Tire Pressure Question
FTE Legend
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 32,875
Likes: 48
From: Northeast, OK
Thanks. Mine were all over the map today when I checked, and none were that close to what the gauges, plural, said. The tires were at 41 - 42 and the truck showed from 43 - 47. The door sticker calls for 35 so I dropped them to 37, but the pressures on the dash didn't change much. Do you have to start or drive the truck for the pressures to register?
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 176
Likes: 0
From: Central IL
Yes all that and the trucks empty weight and max weight, suspension all should be figure into the door sticker psi.
No way is a tire manufacturer going to know all this and put it on the tire. They tell you the max weight the tire can handle at the max pressure.
I prefer running 38 have been for years in my trucks no mater what the sticker says. Got 135,000 miles off the stock Goodyears on my 2002 F150. Only replaced them because of their age they still had a lot more miles on them.
True my truck doesn't ride as smooth as my 1995 J6 Jaguar but dam it's a truck!! And a nice one at that! And it has most of the neat things that the Jaguar has even if it took 20 years.
No way is a tire manufacturer going to know all this and put it on the tire. They tell you the max weight the tire can handle at the max pressure.
I prefer running 38 have been for years in my trucks no mater what the sticker says. Got 135,000 miles off the stock Goodyears on my 2002 F150. Only replaced them because of their age they still had a lot more miles on them.
True my truck doesn't ride as smooth as my 1995 J6 Jaguar but dam it's a truck!! And a nice one at that! And it has most of the neat things that the Jaguar has even if it took 20 years.
Thanks for the knowledge, makes sense. I generally try to run 34-38. Had to air them up on the ol' 94 the other day.
135k on the Goodyears...that amazes me. I was happy to get the 50k on my 2011, and that was after repairing two of them from being cut on the gravel road headed to the duck blind. I switched to 10 ply tires and noticed little difference in the ride. Like you said, it's a truck, and we should drive it like one.
Tuned
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 474
Likes: 4
From: SE Michigan
Thanks. Mine were all over the map today when I checked, and none were that close to what the gauges, plural, said. The tires were at 41 - 42 and the truck showed from 43 - 47. The door sticker calls for 35 so I dropped them to 37, but the pressures on the dash didn't change much. Do you have to start or drive the truck for the pressures to register?
I did see the same thing,, so to check I fired it up and they updated to what my gage showed I had put in them.
Lead Driver
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 5,881
Likes: 359
From: Mts. S. of San Francisco
For background, my truck is a 2015 XLT 3.5/EB. It is a supercrew with the 6-1/2' box and 4x4. The tires are 275/65R18 Goodyears. The door sticker says 35 PSI cold, and the sidewalls say 52 PSI max pressure.
I'd driven to town today; it's a ~~ 30 mile round trip on twisty mountain roads. We got some rain today, and the OAT was 65F. I waited 4 hours after I got home to do the check. I used one digital gauge and one analog gauge. This is what I got:
Code:
Tire Console Digital Analog RF 43 41.5 42 LF 43 41.5 42 RR 43 41.5 42 LR 43 41.5 42
Oh, one added twist, the check was done at 2400' elevation. I have no idea what that does (or doesn't do) to any of the gauges or the console readings.
Tuned
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 474
Likes: 4
From: SE Michigan
Ask and ye shall receive.
For background, my truck is a 2015 XLT 3.5/EB. It is a supercrew with the 6-1/2' box and 4x4. The tires are 275/65R18 Goodyears. The door sticker says 35 PSI cold, and the sidewalls say 52 PSI max pressure.
I'd driven to town today; it's a ~~ 30 mile round trip on twisty mountain roads. We got some rain today, and the OAT was 65F. I waited 4 hours after I got home to do the check. I used one digital gauge and one analog gauge. This is what I got:
It's interesting (at least to me) that the digital and analog gauges were within 1/2 PSI of each other. That makes me tend to believe that they are pretty close to what is real. That said, the console was only 1 PSI different than the analog gauge.
Oh, one added twist, the check was done at 2400' elevation. I have no idea what that does (or doesn't do) to any of the gauges or the console readings.
