Tire pressure

[Stephenfz6r]

I noticed that the tire pressure dropped on my front wheel with the cool temperatures that we are having. It went down to 18 P.S.I. :jawdrop: I know it's the type of thing most people will overlook but I thought I put it out there as a safety reminder as low tire pressure and cold pavement are deadly mix.:rant:

 

[Uno979]

Yeah I had the same problem. It went from 35psi to 26psi over night.

 

[Heineken]

I don't get to ride my bike as often as I would like, but when I do, tire pressure check and tire safety check before ride. So far so good . 4-5 psi less makes a big difference in the way the bike handles, so please everybody check your tires and tire pressure, takes on 1 minute.

 

[Marthy]

I noticed that the tire pressure dropped on my front wheel with the cool temperatures that we are having. It went down to 18 P.S.I. :jawdrop: I know it's the type of thing most people will overlook but I thought I put it out there as a safety reminder as low tire pressure and cold pavement are deadly mix.:rant:

PV=NRT... laws of gas. That's why you don't throw a paint can in the oven. The heat build pressure. Same for your tires. It's hot psi go up, it's cold psi go down. That's why it is important to keep a close eyes on your tires psi, whatever you drive...

 

[stuna]

10 deg= 1psi drop

 

[whatever]

i noticed the tires on the bridgestones have no max pressure on the sidewalls..... i guess they can handle 45 lbs no problem when i go to store the bike.

we may get snow tonight in new york state but just above 2000 ft...... i picked up a foot pump for 9 bucks for my bicycle..... i will see if works on the tires tonight for laughs.

 

[creggur]

i noticed the tires on the bridgestones have no max pressure on the sidewalls..... i guess they can handle 45 lbs no problem when i go to store the bike.

we may get snow tonight in new york state but just above 2000 ft...... i picked up a foot pump for 9 bucks for my bicycle..... i will see if works on the tires tonight for laughs.

Foot pump should work fine for topping off...I use a regular bicycle pump all the time when I only need a pound or two:thumbup:

 

[Osoreru]

Found this thread when trying to find an answer, so figured I'd post my question here instead of starting a new one:

Fall is coming in Alabama, and I don't know what it's like for the rest of you, but what that means here is that temperatures are going to fluctuate wildly for a while. It can go from 40s one day to 80s the next, and everywhere in between. This is the first time I've had to deal with these changes on a bike, and I noticed the other day that my tires seemed to be extremely effected by the temperature. It was cold the other day, and my tires were low, so I filled them up about 4 PSI. The next day, temperatures were back up, and I checked the PSI because the bike was handling differently, and the tires had ballooned up to something like 40F/45R. Now bear in mind, I weigh around ~265 in full gear with my backpack on, so I keep the tires a little higher anyway. I let some pressure out, and now the temperatures are cold again tonight. I couldn't check the pressure on the ride home because it was too dark, but the bike just felt like it was...over responsive I think is the term. Counter-steering would send me moving over much further than I normally would, and when actually taking turns, it kinda felt like I actually had too much traction.

All that being said (sorry, I get kinda long winded sometimes because I try to be detailed about situations), is what I experienced normal? I mean it makes sense in my head that higher pressure = less traction because there will be less surface area on the tire, and lower would be completely opposite that, but I just want to make sure I've got it right and just need to keep a closer eye on tire pressure as the temps continue to fluctuate. The same was also true for riding my bicycle even, so I'm just assuming it holds true for the motorcycle as well.

 

[raybob]

A lot of people use tire pressure sensors.

Googling "motorcycle TPMS" shows that even Costco appears to sell one.

40F/45R isn't extreme, btw, for a cold pressure reading (before you ride). I set mine at 40psi cold (both front and rear). If you were measuring after riding, meaning the tires had warmed up a bit, you're probably fine.

Bob

 

[sm00thpapa]

I go with 42 PSI in the back and 36 PSI in the front and noticed a 6 PSI drop in pressure over night. I usually check my tire pressure on a weekly basis.

 

[Osoreru]

I go with 42 PSI in the back and 36 PSI in the front and noticed a 6 PSI drop in pressure over night. I usually check my tire pressure on a weekly basis.

This is actually exactly what I ended up setting mine to today before I went riding. It was somewhat of a mistake, but I decided to try it anyway and see how it worked. I think I'm going to try to keep it there from now on. It handled beautifully.

 

[Tmak73]

Might want to look into getting nitrogen in the tires instead. Larger molecules that don't leak as fast and supposedly give better balance.

 

[Osoreru]

Might want to look into getting nitrogen in the tires instead. Larger molecules that don't leak as fast and supposedly give better balance.

Interesting thought, though that sounds like it might be a little more costly than it's worth. Filling up my scuba tanks with nitrox mixtures is bad enough. Filling my tires every time the pressure changes in them would suck.

 

[MiltonDorkenhoff]

Might want to look into getting nitrogen in the tires instead. Larger molecules that don't leak as fast and supposedly give better balance.

Really? Can you point me to a source for this? Air is 78% nitrogen already; and various site I just saw say the size difference between nitrogen and oxygen (oxygen makes up 21% of air) is negligible.

I read elsewhere that you use nitrogen instead of air to avoid getting any sort of moisture in the tires (which also seems like BS unless the tires were mounted in a vacuum.