Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Best way to handle low tire pressure for my car?

My car had a low tire pressure warning light come on, but when I had the oil changed the next day, they put air in all the tires and the light went away. But now it is back, and after measuring the tire pressure in all 4 tires, I determined it was the front driver tire that was low. I inflated it a couple of PSIs above the recommended, but the warning light is still on. I measured the other 3 and they seem fine. I am know I have an issue with one of my tires since when I had the oil change the message went away, but not sure which tire it is anymore. Need help on how to handle this situation, I hate going to a tire place and acting ignorant. Should I still assume it is still that front driver tire (although I know it is over-inflated now), or is that dumb since I know that is the only tire that is over the recommended? Such a simple situation, but really hard to figure out... Thanks for your help.Best way to handle low tire pressure for my car?the best way to handle this is take it to a tire store and have them check them all for leaks. they are set up do such things as this. If you wanted to do it yourself, just take a spray bottle with some soap and water and spray down the tires one at a time and look for the soapy water to bubble up. Be sure to coat the entire tire with water. Also spray the water around the base of the valve stem and take the cap of the valve stem to check the schraeder valve inside. Be sure to spray all along the edge of the wheel too. the best way to find a small leak is to take the wheel and tire off the car and dunk it in a tub of water and look for the escaping air to bubble. Once you have identified which tire is leaking and where, then you can take it in to have it repaired. It is also possible to have an aluminum wheel that's pourous and leaking right through the aluminum.Best way to handle low tire pressure for my car?I don't know where you live, but colder weather will cause your warning light to come on. Tires deflate as the weather gets colder. Get a good air pressure gauge and make sure your tires are inflated to the proper specification. If it continues, you probably have a slow leak.Best way to handle low tire pressure for my car?Check your owners manual on how to reset your tire pressure sensor. Reset it after checking that all four tires are inflated equally. A good service shop would have reset it for you after servicing your car. Most tire pressure sensors work off the wheel speed sensor which is actually part of the anti lock brake system. The system compares the wheel speed of all 4 tires, if any one wheel is out of sync with the others for an extended amount of time the system sees that as an under inflated tire. This is caused by the inflation of the tire directly affects the circumference of the tire. Over inflating will make the tire slightly larger than the rest giving the same result - that tire will be out of sync with the rest.Best way to handle low tire pressure for my car?There's no shame in going to a tire place and asking. That's what they're there for. It may be a puncture, a rim leak, or a valve stem that requires replacement. Driving on a tire that is under inflated can cause bigger problems. Let them resolve it while it's minor.Best way to handle low tire pressure for my car?did you take that couple of extra pounds of air out of that front tire to see if the light would go out?Best way to handle low tire pressure for my car?take it to a tire shop and have it fixed.if the drivers front tire is going down then that is a good bet to be the one leaking.why would you be acting ignorant just for getting it fixed