Would it be justifiable homicide to choke my daughter?

[Squisher]

I get in the Prius yesterday and pull out of the garage and notice an idiot light flashing that looks like a tire cross section. Hmmm. Pull out the manual and it says if it's flashing then the low tire pressure indicator system is malfunctioning (the light is supposed to be on, solid). Double Hmmm. OK, backup to the garage. Get out my nice digital pressure gauge and start at the driver's front. 79 PSI!!!!!!! I think a little bit of drool spilled out of my mouth because I was staring the gauge so long with a dumbfounded look on my face. Naw, can't be. Check again, still 79. Let the air out, back down to 35 psi. Checked the rest and the back passenger was down to 26 psi.

Daughter said the light came on the day before and when she walked around the car the only tire that looked low was the driver's front so she gave it a "little" air without using a gauge. (Every vehicle I own has a gauge in the glove box and there has to be 4 more in a basket above my compressor.)

Needless to say we had a little discussion about proper vehicle maintenance along with some hands-on learning.

Thread called on account of stupid.

Zenmervolt - AnandTech Garage Moderator

- Goddamn VB re-opened a previously locked thread. Locked a second time.

 

[thescreensavers]

I would say no but according to your sig, it looks like you have choked her already.

 

[fleabag]

Eh, at least she tried which is saying a lot considering that most people drive with their tires UNDER-inflated due to carelessness, which is far more dangerous..

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: fleabag
Eh, at least she tried which is saying a lot considering that most people drive with their tires UNDER-inflated due to carelessness, which is far more dangerous..

Of course you'd condone over inflating.

 

[MotF Bane]

Pics of daughter?

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: fleabag
Eh, at least she tried which is saying a lot considering that most people drive with their tires UNDER-inflated due to carelessness, which is far more dangerous..

79psi is probably not that much more than max sidewall anyway, right?

Originally posted by: MotF Bane
Pics of daughter?

:thumbsup:

 

[spidey07]

She's a girl. They don't get this stuff. Teach her how to use a gauge and what to do.

 

[Kromis]

Originally posted by: MotF Bane
Pics of daughter?

I'm assuming she's in his sig.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Originally posted by: spidey07
She's a girl. They don't get this stuff. Teach her how to use a gauge and what to do.

I have a female friend who has an E46 M3 manual with a fully done suspension, intake, exhaust, retune. She does all her work herself and goes to track days as well. She just recently landed an engineering internship at BMW (In Munich mind you).

Hell even my GF told the guy doing her smog check that 150 was rip off for an O2 sensor and asked to borrow a wrench to change it herself.


So no, its not that blind of a stereotype.

 

[StageLeft]

I bet she didn't release the air from your compressor properly including the bottom drain.

I have a female friend who has an E46 M3 manual with a fully done suspension, intake, exhaust, retune. She does all her work herself and goes to track days as well. She just recently landed an engineering internship at BMW (In Munich mind you).

Hell even my GF told the guy doing her smog check that 150 was rip off for an O2 sensor and asked to borrow a wrench to change it herself.


So no, its not that blind of a stereotype.

Most have no clue, though. That said, almost as many guys don't have a clue, either. Tell them the check engine light indicates the atmospheric cabin vent is plugged and without a new one for $60 the passenger compartment is mildly toxic from CO2 and see how many people give you the money for a new one.

 

[woodie1]

I'd think about taking the keys away from her for awhile but that would probably be more of a hardship on you than her.

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: fleabag
Eh, at least she tried which is saying a lot considering that most people drive with their tires UNDER-inflated due to carelessness, which is far more dangerous..

So 79 psi is safer than 26 psi? Your idiocy knows no bounds.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: spidey07
She's a girl. They don't get this stuff. Teach her how to use a gauge and what to do.

You really have a low opinion of all women don't you?

Hell, I'd bet money that half the guys on this message board couldn't even change a flat tire.

