laser thermometer tire check

[tlhoyle]

I have been using a harbor freight laser thermometer (about $20) to check tire and hub temperatures on my 21' catalina tt the last 4 years quick and easy while fueling, will let you know if anything is running hot. may save someone a blowout. have never had a flat on the road and found tnat warm tires usually mean under inflated.

[Mountndream]

while thats a great idea, many of use a Tire pressure Monitering system to give us real time data such as PSI and temperature. That allows us to notice if the pressure is falling etc even while going down the road

[TeachTexas]

But the IR thermo will also show hub and brake temperatures. Good for comparisons.

[clarkbre]

Originally Posted by TeachTexas

But the IR thermo will also show hub and brake temperatures. Good for comparisons.

I use one as well. It's very useful to see if one hub, brake or tire is warmer than any other.

[rsdata]

I use one as well. It's very useful to see if one hub, brake or tire is warmer than any other.

X2 although lean down and touch the hub and tread with back of your hand and that will give you the same "difference" of temp...

[D W]

Been using my Fluke for years for just this purpose. TMPS has it's advantages, but nothing beats a human eyeball. Tires are going to get warm going down the road due to friction. I find that my TV tires run within 3 degrees of the trailer tires (average 110 degrees). On a 85 degree day my TT hubs run 110 to 117 degrees.

[DrLewie]

Been using an IR thermometer ever since a dry bearing burned up causing me to lose a wheel, brakes, and all associated parts. Stranded for 2 weeks waiting for a new axle.

[TitanMike]

IR thermometers are great but they do have a limiting factor. Different surfaces radiate differently and you can get a wide range of readings depending on those factors. For more accurate temperature comparisons try to take the reading from same type of surface with similar/same color.

I have a contact pyrometer from my tire days that I use to measure tire temps. Takes readings from a probe and is unaffected by surrounding air temp or reflectivity of a surface.

[Walholler]

I have been driving since I was 16 years old, now 73 yrs. old. Have owned 14 or 15 different vehicles during that time, some brand new, others just clunkers for off road use. I have had a few flats, but never a blow out in all those years. I do not monitor hub temperatures or air pressure, I never check tire pressure unless I suspect leakage due to tire looking like it is low. I may have just been lucky for all of those years, but I do not think luck has anything to do with it. If you run 1st. rate tires in a load range that is one range above what you actually need to support the weight, you will be fine. I might add that I am retired military and my wife and I have travelled throughout the US and overseas locations racking up thousands of miles on our vehicles under varying conditions. I have nothing against the tire monitoring systems, if it gives you comfort in owning one, then by all means, have one, after all it is your money your spending. As far as I am concerned, your worrying about something that may happen, but probably will not. Next time you approach a tunnel, think to yourself, it may collapse as I drive through, but chances are it won't.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Walholler

I have been driving since I was 16 years old, now 73 yrs. old. Have owned 14 or 15 different vehicles during that time, some brand new, others just clunkers for off road use. I have had a few flats, but never a blow out in all those years. I do not monitor hub temperatures or air pressure, I never check tire pressure unless I suspect leakage due to tire looking like it is low. I may have just been lucky for all of those years, but I do not think luck has anything to do with it. If you run 1st. rate tires in a load range that is one range above what you actually need to support the weight, you will be fine. I might add that I am retired military and my wife and I have travelled throughout the US and overseas locations racking up thousands of miles on our vehicles under varying conditions. I have nothing against the tire monitoring systems, if it gives you comfort in owning one, then by all means, have one, after all it is your money your spending. As far as I am concerned, your worrying about something that may happen, but probably will not. Next time you approach a tunnel, think to yourself, it may collapse as I drive through, but chances are it won't.

I'm a little older than you and used to say the same thing about things like electric windows and air conditioning. Same thing about interval windshield wipers.

Many things aren't necessary but often really nice to have.

Something else to consider when you are "our age". We used to go to the service station to buy gas and the attendant not only pumped our gas, he checked coolant, oil, water in the battery, and often even air pressure in the tires. Then sometime in the 70's full service went the way of the Dodo Bird and people either didn't know how to check those things or just ignored them.

What we used to make part of our regular routine is no longer done resulting in more tire failure and mechanical problems.

