Mine has black caps. Maybe they forgot to put them back on if they were checking pressure before delivery?

 

My 2018 came with green caps and I changed them out to black.

 

Doesn't green mean the tire is filled with nitrogen?

My '19 came with grey valve caps.

 

The Ridgeline leaves the factory with gray plastic caps.

Dealers install green ones to indicate the tires are filled with nitrogen so they can add tens to hundreds of dollars to the price.

I can't explain black ones unless the original ones were damaged, lost, stolen, or mixed up with another vehicle during PDI or service.

When I buy a new vehicle that has green caps, I make the dealer install the factory caps. I also make them supply the factory license plate screws which they always seem to discard and replace with oversize screws.

 

My dealer "threw in" nitrogen but usually adds $99 with other dealer installed options (paint/fabric protectants), none of which I had to take because that was the deal we struck ahead of the truck's arrival. So 15 months later I had lost some PSI on one corner and just let Costco tire tech check nitrogen which was less than 80% all around. Had them do a nitrogen conversion, re-set PSI which is $12. For all 4 tires. PSI very steady again although I did find out at dealer that the PSI is off on-screen by 1-2 psi so tech doubled checked/set at 39.

 

So I just got ripped out of my caps.

Not really a big deal. I was just curious if it was an honest mistake or a standard not-included.

Or maybe someone stole all four of mine. LOL

 

10pcs Plastic Gray Tire Valve Stem Caps TPMS Tire Cap with Gasket

 

Ive been a Discount Tire person for years and they are great, my only gripe with them is not using my original caps. I forget to check before I leave.

 

If you need valve stem caps just stop by any tire store after hours and there will be 50 caps in the parking lot.LOL

 

As long as their some type of plastic and I can find 4 matching. .

 

I switch the caps the first thing after I take delivery unless they are quality caps or are custom to the valve stems. I buy good quality plastic caps like the Dill 630 N.

These are beefier for ease of taking on and off and have an O-ring seal. Good for sealing in case a valve core gets leaky. I don't buy a full 100 box as most of the suppliers will sell a smaller qty.

A little OCD on my part but they are inexpensive and good to have if you are a tire pressure disciplinarian like me.

630N Valve Cap 100/Box

 

Lovely. Another nitrogen discussion.

The facts

Air is 78% nitrogen.

The volume inside a Ridgeline tire is about 2 cubic feet.

The recommended tire pressure is 35 PSI or 2.38 ATM.

The math

+ 1 ATM static = 3.38 ATM

* 2 cubic feet = 6.76 cubic feet

The results

If a tire that leaves the factory filled with air which contains 78% nitrogen is completely deflated then reinflated with 4.76 cubic feet of pure nitrogen to achieve a pressure of 32 PSI, you end up with 93% nitrogen - only 15% more nitrogen than regular air.

Assuming a dealer who installs green caps and/or charges you for nitrogen actually inflates the tires with nitrogen (sometimes they say they do, but they actually don't and you'll never know unless you have the air analyzed), they're only going to deflate and inflate once for 93% nitrogen purity at best.

At a price of $71 for a size 300 cylinder of industrial-grade nitrogen, it costs a dealer about $1 to completely reinflate a tire with nitrogen - that's half the MSRP of a Honda valve stem cap.



The factory, gray plastic caps are good quality and they have O-rings, but they list for $2 each.

 

Actually Only $12

I only have $12 total invested nitrogen as n/c with new truck delivery and Costco tech said probably just air was added at several rotations.

Dealer has been great for most part as I posted about on Maintenance Minder thread:
"So got amazing this "Road Trip" on-line coupon deal - take-a-breath- syn O/F, engine air filter, rotation, top off all fluids, inspect brakes & battery and exterior wash for $99 and tax. I added the diff fluid change and cabin filter for total (w/ 7.5 % NC tax) of $264 completed in just under 2 hours."

Back to tires:
Next set will be @ Costco but looks like I will have many more miles on the Firestones.
If you buy tires at Costco, nitrogen is n/c along with free balance and rotation.
Getting 4 Michelin A/S 92V installed for $477 (205 16s) for our other car with Costco soon.
For comparo same size tire $140 ea @ Tirerack, w/ free ship.
This tire is also high rated at Consumer Reports.

 

Re: Actually Only $12

I only have $12 total invested nitrogen as n/c with new truck delivery and Costco tech said probably just air was added at several rotations.

Dealer has been great for most part as I posted about on Maintenance Minder thread:
"So got amazing this "Road Trip" on-line coupon deal - take-a-breath- syn O/F, engine air filter, rotation, top off all fluids, inspect brakes & battery and exterior wash for $99 and tax. I added the diff fluid change and cabin filter for total (w/ 7.5 % NC tax) of $264 completed in just under 2 hours."

Back to tires:
Next set will be @ Costco but looks like I will have many more miles on the Firestones.
If you buy tires at Costco, nitrogen is n/c along with free balance and rotation.
Getting 4 Michelin A/S 92V installed for $477 (205 16s) for our other car with Costco soon.
For comparo same size tire $140 ea @ Tirerack, w/ free ship.
This tire is also high rated at Consumer Reports.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a3894/4302788/
Nitrogen does offer some advantages over regular compressed air when filling tires. Since the molecules that comprise nitrogen’s chemical structure are larger than oxygen’s molecules, nitrogen is less likely to seep through rubber, the prime culprit for deflated tires. This keeps the tire pressure more stable over the long term, especially during extreme variations in temperature.

“Nitrogen-filled tires are less susceptible to temperature swings, so the tires are more likely to maintain constant pressure under a wide variety of temperatures and vehicle speeds,” says Ed Kim, vice president of industry analysis at automotive research firm AutoPacific.
“Part of this is due to the intrinsic qualities of nitrogen over air, but part of this is also because air has water vapor in it (humidity), and humid air is also more susceptible to pressure changes as a result of temperature.”

 

<<-- getting myself some popcorn. >

This is going to turn into one of those oil debate thread ! :laugh:

 

>Haven’t seen this discussion lately:grin:

 

October? 9 months ago? Are you sure some kid didn't steal them recently? In any case, I got chrome caps. I always take mine off and leave them in the cup holder so they don't go missing at tire shops. Dealer sent me home with green ones, and costco will too if you don't tell them otherwise.

 

I think green caps mean you have 100% nitrogen in your tires.

 

Green caps means the service department will try to sell you a whole bunch of unneeded services every time you visit them.

You won't know who to trust. :|

 

Noticed I don't have grey stem caps, I have no caps.

Watch for two neighborhood kids riding bikes with gray valve caps. :wink: