complete nonsense. Who told you that? Your kid brother
>pulling a prank on you?
>
>Do you suppose that nobody in Alaska can check his pressures from November
>till June?
>
>You can check the pressure at 40-below with no ill effects.

The guy who sold me my tires told me that.

--
I put 2 and 2 together and got 22.

On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 06:43:01 -0500, Bruno <insert@address.here> wrote:

>>> I was told not to check the tire pressure when the temperature is
>>> below freezing, because the valves might stick. Is there any truth to
>>> that? Is there a way to prevent the sticking?
>>
>>That is total and complete nonsense. Who told you that? Your kid brother
>>pulling a prank on you?
>>
>>Do you suppose that nobody in Alaska can check his pressures from November
>>till June?
>>
>>You can check the pressure at 40-below with no ill effects.
>
>The guy who sold me my tires told me that.

IF your tires were filled with humid air and IF you checked your tire
pressure at a few degrees above freezing, the expansion of air coming
through the valve MIGHT cause frost to form on the check valve and
cause it to stick, but conditions would have to be just right.

I have checked my tire pressures at Cold Lake Alberta with the
thermometer reading -35 F and had no problems, except for freezing my
fingers.

"John Ings" <nodamned@spam.org> wrote in message
news:n8mbq0dobobrh47kemclv05ocg5ogck9bu@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 06:43:01 -0500, Bruno <insert@address.here> wrote:
>
>>>> I was told not to check the tire pressure when the temperature is
>>>> below freezing, because the valves might stick. Is there any truth to
>>>> that? Is there a way to prevent the sticking?
>>>
>>>That is total and complete nonsense. Who told you that? Your kid brother
>>>pulling a prank on you?
>>>
>>>Do you suppose that nobody in Alaska can check his pressures from
>>>November
>>>till June?
>>>
>>>You can check the pressure at 40-below with no ill effects.
>>
>>The guy who sold me my tires told me that.
>
> IF your tires were filled with humid air and IF you checked your tire
> pressure at a few degrees above freezing, the expansion of air coming
> through the valve MIGHT cause frost to form on the check valve and
> cause it to stick, but conditions would have to be just right.
>
> I have checked my tire pressures at Cold Lake Alberta with the
> thermometer reading -35 F and had no problems, except for freezing my
> fingers.
>
If the air has been in there since it was very cold outside (like winter
tires are likely to be) the freezing problem won't occur - the same as being
too cold to snow, the air isn't able to hold enough water. But if the tires
were initially inflated when the air was above, say, 40 or 50 degrees, there
could be enough moisture to freeze the valve open. As John says, the danger
point is when the air in the tires is a little above freezing. When it's
very cold the moisture has already turned to frost inside the tire.

This is a common problem in carbureted aircraft and used to be a problem
with carbureted cars before automatic intake air temp control - enough
humidity with the right range of temperatures can ice up the carburetor and
kill the engine.

Mike

And I'm sure you are aware of the perfect gaz law:

P x V = n x R x T

So, assuming a more or less constant volume for your tire and a constant
number of air molecules in the tire, that means your pressure is directly
proportional to the temperture in Kelvins.
For example 68F = 293K and -40F = -243K. So at -40F, the pressure will drop
60/293 = 20% (about 6 PSI) compared to the pressure measured at 68F...






"John Ings" <nodamned@spam.org> a écrit dans le message de news:
n8mbq0dobobrh47kemclv05ocg5ogck9bu@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 06:43:01 -0500, Bruno <insert@address.here> wrote:
>
>>>> I was told not to check the tire pressure when the temperature is
>>>> below freezing, because the valves might stick. Is there any truth to
>>>> that? Is there a way to prevent the sticking?
>>>
>>>That is total and complete nonsense. Who told you that? Your kid brother
>>>pulling a prank on you?
>>>
>>>Do you suppose that nobody in Alaska can check his pressures from
>>>November
>>>till June?
>>>
>>>You can check the pressure at 40-below with no ill effects.
>>
>>The guy who sold me my tires told me that.
>
> IF your tires were filled with humid air and IF you checked your tire
> pressure at a few degrees above freezing, the expansion of air coming
> through the valve MIGHT cause frost to form on the check valve and
> cause it to stick, but conditions would have to be just right.
>
> I have checked my tire pressures at Cold Lake Alberta with the
> thermometer reading -35 F and had no problems, except for freezing my
> fingers.
>
>
>