[TeachTexas]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

IR thermometers are great but they do have a limiting factor. Different surfaces radiate differently and you can get a wide range of readings depending on those factors. For more accurate temperature comparisons try to take the reading from same type of surface with similar/same color.

I have a contact pyrometer from my tire days that I use to measure tire temps. Takes readings from a probe and is unaffected by surrounding air temp or reflectivity of a surface.

I agree that is the case but measuring the same type of surface will give comparable readings.
Of course, it does rely on your aim!

[geneandjan]

I have used a laser temperature monitor to keep an eye on tire and hub temps for years with great success. I am highly suspicious of add on tire pressure monitors because they add another potential source of air leaks!

[chuckyb9876]

I have used an IR thermometer for many years. As mentioned before, every time I stop for gas or otherwise, I use the time to take a trip around the Aframe to look at the tires etc. ON one trip I notice that the brake hubs were not even close in temperature. I disconnected the brake controller, went a little father up the road and pulled off again to measure the brake hubs. They were approximately the same temperature indicating a problem with my brakes. I once again connected my brake controller and repeated the exercise. Once again the hubs were different temperatures. I drove the rest of the trip mindful of the disparity in temps and when I got home I removed the affected hub and found that a wire had worn through and indeed the brake magnet had not been activating. I repaired the worn area of wire and the brakes functioned properly. I will continue to use my IR Temperature thermometer ($16 from Tractor Supply) every stop as well as my TPMS as they measure two distinctly different ways, one compliments the other.

[Summit1]

While not sure about TPMS providing another source of air leaks when compared with standard valve stems, but I tend to look at them like I do a radar detector. The TPMS may very well notify a leak by displaying lessening tire pressure, but will not show nor predict a blowout... like the radar detector telling you that you have just been "read", the TPMS will show a blowout after it happens. In both cases, it may be too late to help much.

I had a moderately fast leak show up on the TPMS of my Jeep a few years ago, and that was helpful, so I am not fully opposing them... rather, I tend to rely on them in moderation, sort of like a GPS.

Checking tire and hub (relative) temperatures can be informative, but as previously opined, nothing beats a visual inspection. of the tire's condition. The temperature check may be a good idea at every stop, but also consider that the tires on the sunny side of the vehicle will read a few pounds (or kg) higher than those on the shady side. The TPMS may also reveal a similar difference.

If we want to go even a bit more geek on this, why not use an inspection camera to inspect the inner sidewall of each tire? This would be an alternative to crawling beneath the vehicle with a flashlight (it's darker down there) to look at them. I have seen these cameras (like those used by vehicle repair and HVAC techs (and electricians) to look at the places where one's head and eyes will not fit. They can be bought for a reasonable price and are reportedly provide a good video image. Is anybody here using one for the purpose of inspecting the inner sidewalls of their tires?

[rhamilton]

Originally Posted by Walholler

I have been driving since I was 16 years old, now 73 yrs. old. Have owned 14 or 15 different vehicles during that time, some brand new, others just clunkers for off road use. I have had a few flats, but never a blow out in all those years. I do not monitor hub temperatures or air pressure, I never check tire pressure unless I suspect leakage due to tire looking like it is low. I may have just been lucky for all of those years, but I do not think luck has anything to do with it. If you run 1st. rate tires in a load range that is one range above what you actually need to support the weight, you will be fine. I might add that I am retired military and my wife and I have travelled throughout the US and overseas locations racking up thousands of miles on our vehicles under varying conditions. I have nothing against the tire monitoring systems, if it gives you comfort in owning one, then by all means, have one, after all it is your money your spending. As far as I am concerned, your worrying about something that may happen, but probably will not. Next time you approach a tunnel, think to yourself, it may collapse as I drive through, but chances are it won't.

I agree with you. But, the TPMS tells you when your tire is going flat because of a puncture of some kind. We ran over a construction size staple in January just north of Tucson. The alarm went off a around 70#, and it went to zero #'s in about 5 seconds on an inside back duel. We

[bobsteele]

I put on a TPMS system on my 5th wheel last year and am glad that I did. But it did not protect us from a blow out on the last trip of the year. One of the original tires (which had 12000 miles on them) lived up to the "China bomb" label by blowing out while all temperature and pressure readings were normal. I changed the tire and proceeded down the road until about 2 hours later the TPMS warned that another tire was losing pressure. When I pulled over I found that this one had already lost the tread and was running on the cords. But at least it didn't blow before I was pulled over.

