My light is coming on for the tire pressure in the cold out here in Chicagoland. I did some driving today and the light went off. I guess the tires got warmed up. Do you guys fill up your tires with a few more pounds in the winter to keep the light from coming on or do you just ignore the issue?
RDB:D:-P:-P

I had the same problem the other morning when it was very cold. It was 6 degrees as I recall. All four tires showed 35lbs. The manual says they should be at 35lbs. But the sticker on the door says 38lbs...I think. I stopped into the dealer...since it is less than 6 weeks old...they topped them off and off I went.

The tpm is way too sensitive, always 32 in each tire this AM it was 18* so sure as s**t the light was on.
Same for the 'passenger air bag is off' light who cares and why do i need to know this.

I had the same problem the other morning when it was very cold. It was 6 degrees as I recall. All four tires showed 35lbs. The manual says they should be at 35lbs. But the sticker on the door says 38lbs...I think. I stopped into the dealer...since it is less than 6 weeks old...they topped them off and off I went.

This is my point, Most people will learn to ignore the light.

My light has been coming on when it is cold as well. Usually around 20 degrees or lower. I always check the tires to make sure they are all right, then just drive with the light on. Yesterday, the light did not go off after driving about 20 minutes...Must be something with the sensor.

- Justo

This is my point, Most people will learn to ignore the light.

that's what I do.

last time the light came on, I let it go for about two weeks, until I did something about it. Basically I refilled them when I noticed an actual loss in performance.

Yes, tires do loose pressure when it gets cold.. Old timers without the automated sensors get into the habit of checking the tires on a cold morning, and adding some air if needed. And, yes, tire pressure does increase as you drive. The recommended pressure are always stated as 'cold pressure' - measured at the start of the day, before you start driving.

"Old timers"!?!?

Thanks A LOT paulj!

:)

You dont really need to be an old timer, this is common science: cold air condenses, heat makes it expand.

Today has been one of the coldest days here this winter.......I don't have TPMS on my E....but i do have it on my Accord. Today would have been the day i expected my light to come on.....No light yet. Might be that the sensors used on the E are too sensitive.

i thought i wrote something about this before.... according to several mechanics and our manual.....

tire pressure expand and contracts in heat and cold respectively. Therefore if there's a sudden drop of temperature and your TPMS is borderline it will activate it.....

Just go to the gas station, pump it up, drive a few miles and it should be fine.......

both my Es had their TPMS on in December when the temp dropped, so i over pumped to about 34 / 36 lbs of air and its okay right now.

Good to know it not just mine... Mine came on two nights ago after sitting for a couple hours in 25 degree weather. Probably won't be too much of an issue here in NC but it has been cold. I checked the pressure the next morning and added a few pounds. Seems to be fine now.

In the manual it says it will come on with if your pressure is significantly low or a sudden drop in pressure. I wouldn't consider a few pounds low to be significant but I guess Honda does:)

NASCAR uses nitrogen gas to reduce pressure variance. I hear there are some shops offering this for passenger tires----just a thought?

Nitrogen does not eliminate pressure variation with temperature, it just makes it more predictable. It follows the ideal gas law PV=RT. What really makes the difference is the lack of water vapor (ie. is dry air), not the lack of oxygen. Water vapor condenses at colder temperatures, introducing a nonlinearity into the pressure temperature relation.

As a secondary effect, nitrogen may leak out of the tire at a slower rate than a nitrogen/oxygen mix. But that leakage shouldn't be a problem if you are in the habit of checking your tire pressures more than a couple of times a year.

FYI, here's what Honda says in the Sept. 2006 Service News:

Nitrogen Inflation: What's Our Position?

Surf any automobile tire-related website these days, and you'll likely see something mentioned about nitrogen inflation. It's becoming a hot topic. We've gotten a number of inquiries lately concerning American Honda's position on this practice.

When it comes to inflating automobile tires, it's our position that ordinary, dry compressed air—which is about 80 percent nitrogen already—is the best choice. That's because it's more readily available, and the benefits of using nitrogen simply don't appear to outweigh those of using compressed air.

The practice of inflating tires with nitrogen really isn't anything new; it's been around a long time. It's been commonly used on aerospace vehicles, commercial and military aircraft, military vehicles, race cars, and even heavy off-road construction equipment. Here's why:

•To meet rigid safety and performance specs, the required tire inflation pressures are often very high, especially in the aerospace industry. The tire inflation pressure for NASA's space shuttle, for instance, is a whopping 315 psi!

•Nitrogen is an inert gas; it doesn't combust or oxidize.

•The process used to compress nitrogen excludes water vapor. Water vapor can expand if the temperature climbs above 212°F.

•Tires inflated with nitrogen leak slower over time than those inflated with compressed air.

Automobile tires, on the other hand, are subjected to an entirely different set of conditions. Here's why inflating tires with nitrogen offers no real advantages:

•Although tires inflated with nitrogen leak slower over time than those inflated with compressed air, they still leak and need to be reinflated to maintain proper pressure. If you can't find a place that offers nitrogen inflation—and there aren't yet all that many places that do—your only option left is to reinflate with compressed air. Doing that drops the nitrogen purity.

