Do tyres go flat quicker in warm weather?

pottssteve
pottssteve Posts: 4,069
edited September 2009 in The bottom bracket
I've noticed I need to pump the tyres up more in hot weather. I don't have any slow p******** and have different inner tubes front and back. My guess is that the rubber expands, as does the air in the tyre, forcing air out through the tube, like how a balloon goes down. Warmer weather = more expansion and more air loss.

I know the temperature barely crawls above 20 degrees in the UK, but has anyone else noticed this?
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Comments

  • freehub
    freehub Posts: 4,257
    I've not noticed that, I got a flat yesterday aswell as a wobbly wheel and the flat took about 35 miles to go down. And it was over 20 degrees. Must have being around 23 degrees. so hot enough.
  • Crapaud
    Crapaud Posts: 2,483
    In Canada, during a heatwave, I only had to pump up my tyres every 2 weeks - the same as at home. So, no, I doubt it makes any difference.
    pottssteve wrote:
    Warmer weather = more expansion and more air loss.
    It doesn't work like that. If your tyres are pumped up to pressure in the cold and it then gets warmer, the tyre won't expand. Instead the pressure in the tyre'll go up, potentially causing it to explode.

    Boyle's law (I think)
    A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject - Churchill
  • AMcD
    AMcD Posts: 236
    Do you live somewhere warm Pottsteve :wink: ?

    I can't really comment about warm air in my tyres as I live in Scotland........
  • Infamous
    Infamous Posts: 1,130
    Thinly veiled "it's hot over here" thread imo
  • torrens
    torrens Posts: 32
    Boyle's law (I think)

    And don't forget Charles's Law too. That Boyle, he was a right pervert he was. Sorry, a constant one.

    All this reminds me of the oft overheard "observation" that "my inner tube must just've exploded inside my tyre." No it didn't. That would be silly!

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