Tire Air Pressure

J

jchetty

New member
I always park in the back at work, so i have a pretty long walk to get to my building. While walking through the parkinglot, I always notice just how many people have underinflated tires :nono I mean i know its cold(i'm in jersey), but jeeez. I always check mine at least once a week. when that firestone problem was happening with the ford exlporers, i know of a few people who i trust said that they had a feeling people werent checking their air pressure and that *helped* to cause the blow outs. What bout you guys, where any of you affected by the tire blowouts and how often do you check your tire pressure:nixweiss
 
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I try to check mine once per week. Unfortunately, when I get down to put the air gauge on the tire stem, I start to examine the evenness of the tire sheen, notice the inside of the wheel well, the light dusting of brake dust on the wheels and then I pull out all the wash stuff and miss gauging all the tires. As for the spare ( mounted up under the SUV ), I hope it isn't flat. :o



No blowouts here - running BF Goodrich Long Trails.
 
I run mine at 36 psi around town, 40 psi for highway. I check them every week.



I have these wizz bang Michelin gauges, one has its own pump other is a hand held. Easy work.



I run mine at these pressures for there is a dramatic decrease in stopping distance and they handle better. Also increases the mpg.



Started running them at this ever since i have done a few advanced driving courses. We witnessed a car do a full ABS stop at the reconmended (for the car) 28psi and then witnessed it do another ABS stop again at 36psi and it pulled up drastically shorter. Now i know it isnt exactly a scientific method but hey.:nixweiss
 
I check all three of my cars weekly and have a Campbell Hausfeld air compressor with tire chuck. So I don't have to drive anywhere, I just fill up in my garage!



I have a really nice heavy duty digital tire gauge.



In the winter, I kick it up a couple psi because of the cold, but during the summer I leave it at what the owners manual says.
 
On My daily driver, my eye's and feel for the road in just fine

(38 Front 42 Back Yep thats what they call for Plus Best MPG)

all other, i get out the gauge
 
Myles said:
I run mine at 36 psi around town, 40 psi for highway. I check them every week.



I have these wizz bang Michelin gauges, one has its own pump other is a hand held. Easy work.



I run mine at these pressures for there is a dramatic decrease in stopping distance and they handle better. Also increases the mpg.



Started running them at this ever since i have done a few advanced driving courses. We witnessed a car do a full ABS stop at the reconmended (for the car) 28psi and then witnessed it do another ABS stop again at 36psi and it pulled up drastically shorter. Now i know it isnt exactly a scientific method but hey.:nixweiss
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Hey,



Is it also true that keeping the tire psi on 35-40 instead of standard 30 also increases life of the tires?
 
Bill D said:
Hey,



Is it also true that keeping the tire psi on 35-40 instead of standard 30 also increases life of the tires?
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Not necessarily!



Over or under inflation will reduce the life of the tyre. There is only one correct inflation pressure and thats the one that keeps all the tread on the road. I try and record the wear patterns on my tyres - over inflation means that the centre of the tyre wears, under inflation means the edges wear. If you measure the tread and keep a record you can see if you need more or less pressure. Of course cold/ hot weather also change the pressures, just to keep you on your toes!



Also, since under or over inflation reduces the contact patch, this also makes your car more dangerous as you will have less grip for cornering and braking.
 
you can find the recommanded psi on the tire. my accord tire recommand was 45psi , so i had 45psi in the rear tire 40's in the front. as for my is300 was recommand 50psi, so i had 45psi in the back and 40psi in the front. i do alot of downtown/city drive with is300.
 
sheep...are you sure that is the recommend tire pressure and not the max tire pressure? Usually the tire will not list (on the tire) the manufactures recommended tire pressure...
 
Follow the car manufactureres recommendation, on the door sill.....regardless fo what the tire says....That pressure is max for the tire (the one on the tire). You have to keep in mind the weight of the vehicle too......
 
Patrick said:
Follow the car manufactureres recommendation, on the door sill.....regardless fo what the tire says....That pressure is max for the tire (the one on the tire). You have to keep in mind the weight of the vehicle too......
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I would be concerned offering this as many tires are changed from factory recs and the pressure on the sill might not be the best suggested tire pressure.



I tend to read from the tire for max air pressure #.
 
Lost Pup said:
I would be concerned offering this as many tires are changed from factory recs and the pressure on the sill might not be the best suggested tire pressure.



I tend to read from the tire for max air pressure #.
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This practice is totally wrong. You want to go off the suggested pressure on the door panel. If you change the size of your wheel/tires, generally you add more pressure if you are going to a smaller air volume tire and reduce pressure if you are going to a larger volume tire. Unusually this within 10psi of the factory spec unless you are making drastic tire size changes. The psi listed on the sidewall is usually max. psi and is usually 15-20psi more than the ideal pressure on most cars.

The chalk method listed above is the best procedure if you are unsure about non-stock tires.
 
36-40 psi is not over inflating. Bridgestone and Dunlop have told me that they consider over inflation at 50+.



I use 36 to increase sidewall stiffness and braking performance. A performance driving school told me that they think that 36 is the best trade off between performance and comfort. Manufacturers reconmendations are the best pressures for comfort.



On track days i go up to 42 psi.
 
To get the optimum pressure for the conditions you drive in requires a quality needle pyrometer. (not digital, they are not as accurate)



When the tire is hot you measure the heat across three spots in the tread of the tire. (Outside, middle, inside) You want the temperatures to be equal throughout the width of the tread.



If the temps are hotter in the middle you are overinflated. If they are hot at the edges you are underinflated. If the temps are dramatically different on one side compared to the other then you have to consider alignment issues.



Longacre is one of the leading brands. They range in price from $100 to $500.



We use them at the track to determine proper pressures and chassis set up.
 
sheep, are those tires on your IS300 aftermarket, cause my stock 17's are nowhere near 50psi, i believe the recommended is in the 32 psi range.



I have a compressor in my garage and it's a weekly routine to check the pressure. I know alot of people who have never checked their tires.
 
I run both my jeeps at 34-36 PSI for everyday driving.....Just last week one of the girls in my office was compaking that her car felt funny and when i looked her rr tore was almost flat (5 lbs of air)...when i asked her if she ever checked her tires she looked confused
 
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