Check Your Spare Tire

inex01

inex01

Senior Member
Yesterday here in Maryland the temperature was in the low 60s and a perfect Model A Day! Took the 31 Slant out and headed out for a nice drive to western Frederick county. The car performed so well and it was such a enjoyable drive. Then on the way back I decided to stop at Taco Bell and grab a bite, finished my Taco and then jumped in the car to head home, but she felt like a brake was dragging, well it wasn't a brake but a flat tire. I have the 8 ply radials on her and believe it or not these tires are like run flats because the side walls have so much rigidity. Well no big deal I then pulled out the jack and proceeded to remove the wheel and then pulled the spare off the rack and guess what? yes the darn space was as flat as the tire on the car! Why? I have no idea because it was a new tire and tube and never installed on the car! but flat it was. Fortunately my good friend who owns a towing company was close by and he came to my assistance with his portable air pump and I inflated my flat spare which as of this post is still holding air and has not lost even a pound in over nine hours? go figure! So to net it out check your spare tile so you do not end up like this dummy!
 
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On longer trips I carry a battery operated Royobi tire inflator from Home Depot. It quickly pumps tires
 
If if is a side mount possibly it would not fit in the opening when inflated. If not the most likely cause would be a leaking valve core. Wayne
 
Mr McDonald stoping at Taco Bell made me smile! Nitrogen in tires will stay inflated longer than air! Nitrogen molecules are larger than air some say, a little pricey for me, so I just fill the spare when I service the four on the ground :-) thanks for the reminder!!
 
Big hammer said:
Mr McDonald stoping at Taco Bell made me smile! Nitrogen in tires will stay inflated longer than air! Nitrogen molecules are larger than air some say, a little pricey for me, so I just fill the spare when I service the four on the ground :-) thanks for the reminder!!
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By volume, dry air contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.039% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor, on average around 1% at sea level, and 0.4% over the entire atmosphere.

Oxygen, cardon dioxide, and water vapor molecules are all larger than nitrogen diatomic molecules.

Oh! There is that retired science science teacher coming out again! Sorry.:D
 
pgerhardt said:
By volume, dry air contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.039% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor, on average around 1% at sea level, and 0.4% over the entire atmosphere.

Oxygen, cardon dioxide, and water vapor molecules are all larger than nitrogen diatomic molecules.

Oh! There is that retired science science teacher coming out again! Sorry.:D
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You're sorry, what about us ? Glad you were not a rectumologist. Wayne
 
Almost Forgotten Times:

In late forties and very early fifties, we vacationed on many cross country rural gravel roads prior to interstates.

On a (2) week vacation, it was never uncommon to acquire one or two flats.

My Dad never left home without a hand pump, lug wrench, tire tool, extra tube, and tire patches.

We never felt odd ...... we saw many others fixing flats on the sides of the roads.

Never a bad idea to carry a tire pump & remain prepared in a Model A emergency like that of our parents and grand parents.
 
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pgerhardt said:
By volume, dry air contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.039% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor, on average around 1% at sea level, and 0.4% over the entire atmosphere.

Oxygen, cardon dioxide, and water vapor molecules are all larger than nitrogen diatomic molecules.

Oh! There is that retired science science teacher coming out again! Sorry.:D
Click to expand...

I have thought the same that air is mostly nitrogen, so why pay for nitrogen only!
 
I had thought the advantage of the nitrogen was that it was totally dry and understood that. Our travel trailer came with nitrogen filled tires but where do you get more of that without going to a tire dealer? Thought maybe you could buy it in small take along containers but couldn't come up with anything. Some new cars don't even have spares, they come with a can of fix a flat and I assume a AAA membership. Argh
 
5851a said:
... where do you get more of that without going to a tire dealer?
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I just bought a set of new Michelins for my '06 F-150 at Costco ($70 discount) and I noticed it had green valve stem caps. Guess Costco uses N2 exclusively. They do free checks and refills.

Now when out on the road all I need to do is find a Costco. They should be in about every town by now, like Starbucks... :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 
pgerhardt said:
By volume, dry air contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.039% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor, on average around 1% at sea level, and 0.4% over the entire atmosphere.

Oxygen, cardon dioxide, and water vapor molecules are all larger than nitrogen diatomic molecules.

Oh! There is that retired science science teacher coming out again! Sorry.:D
Click to expand...

And the soon to be retiered shop teacher says there is a hole in it.:D Sorry, I owe you beer.
Paul
 
inex01 said:
Yesterday here in Maryland the temperature was in the low 60s and a perfect Model A Day! Took the 31 Slant out and headed out for a nice drive to western Frederick county. The car performed so well and it was such a enjoyable drive. Then on the way back I decided to stop at Taco Bell and grab a bite, finished my Taco and then jumped in the car to head home, but she felt like a brake was dragging, well it wasn't a brake but a flat tire. I have the 8 ply radials on her and believe it or not these tires are like run flats because the side walls have so much rigidity. Well no big deal I then pulled out the jack and proceeded to remove the wheel and then pulled the spare off the rack and guess what? yes the darn space was as flat as the tire on the car! Why? I have no idea because it was a new tire and tube and never installed on the car! but flat it was. Fortunately my good friend who owns a towing company was close by and he came to my assistance with his portable air pump and I inflated my flat spare which as of this post is still holding air and has not lost even a pound in over nine hours? go figure! So to net it out check your spare tile so you do not end up like this dummy!
Click to expand...
My guess is that the air just leaked out through the tubes. Try filling and monitoring pressure and I think you will find this to be the problem. Of course its should be a loose valve stem. My wife bicycle uses 125 PSI and I have to pump it up if it sets more than a week. I have read that Bratton's has quality tubes for the Model A and I definitely would buy them if I needed some. My '32 (that I don't drive) has tires that are whitewalls on both sides (since they are not reproductions that places them in the late '30's I believe) and it can set about 8 or 9 years before they need air.

Charlie Stephens
 
Nitrogen is used in tires because it does not increase the tire pressure when it gets hot nor decrease the pressure when it gets cold. This way your pressure stays the same all the time.
 
Steve and others:
It has been a few years since I took a physics class but what I learned stays with me. As gasses get away from critical pressure and temperature they behave according to the gas laws. Pure nitrogen and air have the same thermal coefficient of expansion. This means that if the temperature goes up or down 10 degrees they will behave the same and there will be no difference in the final pressure.

I remember when the nitrogen craze started maybe 25 or more years ago racers used nitrogen to get the same placebo effect. Maybe 15 years ago the ever sharp new car dealers started charging $100 per car to do the nitrogen thing. I have seen that price is now $200 for the same thing around here. People here may be a little more gullible than others or car dealers here need the money more. A possible reason that could have some validity is the recent introduction of tire pressure monitoring devices. Keeping water vapor from them may prolong their life.

Vic
 
When I was 17 I worked in a Shell service station, when we gave real service (1962). A regular customer brought her '49 Chevy in every month for a lube and oil change, AND a change of air in her tires. She wanted fresh air, and Mr. White, our boss, insisted that we change it out, so we did.

And wasn't there a comment on the Barn recently about using helium in your tires for a better ride? Like kind of floating along the road by raising the car up a bit...? ;) Helium would make them easier to lift too, wouldn't it? Though now that I think about it, 35 lbs of helium would weigh the same as 35 lbs of "air."
 
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