PSI drop in winter / do u pump it up?!

[Crankymotors]

All

I have tire pressure monitoring (after market) which is an awesome unit giving me real time data on front and back tire pressures and temperature!

From Summer to Fall/Winter my tires drop about 5 or 6 psi….!
I think I will inflate them to the correct pressure again….does anyone else do this?

Thx

Cranky

[CROSSBOLT]

I do.

[randyo]

you don't change it ?  I take the Schraeder valve right out, and once flat, I roll it forward and backward, get all the summer air out, then replace the Schraeder valve and pump it back up

[CROSSBOLT]

you don't change it ?  I take the Schraeder valve right out, and once flat, I roll it forward and backward, get all the summer air out, then replace the Schraeder valve and pump it back up

Summer air has a lot of moisture. Makes sense to get that out and put dry winter air back in.....Har, har!

[randyo]

Summer air has a lot of moisture. Makes sense to get that out and put dry winter air back in.....Har, har!

I like the TPMS on the AK550, I don't have to kick the tires anymore

changing out the air was something I always heard, along with the blinker fluid, but nothing replaces just checking the pressure cold, before you ride,  I do run a couple three psi less in winter, just cause pavement is colder and getting a little extra heat in the rubber to compensate

[rjs987]

I absolutely keep the psi up as required. Cold pressure specs in any manual do not say what the actual temp is. I keep the front psi at 37.5 and the rear psi at 40.5 on my AK TPMS regardless what the outside thermometer says. Having TPMS now means I check before every ride instead of every week.

Temps cause cold psi to fluctuate so I adjust the psi to keep it where I want it to be. A drop of 5-6 psi due to weather getting colder still means the tires will be under-inflated.

[Iahawk]

Yes, always run proper air pressure…check your cars, too, they will drop with the cold weather (something like 1 psi for every 10 degree F drop in temp)

[CROSSBOLT]

Yes, the cars, too. However, the tiny volume in scoot and 'cycle tires makes the temp fluctuations of pressure more pronounced. Pv = rt, ya know...I even usta know what all those letters meant! Har, har!

[Crankymotors]

Love the summer air /winter air comments!

Who knew you were all such comedians?!!

And the blinker fluid…nice…but that ones done the circuit!

Ok so as per the formula (i think) drop in temperature means drop in volume of air, so in the enclosed space of a tire, means less pressure right?

So if you want to run on lower pressure to increase surface area (contact patch) or increase working temperature as someone mentioned, you dont have to do anything! Mother Nature and science do it for you.😄

If you want to run at the recommended pressures you need to be aware of significant temperature drops and pump some are in!

This is the first time I’ve ever had the tpms on my scooter….couldn’t quite afford the AK550 at the time, so had to settle for the x-town 300 and a seperate tpms. Interestingly it also shows tempature of the tires (or the air in each tire) so this will be cool to observe! (Excuse the pun - trying to keep up with you guys!)

The back tire heats up far more than front. I am not sure i would have guessed that….front has turning forces and deceleration but both are sporadic…the back had acceleration and deceleration.

Interesting….!

Cranky

😄

[randyo]

sometimes I ride in temps that turn motorcycle tires into hockey pucks, hence the reason for lowering the pressure a bit. My VStrom gets a studded block knobby up front, and the back goes darkside with a winter car tire, a whole new science of tire pressure

winter in New England, is really a daily check, especially if you park outside, 80-100 degree swing in 24 hours is certainly not unheard of.  But remember that black ice can easily occur, air temp will go from 35 below to 65 above, but the ice cube you're riding/driving on doesn't

Remember to pack a blanket, flares, a flashlight, and a can of dehydrated water

[Stig / Major Tom]

Yep - I bet my PSI is dropping on colder days.

Stig

[rjs987]

...and a can of dehydrated water

You found a source for freeze dried water???
How do you RE-hydrate it?

[Crankymotors]

To re-hydrate….reduce the pressure!🤪🤪

[randyo]

You found a source for freeze dried water???
How do you RE-hydrate it?

Bernard brand is most common

[Crankymotors]

Love it!

Wonder how many gallons one gallon of water makes??!!