Low Tire Pressure
11-23-09, 04:21 PM
#1
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Low Tire Pressure
Hey guys, I did a search on this but didn't find anything that answered my question so I'm posting a new thread about this. Recently, as the weather in LA has gotten colder, my low tire pressure warning has come on. I filled it up and it went off but then came on again about a week later. Anyways, I thought that perhaps there was a nail or something and was going to take it to get checked out, but then the next day, which happened to be sunny and relatively warm, i started my car and the warning was gone. I even had my friend at the lexus dealership check out my tire pressure and everything was ok. BUT THEN, a couple days later, the light came on again and it's been a few days but I'm thinking maybe it's just the cold weather giving me an issue. What do you guys think?? Also, if it matters, I'm on aftermarket wheels, 3 piece. Any help you guys could give me would be helpful since I'm driving up to norcal tonight. Thanks in advance!
11-23-09, 04:51 PM
#2
Lexus Test Driver
Tire pressure will fluctuate with changes in temperature, and the pressure is more affected if there's greater variance in day/evening temperatures. My guess is that you put air in the tires when they were hot, and so they were still low to begin with. Accordingly, every time they cool down they get just low enough to trip the warning light. If it's close (within 1 psi or so), a warm day could keep them just above the threshold to trip the light.
Either way, you need to check pressure first thing in the morning before driving the vehicle, and write down the air needed for each one. Then put that much air in when you get to the gas station, regardless of what the pressure readings are.
Either way, you need to check pressure first thing in the morning before driving the vehicle, and write down the air needed for each one. Then put that much air in when you get to the gas station, regardless of what the pressure readings are.
11-23-09, 04:58 PM
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hmm that makes sense except the dealership last filled it up at night around 630 pm when it was already pretty cold, so i'm not too sure if it's applicable, but i'll be sure to check the tire pressure again before i leave to see what's going on. thanks for the help man
11-23-09, 05:05 PM
#4
Lexus Test Driver
The dealer probably put air in hot tires, assuming you drove the car there and it didn't sit overnight first. They have a TSB (really) that gives them general guidelines to figure out how much extra air to put in the tires based on ambient temperature and whether the tire is hot or cold, but I bet it's 90% guesswork in practice.
11-24-09, 12:25 PM
#7
It may be time to rest your TPMS per the owners manual. Set them accurately after the car has not been driven overnight, then go through the reset. They may have originally been initialized when the tire pressure was too high.
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12-01-09, 01:19 PM
#12
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This morning my Low Tire Pressure warning came on and I am 99% sure it is because of the cold weather. I'm in NYC and this morning we had our first real cold day (woke up and it was in the mid 30's). Put air in the tire this morning (gauge showed I was a bit low on all tires) and warning went away. An extreme change in climate can definitely have an effect on your tire pressure.
12-01-09, 02:59 PM
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I had a similar issue. Happend to me twice. One of my TPMS senors was wacky. I just took it to the dealership & they just reprogrammed it real quick. Takes like 2 seconds. So far all has been good. But we all know life goes now mine will act up again. hahaha
12-01-09, 03:13 PM
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damn so i took it to firestone up in the bay area and they found a nail, removed it, and filled it up. so all was good the light went off a little while later, BUT THEN....the next morning, when i went to start my car, the fricking tire sensor came on again, so I went to fill it up, all was good, and then it came on the next morning again. :[ should i go to the dealership and get my tpms reprogrammed???