•Nitrogen offers no better protection against road hazards such as cuts and punctures. So no matter what you inflate the tire with, you still need to check the condition and pressure of the tires at least once a month as recommended in the O/M.

•Tires that are inflated with compressed air and properly maintained offer the same fuel economy, tread wear, and ride comfort as those inflated with nitrogen.

•Nitrogen for automobile tires is produced by nitrogen generators, which typically get about 95 percent purity. But to actually get that level of purity into an automobile tire, you would have to deflate and inflate that tire with nitrogen several times. If you're not careful doing this repeated deflation and inflation process, the purity level winds up being closer to 90 percent (compared to the approximate80 percent nitrogen already in compressed air). Because of this, those claims of less pressure loss with nitrogen aren't valid.

So here's the bottom line: Nitrogen is an ideal gas for inflating tires in aircraft, military vehicles, race cars, and heavy off-road equipment, but when it comes to automobile tires, it offers no apparent advantages over ordinary, dry compressed air. Our advice to you: Just stick with the air you breathe.

•The process used to compress nitrogen excludes water vapor. Water vapor can expand if the temperature climbs above 212°F.
.

I have qualms about the phrasing about that point. 212F is significant as being the boiling point at atmospheric pressure (sea level). The boiling point rises with pressure. Water vapor exists below the boiling point, and contracts and expands much like an ideal gas (and the other gases in the air). It's the potential condensation and freezing of water vapor that is problematic, not its normal expansion.

Otherwise the information makes sense.

I'm glad I brought the subject up----you've answered the questions I had about it-----thanks

Do you guys fill up your tires with a few more pounds in the winter to keep the light from coming on or do you just ignore the issue?
RDB:D:-P:-P

I ignore it until I notice a decrease in braking efficiency, pickup, or gas mileage.

I like to check the tire pressures on a cold morning (not in a heated garage), and add air as needed (I keep a good electric compressor in the car).

Yes, the light will come on when starting out in the cold weather. The solution is to keep the tires inflated as specified to satisfy the sensor, however, during the snowy season the tires have better traction when on the lower end of the specified pressure.

My thought is the desired pressure should be maintained accordingly, rather than adjusting pressures just to satisfy the light.

Yes, tires do loose pressure when it gets cold.. Old timers without the automated sensors get into the habit of checking the tires on a cold morning, and adding some air if needed. And, yes, tire pressure does increase as you drive. The recommended pressure are always stated as 'cold pressure' - measured at the start of the day, before you start driving.
It is also an indication that you may likely have moisture in the tire, - too much moisture in the air. This moisture can in the extreme case cause your tire pressure to fluctuate substantially. If you are using a very well conditioned dry air, or pure dry nitrogen there will be much less pressure fluctuation. With a dry medium I am recommending to run at 38 PSI in a cold state. The tires are rated at 44 PSI max but can easily handle 60+ PSI. Also be aware that when the tires are mounted originally they are off the ground and do not have to support the vehicles mass. If you are heading for vacation and turning your E into pack-mule the pressures have to go up as well. Cold state, empty car I pump it at 38 PSI...

Nitrogen does not eliminate pressure variation with temperature, it just makes it more predictable. It follows the ideal gas law PV=RT. What really makes the difference is the lack of water vapor (ie. is dry air), not the lack of oxygen. Water vapor condenses at colder temperatures, introducing a nonlinearity into the pressure temperature relation.

As a secondary effect, nitrogen may leak out of the tire at a slower rate than a nitrogen/oxygen mix. But that leakage shouldn't be a problem if you are in the habit of checking your tire pressures more than a couple of times a year.

If we put helium in our tires, our cars would be lighter.
We should be able to get better mileage?????

Wasn't there a Disney movie that did this? LOL

"been a hard morning, forgive me"

But running too high pressures, shifts the wear to the center of the tread.

My E is doing the tire indicator thing. The pressure difference is not what I call "significant". Gonna pump them up and see what happens.

I have a 07 EX and the only time my tpms (tire presure light) came on is when I had a nail in my front left tire back in 07. I fixed it , filled my tires with nitrogen (All 4 tires) and I havent had a problem since, and it gets plenty cold hear in NEPA.;-). Do yourself a faver and don't over inflate them to fool the light it will ruin you'r tires after a while..

mine came on for the first time shortly after i got it. it was a cold morning, and both back tires read 30psi. just inflated them and went on my way.

mine has been on since i bought it....10 days ago. There was an obvious leak in the driver's side rear tire; I think it happened when the salesman went to fill us up w/our first tank of gas. I took it in and they found a drywall nail in the tire. They told me the light was off and it was all good, but a few minutes after I left the lot I looked down and it was on.
So the tires all look fine now but the light is still on. It has been really cold in Boston but from reading other peoples' posts, the light should've gone off at some point after we kept filling the tires. I'm going to fill the tires up again to 35 and if the light stays on, I'm bringing it back in.

Has anyone heard of faulty TPMS on the 2010 Element?

I run Nitrogen in my tires..less problem with cold contraction....but it still happens at extreme low temps.

I run Nitrogen in my tires..less problem with cold contraction....but it still happens at extreme low temps.
What is extreme in Sebring?