Every 2 weeks I check my air pressure and 3 or 4 tires will have lost 10 to 15 pounds of air. I then reinflate and it happens again. This has been happening for 2 years. What could be causing this?
First, you need to throw these tires away and get new ones. You’ve driven too long at too low of a pressure for them to be safe. It’s hard to comprehend that you’ve been doing this for two years, to be honest.
In the future, you need to find the leaks and fix them when they happen. Spraying soapy water is the usual first step.
While I agree with lion9car is principle, it is also possible that the wheels are the source of the problem, rather than the tires. The tire inflation valves are also a potential source of the problem. The OP should have a well-reputed independent tire dealer do a “dunk test” of all of the tires in order to determine exactly where the air loss is originating.
It is more likely that corroded alloy wheels or defective valves are the source of the problem, rather than the tires themselves.
I wasn’t trying to say that the tires are the source of the leak. They’re probably not. I was just emphasizing that the first order of business here is to replace the current tires, likely having internal damage, with new ones.
Agreed!
All of them lose 10 to 15 lbs of air in two weeks? What are the chances ? Maybe you have a neighborhood jokester letting air out of your tires.
“All of them lose 10 to 15 lbs of air in two weeks? What are the chances ? Maybe you have a neighborhood jokester letting air out of your tires.”
Or maybe a family member who likes a nice marshmallow ride and is lowering the pressure.
Year, make, model, and mileage of the vehicle?
Have these been the same three tires over the last two years, or is the problem happening despite your having replaced the tires?
Have you had the wheels & tires checked for slow leaks?
If it’s not the rims or valve stems it may be something stuck in the tire.
More than once, on multiple vehicles,
I’ve had a nail or screw STAY in the tread and get worn down so you couldn’t see it with a quick visual.
We either had to have it in water or have the tire off the rim to feel it from the inside.
Most recently on the 08 Expedition the left rear really didn’t appear low during the morning walk arounds compared to the others, when the low tire pressure warning light came on one day.
On the hoist it took an inch-by-inch rotation to find a screw was in there, probably for weeks, yet it only lost about 5 psi.
ramoro, I don’t think anyone here means to be rude, it’s just one of those questions where our first response is “you did what?”
5 pounds of air/week is not normal, it means there is a leak. Could be a problem with the wheel, the tire, or the valve. When you lose 5 pounds a week more than 2 weeks in a row, get it checked.
At this point, even if the leak can be fixed, the tires are probably damaged from running them low for an extended period of time.
Should I comment?
Robert, it’s not worth the work, unless you have fun with it.
If you did not continuously re-inflate, you would not be losing air. Lay off for about six months. See how it goes.