27 too low, or 11 too cold?

[biskit]

No... that's not new math.

We bought our new 2007 a coupla weeks ago to be my wife's daily driver. Today was her first day with the 4Runner in the snow. She said it went along just fine, even on our steep hill and secondary roads. Slow and easy...

On her way home, the tire pressure warning light came on. After she came home, I let the car sit in the garage for about 3 hours in about 55 - 60 degree temperature, and checked the tire pressure with two different gauges.

All of them are reading 27 PSI. The placard on the door is recommending 32 PSI. The tires are 17 inch Michelin Cross Terrain.

27 seems too low... however... is 3 hours long enough to let them sit for accurate pressure reading when they've gone from driving in 11 degree weather?


Thanks,

Chuck(ie)

 

[sharp4runr]

Check it in the morning. Get them filled to 32psi. It's a good idea to overfill the spare to 35-40psi (I fill mine to 40) just so that the spare doesn't notify you that it is low.

 

[biskit]

The warning light works in the spare, as well?

I'm confuzzled.

 

[ALt4r]

The warning light works in the spare, as well?

I'm confuzzled.

Yes the warning light applies to your spare.

 

[sharp4runr]

The warning light works in the spare, as well?

I'm confuzzled.

Yup, there is one in all 5 tires. If the 4 all look good, it's most likely the spare that is setting it off.

 

[4rnr4me]

wow, i like that feature on the 4th gen!!! i wish mine told me my tire pressure

i like to fill them to recommended, it gives you better mileage than a lower psi

 

[Butter_Runner]

i knew the spare was equiped with the sensor as well, but i had no idea it could alert you of tire pressure unless it was in use? I learn something new everyday here!!

 

[Uneek]

wow, i like that feature on the 4th gen!!! i wish mine told me my tire pressure

LOL... let's trade. Personally, I don't like them. Glad I dodged them on my Taco. It tells you that one of five tires is low on air, not the exact one or how low they are. Certainly, with the spare monitored as well, it could potentially save one when they need the spare rather than have a good wheel low on air. I put the TMPS on the same level as the seat belt reminder light, it's an added annoyance. I had to deal with the damn light for over 8hrs driving to and from the Sierras since it was set off by the cold temperatures.

I don't like the TMPS because, it's an added hassle when you want another set of wheels, when you need new tires (shop needs to be aware of them and how to handle it, shouldn't be anything new to them by now), and the TMPS lasts between 5-10yrs and needs replacing (not an issue for people who swap vehicles often, but I plan to drive the 4R into the ground).

TPMS is perfect for the folks who don't spend much time maintaining their cars or have any basic car knowledge.

 

[LandRvr Convert]

IMO, the TPMS Light is an excellent safety feature, regardless. I do agree that it would be nice to be able to tell which tire is low, but hey, it's better than no light at all! True? or True?

Case in point, just before Christmas, my TPMS light came on. I figured maybe one of the tires was getting low accelerated by the bitter cold we just started to get here in ATL. So I get out and look at all the tires and they all look fine. No obvious difference in appearance. So I check with the pressure gauge and sure enough, the right rear is about 4 PSI low (certainly no cause for alarm as tires are always loosing air especially when in cold temps), so I fill it back up to 32 PSI, the TPMS light goes out, and I'm on my way.

I continue to drive for about the next two weeks and then the TPMS light comes on again. I checked with a gauge and sure enough, it's the right rear again, but only 2-3 PSI low, and once again, impossible to see a visible difference compared to the other tires.
This time, I look at the tire carefully, and found a very large steel bolt tight in the center of the tread! The visble head of the bolt was about the diameter of a nickel!

Were it not for the TPMS light, I would not have suspected anything, as my 4Runner just had it's 5K service done which included rotating and balancing the tires. The truck drove great and all tires felt perfectly smooth with no bumps or vibrations at all even at 70-80mph.

Perfect timimg to find and fix this problem just before a 300+Mile roadtrip. Thank you thank you my TPMS light! Bravo!

Again, IMO, an excellent feature:awais:[

 

[sharp4runr]

TPMS is perfect for the folks who don't spend much time maintaining their cars or have any basic car knowledge. [/B]

You can thank the Ford/Firestone fiasco for it...