Do you check tire pressures every morning?

[bpounds]

You might want to reconsider.

We're planning our first outing next weekend, so yesterday I spent all day prepping truck and trailer. Checked all tire pressures. The trailer was down a few pounds, it hasn't been used since last August, and that ain't bad for so long sitting. Ran them all up to 70psi where I like to run them.

This morning I go out and one is dead flat. I was pretty sure what happened, because I've seen it before, but before I jumped to that conclusion I did a full inspection of the tire. They are nearing 4 years old, and have metal threaded stems, which were new with the tires. Found nothing.

So, of course it is a stem that did not seat perfectly when I disturbed it with air flow yesterday. I put a few pounds in and checked it with some leak detector soap. Confirmed, it is blowing bubbles.

Moral of this story is, if I had done that the morning of travel, that tire would have been flat fast. Better to have checked the pressure the night before, and then just give them a kick before hitting the road.

Or a TPMS if that's your thing.

[RCMAN46]

On a long trip you can thump and check pressures all you want but if you pickup a nail while in route you may still have a tire failure.

That is where the TPMS shines and as said it saved me from a tire failure 2 times when I picked up a nail and a 3/8 x 2 inch machine bolt.

[Terryallan]

ford truck guy wrote:

JIMNLIN wrote:
Old habits are hard to break.
I use a tire thumper each morning before drive away when on the road daily or before drive away when the vehicles have been sitting for a day or so. Doesn't take but a couple of minutes.
If I find a difference then I break out the pressure gage.

This is what I do also.. IF I am taking a longer trip, I will check the pressure a few days in advance, and use the thumper daily at every stop.. Its the old Big Rig driver coming out in me...

Yep. when we climbed down out of the cab. the tire billy came along.

[ford_truck_guy]

JIMNLIN wrote:
Old habits are hard to break.
I use a tire thumper each morning before drive away when on the road daily or before drive away when the vehicles have been sitting for a day or so. Doesn't take but a couple of minutes.
If I find a difference then I break out the pressure gage.

This is what I do also.. IF I am taking a longer trip, I will check the pressure a few days in advance, and use the thumper daily at every stop.. Its the old Big Rig driver coming out in me...

[JIMNLIN]

Old habits are hard to break.
I use a tire thumper each morning before drive away when on the road daily or before drive away when the vehicles have been sitting for a day or so. Doesn't take but a couple of minutes.
If I find a difference then I break out the pressure gage.

[bpounds]

Good points regarding replacing the schraders. Are they universal sized? Anyone know?

[Wild_Card]

Good reason to keep a couple Colby emergency valve stems in the tool box

[lmpres]

tpms and 80 psi. Ever since a disaster trip 4 years ago!

[bpounds]

Doesn't really matter what tire you have if a stem is leaking.

[Terryallan]

azdryheat wrote:
I don't usually check my tires unless it's a long trip. My Michelin's are LT's and they don't leak like the cheap ST Chinese tires.

mine aren't cheap Chinese tires either. but I still air them up before every trip, and check them at every stop. I also check the TV tires as well. Just something I learned to do when I drove for a living. Your safety depends on it. No matter what kind of tire it is. And I've had Michelins. they go flat as well.

[RCMAN46]

azdryheat wrote:
I don't usually check my tires unless it's a long trip. My Michelin's are LT's and they don't leak like the cheap ST Chinese tires.

All tires will leak with a nail. Sometimes very slow. My TPMS has saved my bacon a couple times due to a nail.

[jfkmk]

azdryheat wrote:
I don't usually check my tires unless it's a long trip. My Michelin's are LT's and they don't leak like the cheap ST Chinese tires.

The tires don't leak (unless punctured), it's the valve or bead.

[BB_TX]

TPMS. Check it before we hit the road and regularly while on the road.

[2oldman]

Walaby wrote:
tPMS is at least as accurate, if not more, than the hand gauges. I see no reason not to trust it.

I bought mine to trust it.

[sgfrye]

alexleblanc wrote:
I always do a walk around of the truck and trailer before I leave - I do the same walk around every fuel or washroom breaks as well. Surprising how often I’ve caught a window not fully closed or something or other not right and dealt with it then and there.

X2 and the wife does the same thing after me