 

[fleabag]

Originally posted by: Bignate603

Originally posted by: fleabag
Eh, at least she tried which is saying a lot considering that most people drive with their tires UNDER-inflated due to carelessness, which is far more dangerous..

So 79 psi is safer than 26 psi? Your idiocy knows no bounds.

And your ignorance and arrogance knows no bounds! It's too bad because if you knew better, you'd know that the risk of a blowout is higher at 26psi than at 79psi. I can't recommend inflating past sidewall for various reasons but if she so happened to be performing stunt driving by driving on two wheels, then it'd be in her best interest to inflate the tires to something like 100psi.

Anyway, the reason why a tire inflated to something like 80psi is more safe (though not necessarily more safe than sidewall for example) is because tires deflect due to the road conditions, they act like springs, and the more they deflect the more heat they create. An "under-inflated" tire will produce sometimes unsafe levels of heat compared to an "over-inflated" tire which will actually produce far lower levels of heat even compared to a properly inflated tire. Being under-inflated becomes a real problem even a few PSI below where the tire should be at (which is relative but certainly not less than what is on the door) and is a major contributor to tire blowouts.

 

[brblx]

Originally posted by: fleabag

Originally posted by: Bignate603

Originally posted by: fleabag
Eh, at least she tried which is saying a lot considering that most people drive with their tires UNDER-inflated due to carelessness, which is far more dangerous..

So 79 psi is safer than 26 psi? Your idiocy knows no bounds.

And your ignorance and arrogance knows no bounds! It's too bad because if you knew better, you'd know that the risk of a blowout is higher at 26psi than at 79psi.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAhahahahahahahahahahahaha...

*gasp*

....hahahahahahahaaahahahahahahaaahahahahahahahahahahahah...
.
*gasp* ....HA.


you're an idiot.

edit: i shouldn't try and argue with you, but since you'll come back wanting some kind of argument for the rest of your post-

if you run a tire very low for a decent amount of time, you get a line carved into the sidewall. if you run it at higher speeds, typically damn near flat, you'll create enough heat in the sidewall to cause a blowout. the action of the sidewall folding and unfolding at the tire rotates is what causes the heat. 26psi will not cause this. 20psi will not cause this. try 10-15 pounds in a typical car tire, at most.

you also clearly have no understanding of why 80psi in a car tire is bad, and i'm not going to give you a physics lesson. please, put 80psi in your tires and go for a drive, preferably at 2am and on poorly constructed (and more importantly empty) roads. it would be the best thing you ever did for the world.

 

[alimoalem]

With your wordy explanation taken into consideration, I'm with Bignate603. There's too many ways to respond to what you wrote.

And I'm going to go out on a limb and assume the OP wouldn't let one of the two girls in his sig drive...

OP, honestly, I would've just laughed from shock. Like someone else said, she at least made the effort of fixing something. Be happy that now, not only is your daughter willing to do something when the car needs some attention, she actually knows something because you taught her.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: brblx

Originally posted by: fleabag

Originally posted by: Bignate603

Originally posted by: fleabag
Eh, at least she tried which is saying a lot considering that most people drive with their tires UNDER-inflated due to carelessness, which is far more dangerous..

So 79 psi is safer than 26 psi? Your idiocy knows no bounds.

And your ignorance and arrogance knows no bounds! It's too bad because if you knew better, you'd know that the risk of a blowout is higher at 26psi than at 79psi.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAhahahahahahahahahahahaha...

*gasp*

....hahahahahahahaaahahahahahahaaahahahahahahahahahahahah...
.
*gasp* ....HA.


you're an idiot.

edit: i shouldn't try and argue with you, but since you'll come back wanting some kind of argument for the rest of your post-

if you run a tire very low for a decent amount of time, you get a line carved into the sidewall. if you run it at higher speeds, typically damn near flat, you'll create enough heat in the sidewall to cause a blowout. the action of the sidewall folding and unfolding at the tire rotates is what causes the heat. 26psi will not cause this. 20psi will not cause this. try 10-15 pounds in a typical car tire, at most.

you also clearly have no understanding of why 80psi in a car tire is bad, and i'm not going to give you a physics lesson. please, put 80psi in your tires and go for a drive, preferably at 2am and on poorly constructed (and more importantly empty) roads. it would be the best thing you ever did for the world.

