Wheels & Tires

[Truett Collins]

Hey.....not that far behind you.....remember I said in another place that my wife is 1/2 century, one decade ----plus old.....

And I now have a knot on the back of my head....didn't know the wife was looking over my shoulder.......OUCH

 

[goofyone]

I am guessing that everyone has forgotten how to use a simple tire pressure gauge?

If you are the highly organized sort you can easily keep your tires properly inflated the 'old fashioned way" with a good tire pressure gauge. Just make sure to check your cold tires every two weeks or 250 miles and your tires will stay at the correct pressure. For the rest of us an inexpensive but highly accurate TPMS system help us to keep our tires at the optimum level for maximum tire life and optimum fuel efficiency which saves us money.

 

[Truett Collins]

If you are the highly organized sort you can easily keep your tires properly inflated the 'old fashioned way" with a good tire pressure gauge. Just make sure to check your cold tires every two weeks or 250 miles and your tires will stay at the correct pressure. For the rest of us an inexpensive but highly accurate TPMS system help us to keep our tires at the optimum level for maximum tire life and optimum fuel efficiency which saves us money.

How about us older people who still don't have smart phones, Bluetooth, etc......

 

[carzes]

Good point about balance guys as I forgot to mention that. I am fortunate that I have access to a friends shop so I can easily mount and balance so I do tend to overlook it. I also already use a similar product to what Jim recommended on my vehicles which balances and even seals holes. I use Ride-On Tire Sealant & Balancer. http://www.ride-on.com/

Jim, I actually use the same brand TPMS on my dually tow rig with 10 tires and it works great however it is quite expensive so it is not ideal to outfit every vehicle. In your case where you already have it and need it for your tow rig it works out very well!

I would think that balancing wouldn't be an issue. If you add a known amount of weight to your valve stem it stands to reason that an equal weight on the opposite side should balance it. Seems like the sort of thing the system might-should come with.

 

[goofyone]

I would think that balancing wouldn't be an issue. If you add a known amount of weight to your valve stem it stands to reason that an equal weight on the opposite side should balance it. Seems like the sort of thing the system might-should come with.

These systems recommend you do a full electronic balance after installation which is the correct way to do it.

Putting the same weight on the opposite side is a guesstimate of balance however that assumes that wheels and tires are unbalanced in a perfectly symmetrical way. This is not a true assumption at all as the wheel/tire assembly could have several 'hot spots' however the balance machines can determine where best place the weight(s) to counteract everything.

I believe tire balance is a lot more complicated that most people really appreciate which is why I use Ride-On and others have mentioned KTB Tire Balancer

 

[Johnapool]

I am guessing that everyone has forgotten how to use a simple tire pressure gauge?

Yep, Low technology that has worked for over a century. At 70, I can still read my gauge just fine. Oh, it is also very light, won't affect tire balance, requires no electric power or harness, and, gives me a chance to observe my tires while using.

 

[wheaters]

The problem comes when people realise the rear wheel is relatively inaccessible. My wife never checks her tyre pressures on any car she's been responsible for and she's been driving ever since I've known her, which is forty years.

I suppose I do that for her in exchange for her washing and ironing my white work shirts. No problem, I have four or five tyre pressure gauges around the place, and an electric compressor, the airline adapter also has a gauge on it. All my sons come home here too, to work on their cars. Or rather, should I say, they come here to persuade me to work on their cars for them.....

 

[NSTG8R]

Yep, Low technology that has worked for over a century. At 70, I can still read my gauge just fine. Oh, it is also very light, won't affect tire balance, requires no electric power or harness, and, gives me a chance to observe my tires while using.

While I totally agree John, I could see where something like the TPMS would be handy. The front spats/fairings pretty much hide the valves, so you'd need someone outside the Elio to tell you when it's accessible. It's either that, jack it up and spin the wheel, or remove the fairings...all of which I'm too lazy to do.

 

[CompTrex]

Saw somewhere (maybe on here) that they make blue tooth enabled valve stem caps that will tell your smart phone the tire pressure. Sweet! I can see getting these. Problem is, they only come in a set of four!

 

[Jim H]

Considering some of the ages of members here, they simply, like me, can no longer see them. I need a digital readout but then I'm not sure I could get down to see it and read it. Growing mature can sometimes put a bit of a dent in our physical abilities. Z

Companies like Discount Tire, Big O Tire, Jiffy Lube, etc offer free air pressure checks for the public. This takes only a couple of minutes and I take my car in monthly for these free checks. Don't even have to get out of the car and their service is excellent.