Low tire warning on all 4 today.

[Paul Higg]

I drove 40 miles to an appointment in 40 weather after parking in the garage.

I parked in the lot.

Two hours later I came out and started it up and I got all four low tire pressure warnings coming on one after the other in the DIC. So I looked at them and they looked okay as I had no way to get air.

As I drove they went away one at a time. My tire pressure went to 27 as I drove. So I know they’re low. Has anyone seen this before? Could it have been the cold weather and low pressure?

 

[jrose7004]

The cold weather has an effect on them for sure. The driving you did after the warning "woke them up".

 

[Tuna]

Has anyone seen this before? Could it have been the cold weather and low pressure?

Yes. Being in your garage, the tires were warmer than outside before you started. After parking in the lot and sitting for 2 hours, the tires cooled down - thus reducing the pressure in the tires. This was low enough to set the low tire pressure warning for all 4 tires.

Driving home heated the tires again raising the pressure so that the low tire warning went out one by one.

 

[Paul Higg]

Thanks fellas. I kinda thought that was what it was.

I waited an hour and checked them when I got home and all four read 25 pounds so I added 5 pounds to each wheel.

They had been reading 26-27 when driving lately. In the summer I didn't mess with them because while driving they read 33 all the time.

This is the first car I have ever had that had this so I have to get used to it. How reliable is it?

 

[timfitz63]

... Has anyone seen this before? ...

Coincidentally, I had a very similar thing happen to me over the weekend. Mine had been sitting in the garage for quite a while (longer than I care to admit, but that's another story...). I moved it out into the driveway, where it sat for another hour or so. When I got back in it to drive off and run some errands, I got "LOW TIRE PRESSURE" alerts for each tire. Checking the DIC, I had ~25-26 psi in each tire. I ultimately attributed it to some minor air leakage while the car had been sitting dormant for so long, so I just aired them up, and everything seems fine now.

The other answers you've already received pertaining to your case all make sense.

... How reliable is it?

My experience suggests that the tire pressure monitoring system is pretty accurate and reliable.

Incidentally, tire pressures should always be checked and adjusted when the tire is cold, for the very reasons described by "Tuna." That's not always practical, but the recommended pressure ratings are for a cold tire.

 

[Paul Higg]

What do you keep your pressure at? My door sill tag says 30. So 30 it is.

This is my first C5 and it'll be the first winter I have owned it so I guess I have to get used to the quirks.

It was raining today too, and when I got onto the highway I punched it and almost lost control despite the traction control being on! I love the power! I can only imagine a C6!

Even passing on the highway at normal speeds I spun 'em inadvertently.

I wonder if that's why I got that code I got in another post.

 

[timfitz63]

What do you keep your pressure at? My door sill tag says 30. So 30 it is.

I typically use the recommended pressure as well.

This is my first C5...

Well, welcome to the fold! It's a great car!

It was raining today too, and when I got onto the highway I punched it and almost lost control despite the traction control being on! I love the power! I can only imagine a C6!

Even passing on the highway at normal speeds I spun 'em inadvertently.

Yeah, the C5 will easily break traction, even on dry pavement. You definitely have to respect the power of the car, or in the blink of an eye you'll be learning that lesson the hard way! Take some time to peruse YouTube, and watch all the videos of people who ended up attending the "C5 Driving School of Hard Knocks"...

Toward that end, I wouldn't recommend relying on the traction control system to keep you pointed straight. It works reasonably well, but there are limitations to the "magic" it can perform; and once the tires break grip, both you and the traction control system are just going along for the ride...

Take the time to carefully learn how the C5 reacts to your driving commands (both throttle and steering) -- and what its inherent limitations are. It will be time well-spent, and make you a much more skillful driver in the process!

 

[Paul Higg]

I completely agree. I accidentally spin 'em on dry unintenitally occasionally and I grit my teeth because tires are expensive!

Today in the rain however, now THAT caught me off guard. I have a lot of tread but the whole car almost went out of control. Backed off the gas in a hurry and then made my way on the ramp. Although it's powerful I have to love it. This car moves in a hurry!

You're right, this car will get ahead of you in no time.

I'm amazed at how low the RPM's are at idle. And because of that I get great mileage. No tickets and I don't intend to get any either. Usually I drive with cruise on at no more than three over. There's a LOT of sheriffs here that would love to write a Vette up.

