Well it looks like there is something wrong with mine then. I definitely satisfy those conditions, but the sensor won't turn off on its own... Off to the dealership I guess.

 

I had my 3 month service in late October, and I noticed they filled the tires with Nitrogen (or at least they added stem caps with an "N2" on them). My low pressure light came on about 2 weeks ago. When I checked, most of the tires had dropped below 35 psi. I took some of the recommendations and increased the pressure to around 42 psi. The light went off and I've noticed a small bump in my fuel economy since then.

 

So, I've been running my tires at 44-46psi for the last few months.

However, I'm thinking about reducing the pressure in at least the front tires after not being to get up my snow-covered driveway last night.

I know that, with higher pressure, there is less tire contact (surface area) with the road. But, has anyone done any calculations with the NAH as to when you get maximum contact/traction?

I guess I'm looking for the "winter sweet spot" for front tire pressure. Any guesses, or better yet, empirical data?

Thanks,
Eph

 

Eph, Not sure if lower pressure will be the cure. Yes on sand and mud lower tire pressures will allow better traction, only because the surface area of the tire is wider and will travel on top of those mediums. In snow however, the idea is to have a narrow footprint which allows the tire to dig into the snow and reach to asphalt. I have experience with both. My 4x4 always did better on sand with lower psi, but not as good in snow. I do think that the narrow footprint on snow in a highway setting may be more dangerous. The only way to get absolute results would be to test both and on the same patch of snow. Seems like a bit of work, but worth it. I dont have snow yet, so you will have to test.
Thanks from all of us in advance.
Good luck.

 

Thanks! I'll do some experimenting when I get back home. But, I probably won't get to it until the 2ns week of December...

 

Today Morning the sign came up, then I checked the tire pressure and set it to 35
The sign disappeared after driving in 30 MPH