tire pressure changing

**CharlesW** · 01-05-2006, 07:50 PM

Originally Posted by TrueDetailer

What does the tire say on it? Go by that.

And yes inflate when your tires are cold.

Everyone has their own opinion, but the company that made the tire knows best.

Does the tire have recommended running pressure?
I thought they just listed the maximum safe pressure for the tire.
That will probably be in the 40 to 50 lb. area which would be way to much for most passenger vehicles with normal loads.

Charles

**CharlesW** · 01-05-2006, 08:05 PM

Tire Rack has some good information on correct inflation here.
In fact the site has a lot of other good info, too.

Charles

**Beercan31** · 01-05-2006, 08:25 PM

I`m not going to get in the debate on where the air pressure should be....

My experience is "NO" 2 tire gauges will read alike....the differential you might be seeing is in the manufacturing of the gauges and gauge alone....I have spent quit a few dollars on tire gauges, from the big ones you`d use on big rigs to the pocket style, each one will read differently.

**CharlesW** · 01-05-2006, 08:40 PM

Originally Posted by Beercan31

I`m not going to get in the debate on where the air pressure should be....

My experience is "NO" 2 tire gauges will read alike....the differential you might be seeing is in the manufacturing of the gauges and gauge alone....I have spent quit a few dollars on tire gauges, from the big ones you`d use on big rigs to the pocket style, each one will read differently.

That could very well be true, but since I use the same gauge all the time, I figure I at least have consistent error.
If you don`t have and don`t want to invest in an air compressor, an air tank that you can fill at a station will usually be about $20 or less.
With your own air supply and your own gauge, you can soon find the pressures that seem to work best for you and should be able to maintain them pretty well.

Charles

**joyriide1113** · 01-05-2006, 08:41 PM

Originally Posted by Beercan31

I`m not going to get in the debate on where the air pressure should be....

My experience is "NO" 2 tire gauges will read alike....the differential you might be seeing is in the manufacturing of the gauges and gauge alone....I have spent quit a few dollars on tire gauges, from the big ones you`d use on big rigs to the pocket style, each one will read differently.

thought that at first... and since i dont trust the gauges at gas stations since they are left out in the rain and all sorts of elements that i assume they dont perform to their potential...

my tires sidewall only read the max psi of 51...

**opensob** · 01-05-2006, 09:20 PM

Originally Posted by CharlesW

Tire Rack has some good information on correct inflation here.
In fact the site has a lot of other good info, too.

Charles

Tire pressure affects tire wear, traction, cornering ability, tire protection and ride comfort. The OEM suggested tire pressure is usually erring on the low side; this increases ride comfort and reduces the chance of tire damage if you run over something sharp. Normally, you can run pressures in a range of -2 to +8 from the OEM recommendation. Staying within this range will keep the tire from wearing unevenly. This applies for all tires, from simple all-seasons to the best high performance tires. The tires will react differently to changes in pressure, though.

The Tire Rack has a lot of great articles, many of which would clear up a lot of the misconceptions seen in this thread. Tire pressure changes the contact patch and tendancy for the tire to "roll over", meaning the tire will start to roll onto the sidewall during hard cornering. Tire pressure that is too high will cause uneven wear in the middle of the tread and will reduce available traction. Tire pressure that is too low will cause uneven wear on the edge of the tread and will reduce cornering ability.

I`m sure someone will try to correct me; maybe I am wrong. :whistling

Joyriide, it sounds like the pressure recommendations from the tirerack are great; high enough overall to add a bit of performance but low enough to be comfortable. You might want to try changing the front:rear ratio to be higher in the front if you enjoy some spirited driving; the traction control will save you if something goes wrong!

**joyriide1113** · 01-05-2006, 09:33 PM

Originally Posted by opensob

Tire pressure affects tire wear, traction, cornering ability, tire protection and ride comfort. The OEM suggested tire pressure is usually erring on the low side; this increases ride comfort and reduces the chance of tire damage if you run over something sharp. Normally, you can run pressures in a range of -2 to +8 from the OEM recommendation. Staying within this range will keep the tire from wearing unevenly. This applies for all tires, from simple all-seasons to the best high performance tires. The tires will react differently to changes in pressure, though.

The Tire Rack has a lot of great articles, many of which would clear up a lot of the misconceptions seen in this thread. Tire pressure changes the contact patch and tendancy for the tire to "roll over", meaning the tire will start to roll onto the sidewall during hard cornering. Tire pressure that is too high will cause uneven wear in the middle of the tread and will reduce available traction. Tire pressure that is too low will cause uneven wear on the edge of the tread and will reduce cornering ability.

I`m sure someone will try to correct me; maybe I am wrong. :whistling

Joyriide, it sounds like the pressure recommendations from the tirerack are great; high enough overall to add a bit of performance but low enough to be comfortable. You might want to try changing the front:rear ratio to be higher in the front if you enjoy some spirited driving; the traction control will save you if something goes wrong!

welcome to the forum. and thanks for the great information...

**Dozerboy** · 01-05-2006, 10:35 PM

Here is how to find the best tire pressure for â€œall aroundâ€ driving. Get a piece of chalk. make a wide line across the tread of the tire on a front and back tire if you`re really anal do all of them. Drive a few feet stop so you can see the lines. Take a look and adjust the air presser so that the chalk wares off evenly across the tread. Your tire pressure will need to be changed with different tires, wheels, or load.

**joyriide1113** · 01-05-2006, 10:59 PM

cool suggestion

**tubafeak** · 01-06-2006, 06:55 AM

That works pretty well until you start messing with camber settings (on a racecar, street cars can use this effectively), the camber will throw the settings off. Also, the chalk will give you the best pressure for straight line acceleration, if you want to go to the twisties and you want the perfect pressure you`ll want to take a flying lap around the block to get the tires hot (no crazy driving, just hard) and get a tire thermometer, this will give you better information as to what would help your handling, it`s a bit more involved however, and you need to have a good grasp of vehicle dynamics.