I'll have to look at those YouTubes. I saw one where a stock Vette blew a fully loaded Cobra Mustang off the track. This thing cost about a third or half again as much as the stock Vette. I was amazed.

Thanks for all yall's help.

 

[LLC5]

I drove 40 miles to an appointment in 40 weather after parking in the garage.

I parked in the lot.

Two hours later I came out and started it up and I got all four low tire pressure warnings coming on one after the other in the DIC. So I looked at them and they looked okay as I had no way to get air.

As I drove they went away one at a time. My tire pressure went to 27 as I drove. So I know they’re low. Has anyone seen this before? Could it have been the cold weather and low pressure?

The rule of thumb is 10* F is equal to about 1 lbs of air pressure either way, up or down (obviously).

 

[timfitz63]

Although it's powerful I have to love it. This car moves in a hurry!

You're right, this car will get ahead of you in no time.

I'm amazed at how low the RPM's are at idle. And because of that I get great mileage.

No doubt about it: we all get a kick out of the car's power. I routinely tell friends: "You just gotta love a car that will go 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds, and still get 30 mpg on the highway!"

One time I drove from Waco, TX to San Antonio and back; round trip about 400 miles. 30+ mpg both directions at 70 mph on I-35, ~1,500 RPM, and I still had enough gas when I got back to Waco to drive around town for another day or so.

... I'll have to look at those YouTubes. I saw one where a stock Vette blew a fully loaded Cobra Mustang off the track. This thing cost about a third or half again as much as the stock Vette. I was amazed.

Yeah, the stock Vette will definitely move on out. Not long after I first got mine, another friend of mine, who has a 2001 Z06 to which he'd made a few minor modifications, discovered that one of the local drag strips has a "test and tune" night where you pay $15 and they'll time your runs down the track all night long. He and I took our Vettes down there just for giggles; him to tinker with his handiwork, and me mainly just to goof off. Mind you: my C5 is straight-out-of-the-box stock; I'm a rank amateur at running the quarter mile; I didn't try to do any really hard starts for fear of damaging something; and I still managed a 13.5-second run at 107 mph. That's actually not far from Chevy's published numbers for the C5 with a 6-speed (13.2 seconds at 109 mph).

And what amazed me when I went past the finish line: I think I'd barely reached third gear -- and was still accelerating! Not just creeping up past 100 mph -- I mean really accelerating! If I'd had another quarter mile or so of pavement, I'd have easily been at 150 mph -- and probably still accelerating!

 

[Paul Higg]

All I can say is freaking AWESOME!!!

I WISH I could run mine up that fast.

On the 1 pound versus temp thing that's good to know. I'm gonna print that out for my binder.

Anyone know if anyone has ever done a test to see how hot the air IN the tires gets at say highway speeds at around maybe 75 or 80 degrees? Would be interesting from an engineering standpoint.

I'll bet that those speeds and temps the air might get hot enough to raise the pressure above 35 maybe? Dunno. :confused

 

[timfitz63]

All I can say is freaking AWESOME!!!

I WISH I could run mine up that fast.

I'm sure if you check around your area, you'll find a drag strip that offers a "test and tune" period on their track. Just don't try to make your first run your fastest -- or it might be the lastest (for your car). As we were speaking about earlier: until you learn to properly feather in all that power, you might put your shiny new C5 into a concrete barrier... :ugh And keep in mind that you likely run the track at your own risk; I doubt a basic auto insurance policy will cover damages...

Anyone know if anyone has ever done a test to see how hot the air IN the tires gets at say highway speeds at around maybe 75 or 80 degrees? Would be interesting from an engineering standpoint.

I think you'd need a temperature sensor inside the tire (similar to the pressure monitor sensor) to get an accurate reading of that.

 

[Paul Higg]

I think I'll hold off on the track. You're right, I don't want to wreck it. Also, the insurance, another thing to consider.

Thanks Tim and hope you enjoy your Vette as much as I do mine.

 

[shark454]

FWIW

I have an 02. Lately, it's been colder here in Chicago and my LF and RR tires have been tripping the "Low Pressure" warning. I reinflate them and eventually they would leak back down. All summer they were fine.

The tire guy replaced the Warning Sensor stem nut thingy and the rubber seals. $6.95 a tire plus labor and all is well.

I guess the valve stem,rubberseal and valve stem nut will leak over time and the cold aggrevated it.

