Tire PSI

[Smaug]

My car has a recommended PSI of 30 on every wheel, max PSI on the tire is 50, and the current PSI is 42. Is there an advantage or disadvantage to this?

 

[FoBoT]

over inflation will wear out the center of the tread/uneven tread wear

under inflation causes poor gas mileage/poor control


but i am not a car dude

 

[Carbonadium4]

42 ?!?! HOLY COW

Most car are between 30-35.. u should lower it.. it may explode..

 

[Smaug]

Max PSI is 51 on the tire, how do I drop it though?

 

[Apex]

Well, advantage:

Higher gas economy, do to lower rolling resistance

Disadvantage:

Less grip
Wear tires out faster (though only in center)


Ideally, you want your tire to wear flat across the tread. Best way is using a pyrometer to measure temperatures across the footprint. This being said, just do what the manufacturer recommends. A little higher if you weigh your car down with lots of junk or are going on long trips, or if the weather is running cold.

 

[MustISO]

Always set it to what's recommended by the car maker. Should be on the driver side door jam.

 

[TheAudit]

Originally posted by: Carbonadium4
42 ?!

 

[Smaug]

Yes 42 now how do I drop it?

 

[isekii]

You let the air out.

 

[shimsham]

Originally posted by: Smaug
Yes 42 now how do I drop it?

are you serious?

just let some air out with the cap.

 

[rh71]

I've found that the recommended 30 PSI causes my Accord's tires to bulge out... people have told us we have a flat while waiting at a red. It's kinda comical...

 

[Aquaman]

Originally posted by: rh71
I've found that the recommended 30 PSI causes my Accord's tires to bulge out... people have told us we have a flat while waiting at a red. It's kinda comical...

You bought Jagrs old tires at the Capital Equipment sale didn't you

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: Smaug
My car has a recommended PSI of 30 on every wheel, max PSI on the tire is 50, and the current PSI is 42. Is there an advantage or disadvantage to this?

the disadvantage is that you're a retard, fortunately this can be remedied by following the recommended tire pressure as it is, funny as it may seem, the recommended tire pressure.

 

[MikePanic]

check it at least once a month too... as weather/humidity changes, so does tire pressure

over/under inflation will also affect your mpg

 

[TuxDave]

Originally posted by: Smaug
Yes 42 now how do I drop it?

LMAO.....

 

[Carrot44]

too high is when it pops

 

[Howard]

The one on the driver's door is usually lower so that the ride is softer.

 

[FrustratedUser]

USE THE RECOMMENDED TIRE PRESSURE.

 

[Crucial]

175psi

 

[TechnoKid]

between 32 and 35 psi is what i've seen thats works well for most all passanger car tires.

 

[boyRacer]

measure it when its cold not after youve been driving the car...

 

[johnjbruin]

does the profile of the tires affect what the pressure should be?

 

[Calin]

The pressure in the tire must be balanced with the car load. On my car (VW Passat 1992, non-variant) with the 185/65R14 tires, the pressure is 2-2.2 atm on front tires (30-32 PSI) and 2-2.7 atm on rear tires (30-40 PSI). This is for a load between 1250 and 1600kg (min and max). All the info should be in the car's manual

Calin

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: rh71
I've found that the recommended 30 PSI causes my Accord's tires to bulge out... people have told us we have a flat while waiting at a red. It's kinda comical...

heh, some tires have sidewalls that bulge more. doesn't mean much though. only thing that matters is that the tread is totally flat against the ground. u can sorta test this, shoe polish a stripe across tread to see if wear is even.

 

[DingDingDao]

Originally posted by: Carbonadium4
42 ?!?! HOLY COW

Most car are between 30-35.. u should lower it.. it may explode..

You're kidding right? He just told you the tire was rated to 51 PSI.

Tires (like many other things) are overengineered to withstand the idiocy of the average user. That 51 PSI limit is probably closer to 100 PSI for an actual rupture.

Example: Elevators have a posted weight limit (like 3000 lb or something). What they don't tell you is that there are at least 6 safety cables holding the elevator up in the event of a failure. Moreover, those cables are engineered so that only one can support a fully loaded elevator.

Back to the tire issue--tire pressure depends a lot on tire size. On my A4, the stock 16" tires were inflated to a recommended 32 PSI. When I went to 17s (225/45 17), the recommended pressure increased to 35. Right now I have 18" wheels on the car, and the tires (225/40 18) are inflated to 38 PSI. So saying that 30-35 is the proper PSI is jumping to the wrong conclusion. It's like telling someone they have pneumonia if they have a cough.