Anybody else experience this?

I'll admit, I got lazy and didn't check my air pressure for almost three months. At last check/fill, I had them at 33psi, which is absolutely where I prefer them. The car handles superb for me right at that pressure.

Anyway, I knew just from looking at the tires they were getting low. The backs looked fine, but the fronts looked low. And the car's been handling like I have to wrestle a bit- a loss of steering nimbleness. I've been meaning to do this for over a week, but hell- cold is cold and it's been freezing around here lately. Last night I got my shot- not too cold to get out and do this. I also check and fill when the tires are cold- about an 1/8 of a mile drive when leaving work for the night. All four were almost even at 28 psi! That's pretty freakin low. I was amazed. I got them all back up to 33 and the drive feels fantastic again, just as it should. But why the loss of so much air in all tires? And so damn even over all four too. Is it because the tires are so small they give up the air more and need to be checked more regularly?

This is the third time since I got the car in August that I've noticed the pressure seems to like settling in at 28 psi when I check them- always down from the 33 I fill them at. The air pump is accurate, btw.

Anyone else experience this air loss with the Dunlops? I don't mind checking the air once a month, given this. And to all the Dunlop haters who'll chime in, I actually like the tires. They give me absolutely no trouble and actually have proven themselves to be very good in poor road conditions, such as rain/ice.

Btw- my low pressure warning light never came on either. At 28 psi, I'd have to assume it was damn close to doing so though. Although, the pressure is up on them in the heat of driving too, so I'm sure that figures in too.

Dan

 

Funny you mention it, I checked my tire pressure yesterday and found nearly the same thing (my tires were down to 27.5-28 psi, and I haven't checked since I last filled them up about 3 months ago ).

According to TireRack (Tire Tech Information - Air Pressure, Temperature Fluctuations), each 10F change in temperature change your pressure by 1 psi, and you tend to lose 1psi per month. Assuming you filled the tires last when it was 60F out, and now it's 30F, there goes 3 psi. Then add in the fact you waited 3 months, and it's down to about 27 psi.

That being said, my last car never seemed as sensitive .

 

Pressure drops as temperature drops. In fact, temperature changes pressure more than people realize. Check them more often.

 

December, November, October, September. If your memory is correct, the last time you checked the tire pressures would have been mid-September, when the ambient temperature was probably between 70-80 degrees. It's now mid-December, and since you live in New York, I'll bet the ambient temperature is 20-30 degrees lower. 28 PSI sounds about right to me.

 

Yep, this is why you have to check your tire pressures twice a month.

Very important to pump more air to maintain your pressures in winter and to bleed the excess air come spring or summer.

 

yup i noticed this problem also. and i live in FL
temp are pretty warm all the time and constantly
i have to add air. crazy i tell ya
i just don't get it. they all go down and the way i
realize it is from the front looking to low. as a matter
of fact it's been like that for a couple of days now.
i need to get out there and add some more

 

The tough time of year around here is March or early April, where temperatures may be 25 overnight, and 75 by afternoon. There's 5 psi difference just in a day!

 

I found my tires lost one psi/week, tripping the TPMS about once/month. I never noticed it that bad in other cars.

 

hmmm so this explains why i lost temperature haha

 

my previous car had run-flats and they would always leak air (at the same time so it definitely wasn't nails). In your case I would have to agree with the others. This is temperature related.

This is how much of a nerd I am. It got really cold a few days ago, like below freezing (I live in CA so this is wierd for me) and my first thought was, "hmmm it's really cold I better put air in my tires!!"

Yes I'm a virgin

 

So I'm not alone. I will certainly keep up on this. And yes, steering becomes less responsive when they get that low. It's gradual so perhaps you don't notice it. But it's noticeable BIG time when they're filled back up. Aside from all of it, I know that my laziness hurt my gas mileage, including all the driving I did over the weekend. Dumbass. Never again.

Dan

 

Is 5 psi really a big difference? Is that really the difference between perfect and freaking low?

I just inflate them from what I've read on some hypermiling forums. Thats 51psi. I have read on various forums that it increases performance, stopping power, cornering, longevity of tires and mpg. Some said that its dangerous because you lose grip or might crack your rim on a pothole.

So far I have tried 32, 42, 45,48 and 51 psi. I do believe that those extra vibrations that aren't being absorb by the tires will cause faster wear on the parts in the car. And at 51psi I can feel every crack and groove in the road. That is why I want to go back to low 40ies. But that is already 10psi over recommended specs.

 

I guess it's not a big difference bewteen 28 and 33. It's just 28 seems very low for the tires. I sure didn't like seeing that. And I can feel the handling difference between the two. I'm considering going to 35 for the winter, but 33 really seems optimal for handling, etc.

 

Just fill it up at the recommended pressure. Overinflation just gives your tires male-pattern baldness on the tread - and it's also pretty bad because your tires' contact patches are reduced to just the middle of the tread area, where the tire is bulging from all the extra air.

Yeah yeah hypermilers will scoff at it but it ain't a laughing matter losing grip in bad conditions because you inflated your tires to 51 psi just in search of the odd 1-2 mpg. I would rather people drive safely and maintain their cars' safety.

 

check those puppies every week.

 

i had the loss of air pressure aswell when it got colder

 

My snows were filled with nitrogen. Will be interesting to see how they stand up.

My OEM tires liked to lose as well. I think running at the reccomended PSI is about right.

 

Was 25(F) here the other evening on my way home from work and hit a "seam" in the road simultaneously with both front tires so I felt a little "thunk" Immediately, the TPMS light came on... checked everything out and all was fine so I stopped at a gas station that had a gauge (I guess mine is lost - need another - Santa?) and I was at about 26. on almost all 4 tires. Yup... it's the temp.

Many individuals on hypermiling forums are extremists and their beliefs are not based in reality so take what you read with a grain of salt. Honda knows WAAAAY more about the best PSI for the fit than anyone... PERIOD. You'll read things like "inflate to the sidewall max because you should use what the tire can handle" but this is incorrect information. The tire is designed for MANY MANY different types of cars, weights, uses so the tire manufacturer puts the max that the tire can actually handle, not what is optimum for each car. Honda knows this and puts it on the driver's side doorjamb for easy reference. The Fit Pressure is listed at 33 all the way around and that is what everyone should run. adding more pressure will "crown" the tire making the center wear more and shrink your contact patch which will LOWER Grip. Handling, safety, and tire life are all degraded, not increased. The only thing that will go up is MPG but at the potential detriment to everyone around you.

correct that the other components will take more of a beating because your tires are hard as a rock with 50+psi.

~SB

 

Well the made some pretty convincing points and explained in detail why it improves cornering, performance etc. Honda also has a lot of other things to consider like marketing, lawsuits. It's not necessarily the optimum of the car but a combination of many different things.

I know those hypermilers are extremists and they do some really over the top things that I just cant do. But they do give some pretty good tips. I feel more confident if I know what a honda engineer would PERSONALLY run on HIS fit.

Btw my sticker on the drivers side door says that the front tires should be pumped to 32psi and the back to 30psi. So the numbers arent consistent.

 

Same here. Warning light came on. Haven't checked tires in 21/2 mos. One was 23 ib's!