How long does it take tires to get 'cold'?

Always check tire pressure cold.

I remember as I'm getting home from work that I'm way behind in checking tires.

It's a 10 mile, city/highway commute. Ambient temperatures @ 50F.

So how long do I have to wait?

EvanR wrote: Always check tire pressure cold. I remember as I'm getting home from work that I'm way behind in checking tires. It's a 10 mile, city/highway commute. Ambient temperatures @ 50F. So how long do I have to wait?

Until a few minutes before you leave in the morning?

I dunno, stick a thermometer in your tire? What is the rule of thumb, about 1 psi per 10 degrees F off whatever "cold" means? I probably made that up. Buy a new car with TPMS. Stop trying to use your brain.

wait an hour and they should be plenty cold.

If the engine has had time to cool down, then the tires will have as well.

if the sun is still shinning keep in mind that the tires in the sun will read higher than those in the shade.... most accurate would be first thing in the morning

We talked about this in chemistry. Typically, the pressure won't vary too much to matter. In the cold it might be different. The gauge people usually use isn't all that accurate. Knowing this, I still check the pressure often. Hey, I'm a car guy.

even if my gage isn't accurate I figure it's at least repeatable.... so if I find a pressure where the car handles best I can always return to that number ... and I've seen as much as 4 - 5 lbs different between the sun side and the shade side.... ( tires were filled at dusk the night before and checked before leaving at o-dark-30 the next morning)