Tire Pressure!!!

[GearHead_1]

I`ve never been a fan of michilen, I always liked bridgestone (go figure since mich owns bridge).

Admittedly I`m a little out of touch with the industry but unless something has changed big time in the past 5 years BridgeStone isn`t owned by Michelin. BridgeStone is the sister company of Firestone (Brigdestone, Firestone North American) not owned by MAST. Michelin is the parent company of Michelin American Small Tire (MAST). MAST owns BF Goodrich and a few others.

[njcarting1]

A friend of a friend buried his twenty year old daughter yesterday. She was driving at interstate highway speeds when a tire failed, the car rolled and even her seatbelt and airbags did not save her. Good low-mileage car, no road debris, no alcohol, no weather, no speeding, no other cars involved.

Being the ex-cop butinski that I am, I thought about going to see the car at the impound lot. But I realized that I may unintentionally inflict even more pain on the family. I know what I would find... underinflated tires.

I`ve ranted about this before on DC, and now someone I know indirectly has suffered the ultimate penalty... possibly for poor car maintenence. My daughter and I have had some harsh words when I`ve found her tires at 12 pounds of pressure, with a recommended 35! I routinely check my nieces` cars and discover low oil, corroded batteries, and LOW TIRE PRESSURE!

What if the couple hundred or so regular DC users, members and lurkers, made it our mission to regularly check the vehicles of our family members, elderly neighbors, parents, and anyone else who is close to us? Toss a tire gauge in your detailing stuff and do your customers a favor.

Trying not to sound too neurotic about this... I really think that we might actually save a life or two.

Thats a good idea

Sorry for your loss...

[Ronkh]

You will absolutely love those tires. A friend of mine has them and says they are great all around tires.

Did he say how they were in snow?

[Ronkh]

Admittedly I`m a little out of touch with the industry but unless something has changed big time in the past 5 years BridgeStone isn`t owned by Michelin. BridgeStone is the sister company of Firestone (Brigdestone, Firestone North American) not owned by MAST. Michelin is the parent company of Michelin American Small Tire (MAST). MAST owns BF Goodrich and a few others.

you are correct. my memory isnt what it used to be.

the older traction t/a (speed rated not the oem tiers) were the best a/s tire i ever had.

[9D4E420]

Did he say how they were in snow?

For an ultra high performance all season he said they were pretty decent. Cornering and breaking was decent he said. He has them on an IS 350 rear wheel drive. There was about 4 inches of snow on the ground. Anything deeper I imagine they would become pretty unreliable. But your 530 is an XI if I remember so it might be a little drfferent.

[Ronkh]

For an ultra high performance all season he said they were pretty decent. Cornering and breaking was decent he said. He has them on an IS 350 rear wheel drive. There was about 4 inches of snow on the ground. Anything deeper I imagine they would become pretty unreliable. But your 530 is an XI if I remember so it might be a little drfferent.

The 530xi was great in snow, heavy snow, snow/ice with the stupid conti oem tires. But they`re kinda soft. I hope these do well.

Thanks for the info.

[Deanski]

One reason I use nitrogen for tire inflation instead of air is less pressure fluctuations.

Problem also comes from air with heavy moisture in the tire as well. These all pay a part in fluctuating pressures in tires.

But for day-to-day driver, yes, tire pressure is very critical.! More so in winter due to lower temps.

I have gauges in all cars and check often as I can as I know what a car feels like when they are both over or under inflated.

As for oil, Porsche has they lazy way to check, electronic dipstick. It`s done after warmed up on a flat area. Once the engine is off for a duration, you hit the stalk and see the oil level starting to be read on the dash. It takes longer if you just shut off.

Battery maintenance is also critial and several are located in such hard to reach areas, no way to easly tell if it`s not maintenance free. Also, the connections at both ends need to be checked at least twice a year. A loose ground will really mess with you.

How many see people driving with bulbs/lights out? Damn that bugs me! Nothing worse than following someone that has NO brake lights!

Deanski

[Pander5]

GREAT thread boys!!! Thanks for all the shared info.

[JaredPointer]

I`ve never been a fan of michilen, I always liked bridgestone (go figure since mich owns bridge). But these are supposed to be something reall really special.

Too bad I wont get to find out for a while. Raining real bad and will for eh next 4-5 days at least. As well as it will take about 500 miles to clear the release agent/coating. Then I`ll know.

these are the new a/s PLUS model.

I can`t stand Bridgestone tires. They have come on every Toyota vehicle I have purchased in the last 10 years. I have a name for them - Slickstones. If you run over a drop of water on the road, I am surprised they can hold the asphault. Worst wet traction tires made. Ever. Even compared to a caveman`s stone wheel.

[Ronkh]

I need to make an apology.

I am sorry for hijacking this thread.
This thread was createdFor both somber feelings and to be informative to us all.

I just added to the thread because I didn`t know where to put my new tires and didn`t think it was good enough to start it`s own thread.

Again, I`m sorry.

[JohnHenry]

Ron,

Thanks for the post and the PM. The apology is accepted, but certainly not necessary. I think that we all know each other well enough not to have our feelings hurt by inconsequential things like this.

Enjoy the tires. I am a confirmed Michelin Man (although headed to Gold`s right now so as not to actually look like him! Currently running Pilots, LT M&S, and LTX AT2`s on the family fleet.

Jay

[JohnHenry]

P.S. Enjoy your Best Detailer title while you can. I have a new Makita and next year... you`re goin` down!!!

[Ronkh]

P.S. Enjoy your Best Detailer title while you can. I have a new Makita and next year... you`re goin` down!!!

[Tuckermatic]

Actually that was 1/2 the problem with the firestone/explorer problems. Ford recommended lower than Firestone did.

Good post, good point.

I bought a set of firestone tires for my MK VII and inflation was a constant issue.
eventually the tires developed a split circling the entire tire in back of the tire.
When I jacked the car up I could see where the tire had split in a circle around the back of the tire.
loosing some pressure is normal but unless you have a system similar to Infiniti which warns you of low pressure most people don`t pay any attention to the tire pressure unless the car starts leaning to one side.