Hitting tires with hammer? Wtf

I know some old truckers that can guess the psi within 10psi range just by thumping it. I held them to it was surprised. Me not so much LOL I’ll know if they’re around 80+ that’s it. I’ll gauge em if the temperature drops quick recently and every 3rd or 4th days. BUT I always thump them every time I stop just before I start rolling again. I’ve caught many soon to be flats and compromised tires this way.

 

According to CVSA it’s flat if it’s 50% of the sidewall psi rating. Michelin XDN2 is recommended for 80 psi according to my brother in law who is a tire rep for them.

 

I check the steers with a guage and hammer the rest daily.

 

trivial tidbit. My father once told me years ago one of the trucks he drove had aircraft tires on it. these tires have so many plys that once mated on a duel the only way outside of a gauge to tell they were flat was they would spin inside the wheel. I never was able to tell if pop was pulling my leg or not. This thread reminded me of that.

 

I've put those things on implement wheels before, makes truck tires look easy.