P.S. This was followed by a long wait (no spare now) and a very expensive set of new tires (more than twice what it would have cost if I had taken it into a shop). But now we have new Endurance tires, which is what I was going to put on in the spring anyway if this incident hadn't moved up my timetable.

[Paulie1138]

Add in the crap tires they put on. TPMS never went off, tires never seemed to be hot to touch or with the laser gauge, but, all 4 of them grew oversized to almost touching each other. Spare did the same, never on the ground! (Still had nubs and sticker on it) This, with a load range over what was on the standard suspension. With less than 350 miles by me. Need all the help we can get! I have since had the alignment checked and it is ok, and I drive 60-65 tops. Weighed in 2k loaded less than trailer sticker ratings, way under tire ratings.

At least the tires had the full warranty on them! Unfortunately, I was in a small town almost 4 yrs ago, and had to put on what they had-house brand big-O. Seem OK, but am looking to replace those with Sailun, GY endurance or Sampson. Still looking.

[5picker]

A TPMS is NOT a tire blowout predection device.

It will tell you when one looses air suddenly and will warn you of a tire losing air and to some degree (pun intended) it will monitor tire temperature.

I have seen literally hundreds of posts on various threads of someone saying "my tire blew out and I had no idea until someone came along and blew their horn and was pointing frantically."

The point... not everyone feels and knows when things happen. Hell, I seen a guy towing a boat trailer down the Interstate with nothing but the spring/spindle on one side, sparks a blazing and he had no clue.

A TPMS is a good warning system but it isn't a crystal ball. That said, I wouldn't tow without one.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Mountndream

while thats a great idea, many of use a Tire pressure Monitering system to give us real time data such as PSI and temperature. That allows us to notice if the pressure is falling etc even while going down the road

I think both are useful tools. The IR thermometer can help you identify bearing issues if you shoot the hub. (As mentioned, so can the back of your hand.)

Originally Posted by Walholler

I never check tire pressure unless I suspect leakage due to tire looking like it is low.

Problem is, trailer tires don't always LOOK low. One of these tires was significantly low- like < 20psi empty. Can you tell which? Would you have checked the tire pressure before rolling out?

Originally Posted by 5picker

A TPMS is NOT a tire blowout predection device.

It will tell you when one looses air suddenly and will warn you of a tire losing air and to some degree (pun intended) it will monitor tire temperature.

I have seen literally hundreds of posts on various threads of someone saying "my tire blew out and I had no idea until someone came along and blew their horn and was pointing frantically."

The point... not everyone feels and knows when things happen. Hell, I seen a guy towing a boat trailer down the Interstate with nothing but the spring/spindle on one side, sparks a blazing and he had no clue.

A TPMS is a good warning system but it isn't a crystal ball. That said, I wouldn't tow without one.

Thing is, I think that most folks call it a blowout when it's really a run flat situation that then shreds the tire and destroys the area around it.

I will also say that with proper monitoring, you can notice issues that you may not otherwise. I know I broke a belt in a tire and from watching pressure and temperature, I was able to notice that one of my 4 tires were running different than the others. I was able to limp into the campground instead of it causing a "blowout".

But, you're right- TPMS truly don't tell you everything nor can they warn of all situations. But I love having the extra information at my fingertips.

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by ependydad

I think both are useful tools. The IR thermometer can help you identify bearing issues if you shoot the hub. (As mentioned, so can the back of your hand.)




Problem is, trailer tires don't always LOOK low. One of these tires was significantly low- like < 20psi empty. Can you tell which? Would you have checked the tire pressure before rolling out?






Thing is, I think that most folks call it a blowout when it's really a run flat situation that then shreds the tire and destroys the area around it.

I will also say that with proper monitoring, you can notice issues that you may not otherwise. I know I broke a belt in a tire and from watching pressure and temperature, I was able to notice that one of my 4 tires were running different than the others. I was able to limp into the campground instead of it causing a "blowout".

But, you're right- TPMS truly don't tell you everything nor can they warn of all situations. But I love having the extra information at my fingertips.

The one in the middle .