For background, my truck is a 2015 XLT 3.5/EB. It is a supercrew with the 6-1/2' box and 4x4. The tires are 275/65R18 Goodyears. The door sticker says 35 PSI cold, and the sidewalls say 52 PSI max pressure.
I'd driven to town today; it's a ~~ 30 mile round trip on twisty mountain roads. We got some rain today, and the OAT was 65F. I waited 4 hours after I got home to do the check. I used one digital gauge and one analog gauge. This is what I got:
Code:
Tire Console Digital Analog RF 43 41.5 42 LF 43 41.5 42 RR 43 41.5 42 LR 43 41.5 42
Oh, one added twist, the check was done at 2400' elevation. I have no idea what that does (or doesn't do) to any of the gauges or the console readings.
FTE Legend
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 32,875
Likes: 48
From: Northeast, OK
Thanks, guys. I'll be starting it for the drive to STL in a bit so will find out if the readout updates to 37 or not. Hopefully mine will be as consistent as yours.
As for what elevation does, my physics training suggests that filling a tire at a lower elevation and then checking it at a higher elevation would find less pressure in the tire. However, there are some variables. If the digital gauge resets its zero then it might not show a difference. Interesting question.
As for what elevation does, my physics training suggests that filling a tire at a lower elevation and then checking it at a higher elevation would find less pressure in the tire. However, there are some variables. If the digital gauge resets its zero then it might not show a difference. Interesting question.
Lead Driver
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 5,881
Likes: 359
From: Mts. S. of San Francisco
As for what elevation does, my physics training suggests that filling a tire at a lower elevation and then checking it at a higher elevation would find less pressure in the tire. However, there are some variables. If the digital gauge resets its zero then it might not show a difference. Interesting question.
The ambient air pressure is higher at lower elevation, so the difference between what's in the tire and ambient should be higher at higher elevation.
We see this whenever we get a sealed bag of anything. We buy down in town at ~~ 400' elevation. When they get up here (~~ 2400'), the bags are inflated to max. I've taken this to be because the ambient air pressure has gone down.
The thing I don't know is if the gauge is reading absolute pressure, or the differential between the tire and ambient. I suspect that it's the differential.
FTE Legend
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 32,875
Likes: 48
From: Northeast, OK
Actually, I don't know the effect of changing altitude on pressure readings.
But, I do know more about my tire pressures. Having reset the pressures to 37 yesterday, 3 of the 4 were showing 37 when I started the truck this morning. But the RR was still showing 43, and did so until I had driven about half a mile, at which point it showed 37.
Then, after having driven about 100 miles and having checked the pressures several time on the dash, I did so again - and the RR showed 0. And a couple of seconds later an error message popped up that I had a low tire, and the RR showed 22 PSI and there was a yellow band around it. However, we hadn't hit anything and the truck was driving fine, at 72 MPH, so I didn't pull over and was just going to take the next exit, which was 3 miles away. But, before I got to the exit the pressure went back to 40 PSI on the dash and the yellow went away a couple of miles later.
Anyone else have any glitches with the TPMS?
But, I do know more about my tire pressures. Having reset the pressures to 37 yesterday, 3 of the 4 were showing 37 when I started the truck this morning. But the RR was still showing 43, and did so until I had driven about half a mile, at which point it showed 37.
Then, after having driven about 100 miles and having checked the pressures several time on the dash, I did so again - and the RR showed 0. And a couple of seconds later an error message popped up that I had a low tire, and the RR showed 22 PSI and there was a yellow band around it. However, we hadn't hit anything and the truck was driving fine, at 72 MPH, so I didn't pull over and was just going to take the next exit, which was 3 miles away. But, before I got to the exit the pressure went back to 40 PSI on the dash and the yellow went away a couple of miles later.
Anyone else have any glitches with the TPMS?
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Lead Driver
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 5,881
Likes: 359
From: Mts. S. of San Francisco
Not on my F-150. Our Toyotas occasionally show an alert, and we have associated it with (1)cold weather plus (2)spare tire.
