Tire pressure low for weeks

MoBass · 12-17-2008, 11:30 AM

Sorry if this has been posted elsewhere...

About 3 weeks ago I got a message from the Tire Monitoring System saying that one of my back tires (RFT) was low on air. I was unable to remedy the situation at the time due to having to fly out of town. Three weeks later, the message is still there but it doesn't seem as though the tire is flat or losing air.

My question is that if there was indeed a leak, wouldn't the tire be completely, or at least noticeably flat by now (three weeks later)?

nicknaz · 12-17-2008, 11:34 AM

it is a run flat tire. it is designed to hold up the weight of the car for driving without any air, so a bit of time with low air is not going to deform it

however, you are causing a lot of premature tread wear on an expensive tire, so definitely inflate it to the proper pressure asap

Orient330iNYC · 12-17-2008, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoBass

Sorry if this has been posted elsewhere...

About 3 weeks ago I got a message from the Tire Monitoring System saying that one of my back tires (RFT) was low on air. I was unable to remedy the situation at the time due to having to fly out of town. Three weeks later, the message is still there but it doesn't seem as though the tire is flat or losing air.

My question is that if there was indeed a leak, wouldn't the tire be completely, or at least noticeably flat by now (three weeks later)?

you could do the obvious and check the tire pressure..... you know, get out a gauge and actually check

runflats will not look low on air, which is why there's a tire pressure monitoring system installed.

driving on it with very low pressure pretty much guarantees that you wont be able to patch it and will need to buy a new tire.

MoBass · 12-17-2008, 11:44 AM

If I were to measure the tire pressure I should see a difference in that tire's pressure when compared to the other three wheels, correct?

Should I then inflate it to the correct pressure, reset the Monitoring System, then see if it raises the warning again?

exidisjon · 12-17-2008, 11:52 AM

Cold weather is pretty much it...Check the PSI and make sure they are at 32/35 they are probably less than that.

When the weather turned REAL cold 30F and under i had the tire pressure say its low and after i filled it up it was good to go. And also if you have a flat tire in run flats YOU WILL NOTICE IT.. The car will merge to one side like crazy and you can tell by the tires..So pretty sure its not a flat and just cold weather.

Orient330iNYC · 12-17-2008, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by exidisjon

Cold weather is pretty much it...Check the PSI and make sure they are at 32/35 they are probably less than that.

When the weather turned REAL cold 30F and under i had the tire pressure say its low and after i filled it up it was good to go. And also if you have a flat tire in run flats YOU WILL NOTICE IT.. The car will merge to one side like crazy and you can tell by the tires..So pretty sure its not a flat and just cold weather.

have you ever had a flat on a runflat tire? the whole point of the concept is that the car should not swerve or handle unpredictably like you are describing.
i had a rear runflat at 4psi and i could not easily tell it was flat. the car handled normally. i found the tire was flat by checking each tire.

exidisjon · 12-17-2008, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orient330iNYC

have you ever had a flat on a runflat tire? the whole point of the concept is that the car should not swerve or handle unpredictably like you are describing.
i had a rear runflat at 4psi and i could not easily tell it was flat. the car handled normally. i found the tire was flat by checking each tire.

I had a flat due to a BIG ASS nail being stuck in the car tire. Didnt lose any pressure what so ever and iddnt feel a thing. Than the nail came out and yes i felt HEAVY steering towards the side where the tire was punctured.
Maybe it was because the nail was one of those HEAVY duty 2inch round 6 inch long nails but yea i felt it alot...

MoBass · 12-17-2008, 12:27 PM

Thanks for the input. I'll check the tire's pressure and see if it is indeed flat. How much should I spend on a pressure guage? I know they range from the cheap pocket tire gauges ($3) to the sophisticated electronic ones ($30+).

exidisjon · 12-17-2008, 12:28 PM

$3 dollar ones does the same job IMHO and there isnt enough times to use it anyways..

Or just go to one of those Air filling machines that has one on it.

Orient330iNYC · 12-17-2008, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by exidisjon

$3 dollar ones does the same job IMHO and there isnt enough times to use it anyways..

Or just go to one of those Air filling machines that has one on it.

i would advise against that. those have very inaccurate gauges and often have not had their line dryers emptied in a while, so you'll be putting a pretty large amount of water vapor into your tire.

get something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Accutire-MS-40...9543032&sr=8-2

and a cheap portable air compressor.

