Aaron Widmar
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Do Cold Temperatures Affect Tire Pressure?

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Snow on tires cold temperatures winter freeze chill melting ice wheels
Photo: The News Wheel

As winter starts creeping in later this year, the temperatures will steadily drop and freezing weather will plague us again. During those frigid times, you may notice that your car is handling differently than it does during the summer. That’s largely due to how cold temperatures affect the air pressure of the tires. Here’s an explanation of why that happens.


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Why your car’s tires deflate during winter

In an article for Phys.org, General Motors representatives point out the hazard that under-inflated tires can be and why that happens.

As air becomes colder, its molecules huddle together, causing it to shrink as it becomes denser. That has a direct impact on how it fills the space within a car tire. On average, every 10-degree drop in temperature equates to roughly 1 psi of lost tire air pressure, according to David Cowger, the global sub-system manager for tires at the GM Tire and Wheel Lab.

But it’s not just the cold weather that’s causing the tires to lose some air pressure. On average, a vehicle tire will naturally lose between .25-.50 each month, just because air naturally passes through rubber (albeit slowly). That steady leak will exacerbate the tire’s reduction in air pressure even quicker during winter.

“So if you last checked your tire pressure a few months ago when it was 70 degrees and now it’s 20, a tire with a recommended psi of 35 could be down to 27 or 28 and set off the TPMS warning,” Cowger explains. “It’s very common when the first cold weather arrives.”

So if your tire pressure monitoring system warning light appears on a cold winter morning, check the air pressure of the tires. They may have reduced as the temperatures have and just need some extra air molecules to keep them firm and bouncy.


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