John Ings <nodamned@spam.org> sprach im
news:n8mbq0dobobrh47kemclv05ocg5ogck9bu@4ax.com:

> On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 06:43:01 -0500, Bruno <insert@address.here> wrote:
>
>>>> I was told not to check the tire pressure when the temperature is
>>>> below freezing, because the valves might stick. Is there any truth
>>>> to that? Is there a way to prevent the sticking?
>>>
>>>That is total and complete nonsense. Who told you that? Your kid
>>>brother pulling a prank on you?
>>>
>>>Do you suppose that nobody in Alaska can check his pressures from
>>>November till June?
>>>
>>>You can check the pressure at 40-below with no ill effects.
>>
>>The guy who sold me my tires told me that.
>
> IF your tires were filled with humid air and IF you checked your tire
> pressure at a few degrees above freezing, the expansion of air coming
> through the valve MIGHT cause frost to form on the check valve and
> cause it to stick, but conditions would have to be just right.


And then, even assuming the strong spring pressure on valve was not enough
to punch through the frost, the frost would melt within minutes of driving
as the tires heated up.


>
> I have checked my tire pressures at Cold Lake Alberta with the
> thermometer reading -35 F and had no problems, except for freezing my
> fingers.
>


Did you go to the Armed Forces base there?

--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

Beware when adding air to your tires. Always depress and check the air flow
from the air nozzle first. If the service center does not empty the/change
the filter of the air compressor you may be putting in water with the air.
Then on a freezing morning the water in the tire will become ice and cause
an imbalance problem. The air coming from the nozzle should be just that,
AIR.


"Bruno" <insert@address.here> wrote in message
news:4d0aq0lneok9b1ra6stgm2t2nhd31jb3he@4ax.com...
> I was told not to check the tire pressure when the temperature is
> below freezing, because the valves might stick. Is there any truth to
> that? Is there a way to prevent the sticking?
>
> --
> I put 2 and 2 together and got 22.

"TeGGer®" <teggeratistopdotcom@changetheobvious.invalid> wrote:
>Bruno <insert@address.here> sprach im
>news:4d0aq0lneok9b1ra6stgm2t2nhd31jb3he@4ax.com :
>
>> I was told not to check the tire pressure when the temperature is
>> below freezing, because the valves might stick. Is there any truth to
>> that? Is there a way to prevent the sticking?

I wouldn't check air in tires at a temperature colder than about
-25F, and I wouldn't do that without driving the vehicle for at
least a couple miles first (which will both warm it up
considerably, and exercise it too).

Put it this way... I spent two decades living in Salcha Alaska,
about 40 miles out of Fairbanks and making daily 80 mile round
trips to work. The nearest air pressure pump was two miles down
the road. There is *no* way I would have put an air pressure
gauge on a tire at home when it was -25F.

>That is total and complete nonsense. Who told you that? Your kid brother
>pulling a prank on you?

Maybe somebody that has ended up with a flat tire?

>Do you suppose that nobody in Alaska can check his pressures from November
>till June?

Well... most folks don't! In places that experience extreme
temperature variations (in Fairbanks I saw both -70F and
+96F) it is pretty much necessary to check air pressure as the
seasons change, but it really is not a good idea to be doing
that at -40.

>You can check the pressure at 40-below with no ill effects.

Then again you might just end up with a flat tire. Worse yet
you might also find it impossible to put new air in the tire,
because it won't flex and seal the bead. The only solution
would be to take the wheel off the vehicle and roll it inside
for an hour or so, and then refill it.

Just in case you aren't aware of it, at -40 tires are square
for about 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile... then they get round again.
You don't want to try measuring air pressure in square tires,
and you don't want to try putting air into square tires...

--
Floyd L. Davidson <http://web.newsguy.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@barrow.com

floyd@barrow.com (Floyd L. Davidson) sprach im
news:87hdnd3ed1.fld@barrow.com:


> Just in case you aren't aware of it, at -40 tires are square
> for about 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile... then they get round again.
> You don't want to try measuring air pressure in square tires,
> and you don't want to try putting air into square tires...
>


Well, I should have clarified. I have relatives living in Alberta. They get
-30 regularly in winter. They have no problems checking tire pressures
during winter months, which is why I posted what I did. I do not know if
they make a habit of driving first before checking the pressures or not.

--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/