I have only had the F-150 for a week, but I have not really been watch the TP. From your experience, it sounds like it takes a little bit of time for a change to take effect?
I have only had the F-150 for a week, but I have not really been watch the TP. From your experience, it sounds like it takes a little bit of time for a change to take effect?
FTE Legend
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 32,875
Likes: 48
From: Northeast, OK
Yes, it seems to take time and/or distance to reset the pressure display after you change tire pressures. That makes sense as the pressure sensor in the wheel can't transmit at all points in the rotation - only when close to the pickup loop. But there is no mention of that in the owner's manual.
Tuned
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 474
Likes: 4
From: SE Michigan
Yes, it seems to take time and/or distance to reset the pressure display after you change tire pressures. That makes sense as the pressure sensor in the wheel can't transmit at all points in the rotation - only when close to the pickup loop. But there is no mention of that in the owner's manual.
FTE Legend
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 32,875
Likes: 48
From: Northeast, OK
I found it on Page 348:
When Inflating Your Tires
When putting air into your tires (such as at
a gas station or in your garage), the tire
pressure monitoring system may not
respond immediately to the air added to
your tires.
It may take up to two minutes of driving
over 20 mph (32 km/h) for the light to turn
off after you have filled your tires to the
recommended inflation pressure
I assume that means it might also take that long to show the correct pressure.
When putting air into your tires (such as at
a gas station or in your garage), the tire
pressure monitoring system may not
respond immediately to the air added to
your tires.
It may take up to two minutes of driving
over 20 mph (32 km/h) for the light to turn
off after you have filled your tires to the
recommended inflation pressure
FTE Legend
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 32,875
Likes: 48
From: Northeast, OK
Yeah, I see what you mean. However, it is confusing - at least to my simple mind. Below is what I found. However, the part that says it is for vehicles with different pressures front/rear seems to say that those of us who have the same pressure requirements front/rear don't need to do this. Yes? Anyone agree or disagree?
Note: You need to perform the tire pressure monitoring system reset procedure after each tire rotation on vehicles that require different recommended tire pressures in the front tires as compared to the rear tires.
Overview
To provide the vehicle's load carrying capability, some vehicles require different recommended tire pressures in the front tires as compared to the rear tires. The tire pressure monitoring system equipped on these vehicles is designed to illuminate the low tire pressure warning light at two different pressures; one for the front tires and one for the rear tires. Since tires need to be rotated to provide consistent performance and maximum tire life, the tire pressure monitoring system needs to know when the tires are rotated to determine which set of tires are on the front and which are on the rear. With this information, the system can detect and properly warn of low tire pressures.
System reset tips:
• To reduce the chances of interference from another vehicle, perform the system reset procedure at least three feet (one meter) away from another Ford Motor Company vehicle undergoing the system reset procedure at the same time.
• Do not wait more than two minutes between resetting each tire sensor or the system will time-out and the entire procedure will have to be repeated on all four wheels.
• A double horn will sound indicating the need to repeat the procedure.
Performing the System Reset Procedure
Read the entire procedure before attempting.
1. Drive the vehicle above 20 mph (32 km/h) for at least two minutes, then park in a safe location where you can easily get to all four tires and have access to an air pump.
2. Place the ignition in the off position and keep the key in the ignition.
3. Cycle the ignition to the on position with the engine off.
4. Turn the hazard flashers on then off three times. You must accomplish this within 10 seconds. If the reset mode has been entered successfully, the horn will sound once, the system indicator will flash and a message is shown in the information display. If this does not occur, please try again starting at Step 2. If after repeated attempts to enter the reset mode, the horn does not sound, the system indicator does not flash and no message is shown in the information display, seek service from your authorized dealer.
5. Train the tire pressure monitoring system sensors in the tires using the following system reset sequence starting with the left front tire in the following clockwise order: Left front (driver's side front tire), Right front (passenger's side front tire), Right rear (passenger's side rear tire), Left rear (driver's side rear tire)
6. Remove the valve cap from the valve stem on the left front tire. Decrease the air pressure until the horn sounds. Note: The single horn chirp confirms that the sensor identification code has been learned by the module for this position. If a double horn is heard, the reset procedure was unsuccessful, and you must repeat it.
