How often do you check tire Pressure on long trips?

[Taxus812]

Oki I have pretty much given up on adding a TPMS system. I keep reading horror stories about them detecting an issue long after a tire failed (typically a blowout) or not at all. I think I would rather check them every stop with a good gauge.

That brings me to a question. How often do you test? We typically stay within 3.5 hours of home with at 1 stop for nature somewhere in that time. With longer trips how often should you check your tires ?

 

[Anthony Hitchings]

I give my tires an eyeball check at each potty-gas-food stop. If a tire looks low, it gets a pressure check and so does its opposite side tires - they should be comparable, notwithstanding that one tire might have been in sun and the other in shade for the previous driving period.

I also have two sight-line stickies (post-it notes) on my SUV's rear window defroster wires, one to the left, one to the right, each on two vertically adjacent wires, and I look at each trailer rear roof corner to see if its riding at the usual height. Per another forum member, I added reflective tape to the front edge of the roof to make it easier to see the trailer's cross-slope at night (by the light of the TV's rear running lights, or brake lights if in town).

 

[theseus]

I’m bad. I check when we leave, but then just keep an eye on things.

 

[xxxapache]

I check with a gauge before leaving home. After that, I check temps of tires and hubs with a digital thermometer at most stops.

 

[Sneezer]

I do a visual and temperature check every time I pull off. Usually rest stops, gas and food so a couple times a day. I have had too many tires fail over the years. Gas stations I usually do a pressure check. It has been my experience that trailer tires fail catastrophically more often than not. None of my failures would have been caught with a pressure check. All tire failures - blowouts, shredded tires and bulges in the sidewall. A TPMS that also monitored temp would be helpful though.

 

[davido]

I’m bad. I check when we leave, but then just keep an eye on things.

I'm the same way.

The day before a trip, as I'm powering up the fridge and preparing the water system for use, I'll check the tire pressure. Often I find that in the three weeks since my last trip it has only lost about one pound. At each fill-up, if the tire looks the same as when I left, it's really, really unlikely that it's lost any pressure. And if it is losing enough to actually matter, I should see that with a visual inspection at the gas pump.

One or two PSI in either direction is within the margin of error for pressure gauges, and isn't going to matter. What we would want is to detect if the tire is suddenly losing air quickly. If it is, I'm either NOT going to make it to the next gas station, anyway, or I'm going to see a sagging tire when I get to a gas station.

In other words, if my tires are in good condition, I fill them before a trip and just visually verify they're looking ok when I fill up.

 

[Sjm9911]

Usally before a trip. Before i head home , if its a long trip, i check the tires. Usually you xan see if one is low, i found a screw in one like that. I do check temps when i stop by hand, every time. Goes with my walk around. Everytime. 8 had nightmares of the guy blowing his pop up lid 9n the highway, and i thought how easy it was to undo a latch or two while i was parked. Always do a 360 and check stuff if you leave the camper unattended.

 

[generok]

I check before a trip with a gauge. When out, I seldom gauge them again, but look at them often. On the road, I'll walk by and touch all four drums to see if anything is hot.

 

[jmkay1]

As others I measure the tires before my trip and during the trip when I stop I will check temperature with a temp gun and do a visual inspection. I don't measure again unless something looks low or if I thought I ran over something. I'm honestly am more concerned with over used breaks and barring temperature myself than low tires. I do like the idea of the tape in the window though. Most tire failures I suspect are due to overloading, over heating, not paying attention to tire speed limits, age of tires, and one too many curb checks. My cousin does many cross country trips with her horse trailer and all her blowouts were caused by one of those situations above. Although potholes are more to blame than curb checks in her case. Those farm roads are pretty lousy.

 

[jeepster04]

Add some air before I leave.... So I check them a few times a year.

 

[tenttrailer]

before I leave. On the road eyeball for shape compared to others at stops. Every morning or night before travel on long trips.

 

[MNTCamper]

I get them set up before I leave and then check them about once a week, or 1500 miles.

 

[mandinga]

I check when I take the trailer our of storage. Typically it's the same as when I stored the trailer. If I have a big trip, I will check before leaving. Other than that, unless I see a tire looking low, I don't check during the trip.

 

[ChrisS_NC]

Check and fill before I leave. Visual check at stops (gas, rest, etc) and each travel day. Check air pressure weekly at a minimum on long trips. I've tried TPMS several times and always end up removing them for one reason or another.

 

[TorontoCamper]

After a particularly bad adventure with both tires blowing out I decided to spend the $25cdn at Walmart and buy a remote tire pressure sensor. They are just valve caps that screw on to valve stems. A little display inside car that it solar/usb charged. Set with high/low pressure warnings and drive peaceful!! Displays 4 tires (i keep two on back of tow vehicle so warnings don't trigger).

 

[TorontoCamper]

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/Xingzh...Tyre-Pressure-Tracking-Device/PRD24AIB4J7J680

It's $37.49cdn+tax, I absolutely love it for my 6hr drives to northern Ontario.

 

[Brian Clancy]

I tried TPMS add on to my tow vehicle, but they were never reliable--but I may try TorontoCamper's suggested product-422Mhz RF instead of Bluetooth. I added valve stem cap sensors, which help, but you've got to be down from 65 psi to around 55 before they indicate low pressure. After one blowout on the original tires (I upgraded my tires to higher capacity from 50 to 65 psi) and rating, and haven't had a problem since. I check all tires before every trip, check the cap sensors at every stop and manually check the valves again before departure after every extended stop.

 

[Michael J]

I check with a gauge before leaving home. After that, I check temps of tires and hubs with a digital thermometer at most stops.

What kinda normal operating temperatures do you see?

 

[Anthony Hitchings]

What kinda normal operating temperatures do you see?

there is no unique answer, but with a light overcast day I would say hubs should be only slightly warm when touched with the back of your hand.

A sunny day can affect temperatures if you drive east-west all day, the hub on the south side may be hotter.

 

[xxxapache]

What kinda normal operating temperatures do you see?

This was my highest tire when I checked them last Friday after about 100 miles of interstate. The lowest was 85F. All the hubs were about the same temp as the tires.