MoBass · 12-17-2008, 01:49 PM

Thanks. I'll probably spend around 10-20 bucks. I don't want to skimp too much on something as important as the health of my tires.

nicknaz · 12-17-2008, 02:00 PM

You can definitely get a small air compressor that plugs into the car's 12V socket for around $9 (i got mine from Kragen's). Much more convenient than driving to a gas station

mike-y · 12-17-2008, 03:12 PM

and also, there is a sticker on the driver's side door jamb that has some specs on it - including your car's recommended tire pressures. Just about all modern cars have this sticker, so it's easy to reference. And the owner's manual has tire pressures for different size wheels and tires, in case you have upgraded from stock.

12-17-2008, 11:30 AM	#1
MoBass New Member 1 Rep 7 Posts Drives: White Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: \\/\// iTrader: (0)	Tire pressure low for weeks Sorry if this has been posted elsewhere... About 3 weeks ago I got a message from the Tire Monitoring System saying that one of my back tires (RFT) was low on air. I was unable to remedy the situation at the time due to having to fly out of town. Three weeks later, the message is still there but it doesn't seem as though the tire is flat or losing air. My question is that if there was indeed a leak, wouldn't the tire be completely, or at least noticeably flat by now (three weeks later)?
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12-17-2008, 11:34 AM	#2
nicknaz Lieutenant General 3187 Rep 10,509 Posts Drives: C6Z Join Date: May 2008 Location: NorCal iTrader: (0)	it is a run flat tire. it is designed to hold up the weight of the car for driving without any air, so a bit of time with low air is not going to deform it however, you are causing a lot of premature tread wear on an expensive tire, so definitely inflate it to the proper pressure asap
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12-17-2008, 11:44 AM	#4
MoBass New Member 1 Rep 7 Posts Drives: White Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: \\/\// iTrader: (0)	If I were to measure the tire pressure I should see a difference in that tire's pressure when compared to the other three wheels, correct? Should I then inflate it to the correct pressure, reset the Monitoring System, then see if it raises the warning again?
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12-17-2008, 11:52 AM	#5
exidisjon PuffPuffPass 52 Rep 1,096 Posts Drives: E92 335xi AW/Saddle Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: NJ iTrader: (8)	Cold weather is pretty much it...Check the PSI and make sure they are at 32/35 they are probably less than that. When the weather turned REAL cold 30F and under i had the tire pressure say its low and after i filled it up it was good to go. And also if you have a flat tire in run flats YOU WILL NOTICE IT.. The car will merge to one side like crazy and you can tell by the tires..So pretty sure its not a flat and just cold weather.
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12-17-2008, 12:27 PM	#8
MoBass New Member 1 Rep 7 Posts Drives: White Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: \\/\// iTrader: (0)	Thanks for the input. I'll check the tire's pressure and see if it is indeed flat. How much should I spend on a pressure guage? I know they range from the cheap pocket tire gauges ($3) to the sophisticated electronic ones ($30+).
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12-17-2008, 12:28 PM	#9
exidisjon PuffPuffPass 52 Rep 1,096 Posts Drives: E92 335xi AW/Saddle Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: NJ iTrader: (8)	$3 dollar ones does the same job IMHO and there isnt enough times to use it anyways.. Or just go to one of those Air filling machines that has one on it.
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12-17-2008, 01:49 PM	#11
MoBass New Member 1 Rep 7 Posts Drives: White Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: \\/\// iTrader: (0)	Thanks. I'll probably spend around 10-20 bucks. I don't want to skimp too much on something as important as the health of my tires.
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12-17-2008, 02:00 PM	#12
nicknaz Lieutenant General 3187 Rep 10,509 Posts Drives: C6Z Join Date: May 2008 Location: NorCal iTrader: (0)	You can definitely get a small air compressor that plugs into the car's 12V socket for around $9 (i got mine from Kragen's). Much more convenient than driving to a gas station
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12-17-2008, 03:12 PM	#13
mike-y just another bmw douche bag 195 Rep 3,640 Posts Drives: 1.9L of fury Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Los Angeles, CA iTrader: (4)	and also, there is a sticker on the driver's side door jamb that has some specs on it - including your car's recommended tire pressures. Just about all modern cars have this sticker, so it's easy to reference. And the owner's manual has tire pressures for different size wheels and tires, in case you have upgraded from stock.
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