7. Remove the valve cap from the valve stem on the right front tire. Decrease the air pressure until the horn sounds.
8. Remove the valve cap from the valve stem on the right rear tire. Decrease the air pressure until the horn sounds.
9. Remove the valve cap from the valve stem on the left rear tire. Decrease the air pressure until the horn sounds. Training is complete after the horn sounds for the last tire trained (driver's side rear tire), the system indicator stops flashing, and a message is shown in the information display.
10. Turn the ignition off. If two short horn beeps are heard, the reset procedure was unsuccessful and you must repeat it. If after repeating the procedure and two short beeps are heard when the ignition is turned to off, seek assistance from your authorized dealer.
11. Set all four tires to the recommended air pressure as indicated on the Safety Compliance Certification Label (affixed to either the door hinge pillar, door-latch post, or the door edge that meets the door-latch post, next to the driver's seating position) or Tire Label located on the B-Pillar or the edge of the driver's door.
Overview
To provide the vehicle's load carrying capability, some vehicles require different recommended tire pressures in the front tires as compared to the rear tires. The tire pressure monitoring system equipped on these vehicles is designed to illuminate the low tire pressure warning light at two different pressures; one for the front tires and one for the rear tires. Since tires need to be rotated to provide consistent performance and maximum tire life, the tire pressure monitoring system needs to know when the tires are rotated to determine which set of tires are on the front and which are on the rear. With this information, the system can detect and properly warn of low tire pressures.
System reset tips:
• To reduce the chances of interference from another vehicle, perform the system reset procedure at least three feet (one meter) away from another Ford Motor Company vehicle undergoing the system reset procedure at the same time.
• Do not wait more than two minutes between resetting each tire sensor or the system will time-out and the entire procedure will have to be repeated on all four wheels.
• A double horn will sound indicating the need to repeat the procedure.
Performing the System Reset Procedure
Read the entire procedure before attempting.
1. Drive the vehicle above 20 mph (32 km/h) for at least two minutes, then park in a safe location where you can easily get to all four tires and have access to an air pump.
2. Place the ignition in the off position and keep the key in the ignition.
3. Cycle the ignition to the on position with the engine off.
4. Turn the hazard flashers on then off three times. You must accomplish this within 10 seconds. If the reset mode has been entered successfully, the horn will sound once, the system indicator will flash and a message is shown in the information display. If this does not occur, please try again starting at Step 2. If after repeated attempts to enter the reset mode, the horn does not sound, the system indicator does not flash and no message is shown in the information display, seek service from your authorized dealer.
5. Train the tire pressure monitoring system sensors in the tires using the following system reset sequence starting with the left front tire in the following clockwise order: Left front (driver's side front tire), Right front (passenger's side front tire), Right rear (passenger's side rear tire), Left rear (driver's side rear tire)
6. Remove the valve cap from the valve stem on the left front tire. Decrease the air pressure until the horn sounds. Note: The single horn chirp confirms that the sensor identification code has been learned by the module for this position. If a double horn is heard, the reset procedure was unsuccessful, and you must repeat it.
7. Remove the valve cap from the valve stem on the right front tire. Decrease the air pressure until the horn sounds.
8. Remove the valve cap from the valve stem on the right rear tire. Decrease the air pressure until the horn sounds.
9. Remove the valve cap from the valve stem on the left rear tire. Decrease the air pressure until the horn sounds. Training is complete after the horn sounds for the last tire trained (driver's side rear tire), the system indicator stops flashing, and a message is shown in the information display.
10. Turn the ignition off. If two short horn beeps are heard, the reset procedure was unsuccessful and you must repeat it. If after repeating the procedure and two short beeps are heard when the ignition is turned to off, seek assistance from your authorized dealer.
11. Set all four tires to the recommended air pressure as indicated on the Safety Compliance Certification Label (affixed to either the door hinge pillar, door-latch post, or the door edge that meets the door-latch post, next to the driver's seating position) or Tire Label located on the B-Pillar or the edge of the driver's door.