News: Strange but true . . .

[killain]

I'm not one for the strange old tall tales, And the one I always heard was that if your tires sat on frozen concrete the tires would lose air, and sure enough every spring my Vette's tires needed somewhere between 2 to 8 pounds of air pressure put into the tires. But last year when I put my 2003 Anniversary coupe away for the winter, where it'd sit for the three snow months, I went to home depot and bought four of those front door mats, the cheap ones made out of old tires, they cost $8 bucks apiece and I bought four small 2X3 foot bordered sections of carpet. I maked the spot the tires sat and backed out the car, put down the rubber door mats, and the carpet piece's of carpet on top of the mats, drove the car onto the four rubber and carpet mats and there she sat till April. And to my surprise, the tires hadn't lost so much as a 0.5 pound. Can't explain it, but their you go ! :W

 

[WLS Ruby 93]

Tire pressure

Sounds like a good plan of action to me, good thinking.

I would think that the cold from the concrete will definitely cool the tires down all winter and reduce the volume, (and pressure), of air, then when spring arrives and warms the concrete the volume, (and pressure), bounces back.

Just for the heck of it, next winter check the pressure in all the tires in January to see if they are low, I'll bet they are.

Also, if you store a battery for any length of time on concrete it will lose power so my camper batteries are always off the floor or at least on a block of wood.

It's cruisin' time so ....
Keep 'em rollin' :W and enjoy the ride in safety.

Bill

 

[Patrick]

I'm sure if GeekInAVette finds this thread, he can give you a detailed (read: lengthy) explanation for how it happens, but there is science to back this up. Cold causes things to contract, and that includes air molecules. Your tires, as they sit on a cold concrete floor in your garage for months without being moved (warmed up), cause the air within the tire to contract, hence the drop in tire pressure.

But putting down that carpet, you've effectively put a barrier between your tires and the cold concrete floor, insulating them from the cold contraction effect. Actually, that's a pretty good idea for long term storage.

 

[Remo]

Hmmmm

Mine sits on a cement garage floor for six months every winter and doesn't loose any air pressure. Maybe the cement out this way is different.:L
Remo:cool

 

[Patrick]

Mine sits on a cement garage floor for six months every winter and doesn't loose any air pressure. Maybe the cement out this way is different.:L
Remo:cool

Or maybe your winter meds are distorting your perceptions.

 

[O Vette]

Sorry guys, I'm not buying it. Placing a tire on a piece of carpet would not seem to shield the tire from the temperature of the concrete. I doubt the temperature of anything in the garage would be significantly higher than that of the concrete with the exception of warm air rising and thus anything higher than the concrete would be slightly higher. I believe all tires will some air over time. Air is a gas and when under pressure, as in a tire, the pressure will try to equalize. Actually, I think some air could pass through the tire itself. That is why manufactures recommend you regularly check tire pressure. The longer they sit the more air leaks especially with themperatures varying all winter. Just my thoughts and could be wrong. I think it has more to do with tire and valve condition and the quality of mounting.

 

[Remo]

Or maybe your winter meds are distorting your perceptions.

A point well taken Patrick. I'll have the nurse check the tire pressures.
Remo:crazy

 

[bwing]

A point well taken Patrick. I'll have the nurse check the tire pressures.
Remo:crazy

Uh, you've posted pics of your "nurses" in the past. I think you better have a mechanic check the tire pressure. One other thing, isn't your garage heated?