Check Your Tire Pressure

Dana Hanchett

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2000
Location
Milford, Ma. U.S.A
TDI
2011
In this cold snap you may want to check your tire pressure as for every 10 degrees F your tire will loose 1lb of air. When you loose enough you TPMS will light its light on the dash and after you blow up your tires you will have to reset your TPMS. :):)
 

Ol'Rattler

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
TDI
2006 BRM Jetta
Very good advice.:cool:

Also check them cold. I'm maybe a little to anal about this, but it seems like if one side of the car is in direct sunlight, the pressure on that side will be a pound or 2 higher.
 

Softrockrenegade

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Location
Howellbama, NJ
TDI
None...2011 Golf DSG (replaced by VW W/) 2013 Passat SE 6M(bought back) Current 2017 sportwagen TSI 4Motion.
I've always checked my tires warm. Is this not the more accurate and real world way to do it ?
 

chadmc5c

Active member
Joined
Mar 21, 2013
Location
N Florida
TDI
2012 jetta 6MT
Very good advice.:cool:

Also check them cold. I'm maybe a little to anal about this, but it seems like if one side of the car is in direct sunlight, the pressure on that side will be a pound or 2 higher.
Have been to a few drivers schools (BMW Car Club sponsored) and have been told every time to park in the shade or at least directly into or away from the sun so that the sun is not beating down on one side of the car for this reason.
 

Scoutx

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2012
Location
Virginia
TDI
2012 Jetta (6MT) - 1000 Mile Club (retired)___ 2015 Jetta SEL (6MT)
I usually slightly overfill, and then later in the evening at least a couple of hours after the sun as gone down, I will adjust them using my DIY dial gauge.

(2" 60# gauge screwed to an air chuck)

Made that back before they had consumer dial gauges and all you could get were the POS pen pop-out type.
 

jmarshall

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2011
Location
Ahrensville, PA
TDI
2011 Jetta 6MT
I like to check mine at work just before I go home. Luckily I have a job and shop that allows me to do that. Always overfill, then check with my dial gauge and bleed air until it is correct.
 

R-1150-RS

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2012
Location
Richmond Hill ON
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI
I've always checked my tires warm. Is this not the more accurate and real world way to do it ?
As jmarshal replied, Tire Pressures are specified at 'cold' or ambient temps.

Two reasons: - People are more likely to check and adjust pressures before they head out, rather than after driving for a while. Also, driving conditions can increase tire temps considerably, and pressure as a result.

As pressure increases with temperature, the same starting pressure could have significantly different pressures after a long highway run, vs a short spin to the gas station air pump. How can anyone know if their tires are hot enough to give the correct 'warm tire' pressure if that was how the tire companies had chosen to specify them?

In winter tire temps & pressures may not rise much at all. If you don't compensate for the lower ambient winter temps your tires will run under-inflated.

More accurate to specify cold pressure specs for tires to more accurately get the correct starting point pressure for the ambient temps of that season.

Gary
:) :)
 

fireitup

Active member
Joined
Jul 30, 2014
Location
New Orleans, LA
TDI
2013 Jetta TDI 6MT PRM
Doing a bit of grave-digging on this thread but... From experience yesterday having one side of the car in the shade, one in the sun made about 2lb (35 vs 37 psi on front tires) difference in the "cold" psi reading. Went on a 150mi flat, Texas hwy run at ~70mph and checked the "warm" temps both rear tires were at 36 psi and both fronts were at 37.5.

Sun vs Shade definitely matters!
 

Dirtracr95

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2013
Location
Des Plaines, IL
TDI
'13 Jetta Sedan DSG
The only problem with the indirect tpms on our cars is if temperature causes all the tires to be low the light will not come on. It only looks for difference in rpm between wheels to determine if if tires are low. If all tires are low it sees no difference in wheel speeds and wont throw the light.
 
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