Also, a tire rep. indicated that the Goodyear tires do well at a pressure greater than 30 PSI. They rate them lower to sell more tires.
I have noticed that keeping them at 30 PSI, when it's was time to get new tires, the outside wore alittle more than the center. So now iI try to target 35 PSI.

Save the wave!

 

[Paul Higg]

Hi shark,

I drove it just now. Yesterday I filled all four to 30 PSI. During the drive I noticed them climb from 27 to 30 and hold steady at all speeds. Ambient temp was in the 50’s.

Thanks for that info. More tire info for my Vette binder.

I have Michelin, Radial X Pilot Sports on it. That’s what came with it when I bought it. Not run flats and no tire repair kit so I have to rely on my excellent warranty policy I bought when I bought the car. Thank goodness I haven’t needed it.

 

[Paul Higg]

“Save the wave.”

I agree, sometimes people don’t wave back. But what I have noticed now that the economy is in rough shape is a lot LESS Vettes on the road. I looked in a Vette for sale mag the other day, I couldn’t believe it. You can get a Vette for a song nowadays!

FWIW

I have an 02. Lately, it's been colder here in Chicago and my LF and RR tires have been tripping the "Low Pressure" warning. I reinflate them and eventually they would leak back down. All summer they were fine.

The tire guy replaced the Warning Sensor stem nut thingy and the rubber seals. $6.95 a tire plus labor and all is well.

I guess the valve stem,rubberseal and valve stem nut will leak over time and the cold aggrevated it.

Also, a tire rep. indicated that the Goodyear tires do well at a pressure greater than 30 PSI. They rate them lower to sell more tires.
I have noticed that keeping them at 30 PSI, when it's was time to get new tires, the outside wore alittle more than the center. So now iI try to target 35 PSI.

Save the wave!

 

[timfitz63]

I think I'll hold off on the track. You're right, I don't want to wreck it. Also, the insurance, another thing to consider.

I don't track mine on a routine basis; and in my case, the law of averages worked in my favor (no damage to the vehicle). I only did the "test and tune" thing once or twice just so I could legally find out what the car would do, performance-wise. And, of course, to get a cheap thrill...

But afterward, I realized I was probably not covered under my auto insurance policy if I'd had a mishap on the track, so I haven't gone back...

... hope you enjoy your Vette as much as I do mine.

I do ... when I'm able. My current job situation keeps me on the road -- and the Vette mainly inside my garage...:cry

 

[napacruzerC5]

Let's not forget that High Performance "summer tires" also loose a lot of their grip during colder weather. All-season tires probably better for cold weather use especially if you want a lot of loud pedal use. And come to think about it the engine likes the colder air and probably pumps out a few more horses than during hot weather. All recepies for loosing traction in the cold.

BTW in '07 we went to the CAC cruise at Colorado Springs in my C5. Since I was going to be fully loaded: 2 adults, 2 dacshunds, travel kennel, luggage, cooler and various odds and ends I started out with 32psi cold in the tires in Napa, CA which is almost sea level. I usual stay at 30 psi cold. About 400 miles into the first leg of our trip, on Hwy 50 in Nevada the DIC started flashing a "check gauges message". The front tires were showing 38 psi and the rears where not far behind. The hot blacktop with a new "slurry" seal, the high mountain altitude and ambiant air in the 90's heated up the tires and increased the pressures and triggered the DIC message. Opposite of the OT's problem with the low pressure warnings.

Good reminder for all that tires pressures are not "set and forget". A lot of things will effect it from air temperature, to load status, to road conditions, to road type (lots of curves vs. mostly straights).

 

[Paul Higg]

How in the world did you fit all that stuff in there??

It don't take much to change the air pressure does it?

Makes you wonder how all the other vehicles on the road are doing:ugh

Is it just high performance tires?

So what did you do? Did you let any air out? Seems the monitoring system has a pretty tight window.

 

[Tuna]

There are a lot of vehicles out there will really low or high tire pressures and the drivers don't have a clue - and they probably don't want a clue. But if their tire pops from overheating due to low tire pressure or they get a nail and pop a tire, they are surely going to blame something or someone else for their problem.

Adjusting tire pressures has been a regular routine for me all my driving career. With tire pressure monitoring systems, it's a lot easier. As the days get cooler, the tire pressure has to be reset up. Then as summer sets in, I may have to lower the pressure.

With the price of tires for a Corvette, it's only smart to take care of them. If not, they will not take care of you.