tire pressure
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2007
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From: NYC
'12 CLS 550 4matic
tire pressure
Age old question, but I was wondering why the fronts call for 36 and the rears 39. Any real reason behind this or the typical 32 all around is fine?
Is it 4 Matic specific, 550 or combo of both, which is what I have?
Is it 4 Matic specific, 550 or combo of both, which is what I have?
Super Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 640
Likes: 6
2015 GL450
I personally find it interesting that (according to what I've read) that car manufacturers tend to make cars understeer, with higher rear pressures being a contributor all else equal. This is because most peoples' reaction to a skid is to lift off of the accelerator or brake. When a car has been set to be more neutral, lifting or braking will very quickly put the car in a major spin. This is called trailing throttle oversteer. It is my favorite technique -- hence the TTO in my pseudonym. When I started racing (the cars I drove were very neutral), this was the hardest habit for me to break -- keeping my foot steady and correcting with the steering and, depending on circumstances, actually accelerating to stop a skid.
Sometimes TTO can be used to an advantage. At turn 2 at Lime Rock Park, one often approaches the corner so fast that one cannot steer the car around the turn -- you'd go off the outside of the track. So you momentarily lift off the throttle to put the car in a temporary spin, and then hit the gas when you are pointed the correct direction to stop the spin. THAT was fun!
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From: NM
2023 AMG EQS
