Tire-D of the cold.

The last two weekends have been cold snaps, as if the weeks had been rubber bands and when Friday hit, SNAP! Ouch! Negative degrees for you!

I am usually out and about on Saturday mornings. A week ago I had taken my wife's car and left it in the cold for an hour; when I got back the dashboard helpfully informed me that all four tires were now about four pounds under optimal pressure. That was quick!

This is something that happens every year, at least when we have truly cold temperatures, as Firestone explains here. The thing is, I never knew it when I was younger and drove crappier cars. The 1988 Chevette did not tell you the tires were low. Even my old Saturn had no idea what shape the tires were in. But my wife's 2019 car tells you everything, including whether you forgot to buy eggs at the store. (You did.) The idiot lights came up all aglow when I was on my way home that Saturday. 

My wife is the kind of person who takes idiot lights seriously. But me, I figured, the car's in the garage, she's not going anywhere for a couple of days -- maybe they'll re-inflate! And then Wednesday came and she had to drive forty miles, and I knew she'd be upset if the car was still sending up flags. I figured I'd better find out.

So, I said, "Honey, before you leave, I must ascertain whether your tires are safe for the ride."

NO, of course not. I waited until she was in the shower, then I took her car out. At once--Ping! Ping! Ping! All tires showed up as low PSI.

I immediately drove to the nearby gas station that has a free air pump, only to find one guy filling his tires and two more waiting on line. No doubt they all had their wives' cars.

Then I tooled to my mechanic, who charges a buck for the air machine.

Looks just like this place.

A buck's worth was enough for the job, and the tires were satisfied. I returned her car and off she went. 

Yesterday, my car, a 2011, flashed its idiot light after I left it in the parking lot for an hour. Another cold snap, another pressure loss. My car doesn't tell me which tire is low, though. Hell, my car didn't tell me what had happened the day I got a spoon stuck in a tire. I don't know if it was one tire or all of them. 

So I just drove home. I'll get to it. Or maybe it'll warm up and they’ll re-inflate.