80 psi is too much. 79 psi is fine though.

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: fleabag

And your ignorance and arrogance knows no bounds! It's too bad because if you knew better, you'd know that the risk of a blowout is higher at 26psi than at 79psi. I can't recommend inflating past sidewall for various reasons but if she so happened to be performing stunt driving by driving on two wheels, then it'd be in her best interest to inflate the tires to something like 100psi.

Anyway, the reason why a tire inflated to something like 80psi is more safe (though not necessarily more safe than sidewall for example) is because tires deflect due to the road conditions, they act like springs, and the more they deflect the more heat they create. An "under-inflated" tire will produce sometimes unsafe levels of heat compared to an "over-inflated" tire which will actually produce far lower levels of heat even compared to a properly inflated tire. Being under-inflated becomes a real problem even a few PSI below where the tire should be at (which is relative but certainly not less than what is on the door) and is a major contributor to tire blowouts.

You're right that under-inflated tires blow because they generate too much heat and lose their structural strength. However, over-inflated tires blow because there is too much pressure for their existing strength to hold. Considering most passenger tires top out at around 44 psi in safe capability and she was nearly DOUBLE that, I'd say she was not only at risk of blowing while driving, but she could have had it blow up in her face as she inflated it.

I had a non-car savvy roommate who blew up a tire in his face because he wasn't using a gauge. He had permanent eye damage and even after surgery was never able to see the same again.

The OP is lucky he got to "show" his daughter ANYTHING after this, let alone how to inflate a tire properly.

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: fleabag

Originally posted by: Bignate603

Originally posted by: fleabag
Eh, at least she tried which is saying a lot considering that most people drive with their tires UNDER-inflated due to carelessness, which is far more dangerous..

So 79 psi is safer than 26 psi? Your idiocy knows no bounds.

And your ignorance and arrogance knows no bounds! It's too bad because if you knew better, you'd know that the risk of a blowout is higher at 26psi than at 79psi. I can't recommend inflating past sidewall for various reasons but if she so happened to be performing stunt driving by driving on two wheels, then it'd be in her best interest to inflate the tires to something like 100psi.

Yes, so you should drive around on rock hard tires that will bounce around like a basketball with a tiny little contact patches. Brilliant.

 

[CurseTheSky]

I don't remember who said it, and I believe it was on a different forum, but...

A classic car enthusiast was talking during dinner about repainting his (65ish) Corvette, and generally complaining that it would cost a lot, so he was still on the fence. Well, his four year old didn't like to see daddy so worried, so he thought he'd help. Daddy walked into the garage the next day to find the Corvette Stingray about 2/3rds original black, and 1/3rd bright blue. And there was the four year old, grinning from ear to ear with a spray can in hand saying, "See daddy, I painted your car, now you don't have to spend a lot!"

I would take this as a blessing. She didn't get hurt, the car didn't get damaged, and the equipment is still all in working order. Don't just take the time to show her how to use a tire pressure gauge and inflate a tire properly; take this time to teach her all of the "basics" of car maintenance - what low oil pressure means / what to do, how to diagnose a dead battery and jump start a car, where the fluids are and what to fill them with (I stopped someone in a parking lot the other day before they poured power steering fluid in their coolant... ugh), etc. And be thankful that you have a daughter willing to do the basic maintenance herself.

 

[thescreensavers]

Originally posted by: Bignate603

Originally posted by: fleabag

Originally posted by: Bignate603

Originally posted by: fleabag
Eh, at least she tried which is saying a lot considering that most people drive with their tires UNDER-inflated due to carelessness, which is far more dangerous..

