Tire Pressure Monitoring for $4.99/tire!

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I'll be revising my filling methods with the new tire pressure caps, but as I mentioned the ones I have now do not have to be removed to fill or check pressures. The center of the cap is spring loaded and you just fill or check as though there wasn't even a cap.

Before that i used hex type caps and I used a deep socket and extension to reach in to the inside dual stem to remove the cap. You really need to check those inside tires. If you have a blowout because of low pressure you will tear up a lot of your coach, and possibly lose brake lines.

[truk4u]

Jon,
I had those little spring loaded extensions on my CC and had problems with leakage because of the Equal. Seems that a tiny grain of the Equal would get under the seal and a slow leak would occur. I found out that if you use Equal there is a different valve stem to eliminate the problem. I couldn't tell if was the valve stem or the extension that was giving me trouble and the cure was to shoot air back into the tire and all was well, hoping that another grain wouldn't get caught on the next tire gauge check.

With the Marathon, I have no problem checking air and just use regular caps, but will problaby try the caps you ordered after you are the guinea pig. Hope those are the only LED's I see on your Liberty.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Actually, I hoping nobody sees these caps because if they light up, I lost tire pressure.

As far as leakage, the valves used with Equal have a very fine screen or filter to stop any of that material from getting to the valve seat. So far I have had very little problems from that. I ran Equal in the last coach since around 1994, and maybe twice in that time I had to pull the valve and replace it. Out of 8 tires and hundreds of times checking pressure I thought that was not too bad.

[MangoMike]

Jon,

I have the fine screen in all my valves except the outside drive tires, which have a curved stem and won't accept a screen (at least this is what my local truck tire guy says) is there one that fits?

Thanks
Mike

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I have some in the coach. We can see if they fit at OSH.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Ray, that is correct.You have to have a strait chuck. Let me give you some more food for thought. Cold tire pressures will only be accurate in a garage or in the dark or uniform shade or a cloudy day. They are also greatly affected by ambient temps. If for example, only one side is in shade, it will be 3 or4 pounds less than the sunny side,and thats cold pressures, accept of course for the inside duel on the sunny side witch will be a third pressure. When I'm traveling the same thing applies and in addition the inner on the shady side grows different from the outer because of drive train heat. Also when parked running the generator, the muffler heats up the left inside about 4 pounds just sitting there. All three of the axles grow differently according to the weight they are carrying. Living in Chicago and going south in December we leave town and its around 20 degrees, if we have 100 psi leaving I deflate tires the next morning in the Fla. panhandle because the ambient temp. is now maybe 70 or so and pressures will go up maybe 8 lbs or so when the ambient temp. changes from 20 to 70, this also happens in reverse coming home. I tell you all this because it wasn't until I purchased my pressure monitor that I realized just how critical all these factors are. I think when some of you see this gadget you might see past 4.99 a tire. Every time you unscrew the cap/sensor and then screw it back it gives the sensor a new baseline for the audible alarm, and that coupled with the fact that it is very hard to get all tires at the exact same pressure on a digital read-out I installed 2nd valve stems on all the rear tires so I can now adjust pressures without removing the sensors and constantly changing the baseline.This also allows me to more easily get exactly 100 in All tires so when I manually scroll tire positions I dont have to look at a bunch of pressures 1 or 2 pounds off, very irritating. I also have balance rings that mount up behind the wheel flange, much better than wheel weights and a lot neater than EQUAL powder. A tire will usually begin to heat up long before it fails 4.99 is just fine to make it easy before leaving but the benefit stops there. How much did you say you just spent on tires? Hmmmmmmm? Always keep in mind drastic changes in air temps. create almost as drastic changes in tire press. so prepare or beware.

[MangoMike]

Joe,

I can't wait to get the tire seminar in person at OSH. It will be a trial run for POG II.

Mike

[dalej]

Just thinking that I always checked my tires when we get ready to pull out on a trip, is there more to be thinking about?

Is there a problem when tires heat up and add presure? Can running high pressure from this heat cause tire failure?

I run 110#'s in the steers and 100#'s in the drivers & tag. What is the pressure going to do out on a hot (100 degrees) interstate drive?

I have never thought much about pressure going up as being a bad thing, should I change my thinking?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

If your cold pressures are what you describe, you will find that the running pressures are not relevant.

What gets dangerous is when the pressures are too low, the sidewalls are flexing an unacceptable amount and the more they flex, the more they heat up with a possible final result being a catastrophic failure in the form of a blowout. At that point you consider yourself lucky if the only problem is a blowout, because if the tire shreds in the wrong way the potential to tear up your wheel wells, brake lines and do other damage is very high.

You cannot look at a tire and judge the pressure to be low, and I laugh when I see truckers thump their tires with a bat or tire iron because unless they are really exceptional people, the best they can hope to learn is they don't have a huge difference in pressures, but they will never know if it is the correct pressures.

[truk4u]

Oh wise Liberty driver, the thumping is only to catch a flat, not to determine pressure. Not practical to use the gauge at every stop and the pressures will be high from heat. I'll keep thumping thank you very much.