tire air pressure

[firebourn]

the owners manual says to check the tire pressure when it's "cold". I under stand that part, but if the nearest gas station with an air pump is point .5 miles away, how long should I wain before checking the pressure? Also, can gas station pumps be used to inflate the tires?

[Shinysideup]

Definite yes on using gas station pumps. Check pressure. If low: Little burst. Check pressure. Little burst. Check pressure. Just don't engage the air chuck, and stare at that beautiful woman on Pump 6 for the next 5 minutes!

As to temperature. I don't think a 1/2 mile trip will significantly raise the air temp inside your tires, unless you do that distance at 100 mph

My understanding is that "cold" when used by the tire manufacturers means 70F (21C). So if Merced is, say, 51F, the drive would actually make your tires closer to "cold" than they were at home.

Simple test: ride to the gas station. Dismount. Put the palm of your hand on the rear tire. Does it feel warmer than your hand? Probably not. You're OK.

Unless the asphalt is scorching hot, street tires usually warm up to optimum traction in 10 to 15 minutes of riding. At that point the air in the tires WILL have expanded some. I had a real-time tire temp and tire pressure system on my BMW and it always took about that amount of time for the temp and pressure to begin to rise, and that was riding at  70 mph. A half mile trip shouldn't make any meaningful difference.

Your Pressure May Vary
Bill

[SocalTech]

just one thing,

dont rely on the gas station pressure gauge, always carry your own.

gas station gauges get dropped, driven over and just mistreated so become unreliable.

[firebourn]

Thanks for all your comments, they did help.

[Richard230]

I really recommend that you forget dealing with gas station air compressors. Those things can dump some water into your tires along with the air. Plus, they have a lot of pressure making it hard to fill a small tire like one on a motorcycle, without putting more in than you wanted.

My recommendation is to buy a bicycle pump and just keep it at home to use to top off the tire.  There are a million of these pumps around, they work well, last a long time, are light, take up little room and you will get a little exercise when you use it.  You can get a hand pump or a foot pump and many come with air pressure gauges on the pump.  I have tried several and the gauges seem to be pretty accurate.

If you have the room to store it and can deal with the additional cost, I recommend a floor pump where you push down on the handle to pressurize the tire.  I bought one recently on sale from a bicycle shop, that came with an air pressure gauge at the bottom where you place your feet to stabilize the pump, for only $25.  It works well for topping off my motorcycle and car tires.  In fact I plan to use it this morning as most of my motorcycle tires seem to loose at least one pound of air pressure a week. So I adjust them every two weeks.

[FreepZ]

My recommendation is to buy a bicycle pump and just keep it at home to use to top off the tire.

I do that too -- I keep it in my car so that it's there when I need it. I once used it to help out an old couple in a parking lot. They had a nail in a tire that was causing a slow leak. With my handy bike pump, I was able to get their tire re-inflated so they could get their car to a repair shop.

A bike pump, jumper cables and a jerrycan are all very handy to have around (although those last two don't make sense with an EV!)