So 79 psi is safer than 26 psi? Your idiocy knows no bounds.

And your ignorance and arrogance knows no bounds! It's too bad because if you knew better, you'd know that the risk of a blowout is higher at 26psi than at 79psi. I can't recommend inflating past sidewall for various reasons but if she so happened to be performing stunt driving by driving on two wheels, then it'd be in her best interest to inflate the tires to something like 100psi.

Yes, so you should drive around on rock hard tires that will bounce around like a basketball with a tiny little contact patches. Brilliant.

When it gets really wet here I lower my rear tires to about30 psi for more traction from 35. Yes there is a big difference

 

[LTC8K6]

I'm just thankful that my car also tells me which tire is low so I don't do that...

The other day it told me the spare was low, which I had no clue it could do...

 

[MotF Bane]

Originally posted by: Kromis

Originally posted by: MotF Bane
Pics of daughter?

I'm assuming she's in his sig.

Tried that, those look to be several years out of date.

 

[MotF Bane]

Originally posted by: brblx

Originally posted by: fleabag

Originally posted by: Bignate603

Originally posted by: fleabag
Eh, at least she tried which is saying a lot considering that most people drive with their tires UNDER-inflated due to carelessness, which is far more dangerous..

So 79 psi is safer than 26 psi? Your idiocy knows no bounds.

And your ignorance and arrogance knows no bounds! It's too bad because if you knew better, you'd know that the risk of a blowout is higher at 26psi than at 79psi.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAhahahahahahahahahahahaha...

*gasp*

....hahahahahahahaaahahahahahahaaahahahahahahahahahahahah...
.
*gasp* ....HA.


you're an idiot.

edit: i shouldn't try and argue with you, but since you'll come back wanting some kind of argument for the rest of your post-

if you run a tire very low for a decent amount of time, you get a line carved into the sidewall. if you run it at higher speeds, typically damn near flat, you'll create enough heat in the sidewall to cause a blowout. the action of the sidewall folding and unfolding at the tire rotates is what causes the heat. 26psi will not cause this. 20psi will not cause this. try 10-15 pounds in a typical car tire, at most.

you also clearly have no understanding of why 80psi in a car tire is bad, and i'm not going to give you a physics lesson. please, put 80psi in your tires and go for a drive, preferably at 2am and on poorly constructed (and more importantly empty) roads. it would be the best thing you ever did for the world.

LOL this!

 

[fleabag]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain

Originally posted by: fleabag

And your ignorance and arrogance knows no bounds! It's too bad because if you knew better, you'd know that the risk of a blowout is higher at 26psi than at 79psi. I can't recommend inflating past sidewall for various reasons but if she so happened to be performing stunt driving by driving on two wheels, then it'd be in her best interest to inflate the tires to something like 100psi.

Anyway, the reason why a tire inflated to something like 80psi is more safe (though not necessarily more safe than sidewall for example) is because tires deflect due to the road conditions, they act like springs, and the more they deflect the more heat they create. An "under-inflated" tire will produce sometimes unsafe levels of heat compared to an "over-inflated" tire which will actually produce far lower levels of heat even compared to a properly inflated tire. Being under-inflated becomes a real problem even a few PSI below where the tire should be at (which is relative but certainly not less than what is on the door) and is a major contributor to tire blowouts.

You're right that under-inflated tires blow because they generate too much heat and lose their structural strength. However, over-inflated tires blow because there is too much pressure for their existing strength to hold. Considering most passenger tires top out at around 44 psi in safe capability and she was nearly DOUBLE that, I'd say she was not only at risk of blowing while driving, but she could have had it blow up in her face as she inflated it.

I had a non-car savvy roommate who blew up a tire in his face because he wasn't using a gauge. He had permanent eye damage and even after surgery was never able to see the same again.

The OP is lucky he got to "show" his daughter ANYTHING after this, let alone how to inflate a tire properly.

Oh please, 100psi is not too much psi for a tire. You run a MUCH higher risk of a tire blowing out from underinflation than from over inflation. I saw a guy take like a 12 year old, DRY ROTTED tire and inflate it all the way to 245psi before it burst entirely. 100psi is nothing for most tires, I mean look at your bicycle tires (not the bicycle tires on road bikes, but on most other bicycles) and you'll see that while most people may inflate to 40psi (I guess?) it has a range on the tire and it's usually something like 30-80psi. Are you trying to tell me that a bicycle tire is better built than your car tire? To give you an idea, while cars may not inflate their tires to 80-100psi, semi-trucks do, and they retread those tires as well! I'm not going to get into an argument about the merits of inflating your tires way beyond what is recommended of the sidewall but I just want to "comfort" you in knowing that you're pretty unlikely to burst your tires inflating them too much unless they've got a defect like being formerly punctured, damaged, dry rotted, old, whatever.

Originally posted by: brblx

Originally posted by: fleabag

Originally posted by: Bignate603

Originally posted by: fleabag
Eh, at least she tried which is saying a lot considering that most people drive with their tires UNDER-inflated due to carelessness, which is far more dangerous..

So 79 psi is safer than 26 psi? Your idiocy knows no bounds.

And your ignorance and arrogance knows no bounds! It's too bad because if you knew better, you'd know that the risk of a blowout is higher at 26psi than at 79psi.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAhahahahahahahahahahahaha...

*gasp*

....hahahahahahahaaahahahahahahaaahahahahahahahahahahahah...
.
*gasp* ....HA.


you're an idiot.

edit: i shouldn't try and argue with you, but since you'll come back wanting some kind of argument for the rest of your post-

if you run a tire very low for a decent amount of time, you get a line carved into the sidewall. if you run it at higher speeds, typically damn near flat, you'll create enough heat in the sidewall to cause a blowout. the action of the sidewall folding and unfolding at the tire rotates is what causes the heat. 26psi will not cause this. 20psi will not cause this. try 10-15 pounds in a typical car tire, at most.

you also clearly have no understanding of why 80psi in a car tire is bad, and i'm not going to give you a physics lesson. please, put 80psi in your tires and go for a drive, preferably at 2am and on poorly constructed (and more importantly empty) roads. it would be the best thing you ever did for the world.

OOOO what you think it's goanna blow? Are you stupid? I think you just have no idea what you're talking about. You're so used to inflating your tires to a paltry 30psi that you think something like 100psi is goanna blow your tires, well I've got to tell you, it won't.

Originally posted by: Bignate603

Originally posted by: fleabag

Originally posted by: Bignate603

Originally posted by: fleabag
Eh, at least she tried which is saying a lot considering that most people drive with their tires UNDER-inflated due to carelessness, which is far more dangerous..

So 79 psi is safer than 26 psi? Your idiocy knows no bounds.

And your ignorance and arrogance knows no bounds! It's too bad because if you knew better, you'd know that the risk of a blowout is higher at 26psi than at 79psi. I can't recommend inflating past sidewall for various reasons but if she so happened to be performing stunt driving by driving on two wheels, then it'd be in her best interest to inflate the tires to something like 100psi.

Yes, so you should drive around on rock hard tires that will bounce around like a basketball with a tiny little contact patches. Brilliant.

I didn't suggest that either. Anyway, if a tire wears perfectly evenly across, wouldn't that be an accomplishment? That this is something most people try to achieve? Well what if I told you that the only way to accomplish this was to inflate your tires to sidewall? What, first wearing down the sides is unacceptable but when you find out that the solution to it is to inflate to the tire's sidewall that all of a sudden that is a far worse outcome? Give me a break! Nobody suggested that inflating to the PSI the OP's what ever was a good idea, but it was certainly better than being non attentive and just letting the tire get dangerously low.