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Help with tyre pressures please

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Old Dec 26, 2002 | 07:55 AM
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SL55
Help with tyre pressures please

Help with tyre pressures please.

Hi all,

I see lots of posts recommending different tyre pressures. Some as per the fuel flap, some higher. What is the general consensus of opinion please?

I’m talking about road use not racing or track work.

Thanks Graham.
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Old Dec 27, 2002 | 01:32 AM
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an import
Depends on what type of ride you want.

There's nothing wrong with following the pressures stated on the fuel lid, but this really give you a soft, less responsive ride. I typically keep the pressure at 45 psi (hot) for some extra road feel.
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Old Dec 28, 2002 | 07:31 AM
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asdf
on 19"s im keep mine inflated at 40 hot. 45 for me is way too harsh, but that's good for rim protection. If you're running big rims, keep the pressure high just in case you hit any potholes.
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Old Dec 28, 2002 | 12:07 PM
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Larry Sonsini
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Originally posted by Fanatic
Depends on what type of ride you want.

There's nothing wrong with following the pressures stated on the fuel lid, but this really give you a soft, less responsive ride. I typically keep the pressure at 45 psi (hot) for some extra road feel.
At 45 hot, your roll line will be too far in compared to where it should be (Thanks Simon!). Aside from messing with the wear on your tires, you're also affecting your handling. Might want to back down a bit..
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Old Dec 29, 2002 | 01:47 AM
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I'm running with 40psi(cold) all around on a staggered 18" setup.
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Old Dec 29, 2002 | 05:20 AM
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?????????

You can see why I started this thread; there are so many different views.

I always understood that too high a pressure caused premature wear in the centre of the tread width and too low pressure, premature wear on the outside edges.

Therefore the 'correct' pressure for a given tyre on a given vehicle would be the one that allows the tread to run pressed flat on to the road across its full width.

Any more views ??????
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Old Dec 29, 2002 | 03:17 PM
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Larry Sonsini
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Originally posted by London Lad
?????????

You can see why I started this thread; there are so many different views.

I always understood that too high a pressure caused premature wear in the centre of the tread width and too low pressure, premature wear on the outside edges.

Therefore the 'correct' pressure for a given tyre on a given vehicle would be the one that allows the tread to run pressed flat on to the road across its full width.

Any more views ??????
that's my view
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Old Dec 29, 2002 | 06:14 PM
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asdf
Originally posted by London Lad
?????????

You can see why I started this thread; there are so many different views.

I always understood that too high a pressure caused premature wear in the centre of the tread width and too low pressure, premature wear on the outside edges.

Therefore the 'correct' pressure for a given tyre on a given vehicle would be the one that allows the tread to run pressed flat on to the road across its full width.

Any more views ??????
that WOULD be ideal for track use but I doubt that'd be a good idea for every day driving. There are too many road hazards that might dent your rims and to have your tires tread to run pressed flat onto the road across its full width, your tires will probably look deflated.
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Old Jan 1, 2003 | 04:58 PM
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tire pressure

I never run my tires over 30 psi on my 97 sl 45,000 miles 17" evo style wheels Michelins just started to wear out . My 2003 sl 500 ran that car at 29 psi once you go under 30 the ride comfort increases dramaticaly, with out any tire sag i never scalloped tires nor wore them out pre-maturely.I like the low profile look but can;t stand the harsh ride, lower tire pressure is the sollution.
Give it a try you'll see what i mean.............
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Old Jan 1, 2003 | 08:18 PM
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sometimes...too high can be prone to pothole damage also. if u can't decide who to listen...high psi or low psi...something in the 36~38 psi range is a good compromise...
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Old Jan 1, 2003 | 11:58 PM
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asdf
Originally posted by steve s
sometimes...too high can be prone to pothole damage also. if u can't decide who to listen...high psi or low psi...something in the 36~38 psi range is a good compromise...
could you please elaborate on how high pressure could be prone to pothole damage?
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Old Jan 2, 2003 | 01:08 AM
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this is something from tirerack's website

Overinflation
If your tires are overinflated by 6 psi, they could be damaged more easily when running over potholes or debris in the road. Higher inflated tires cannot isolate road irregularities well causing them to ride harsher. However, higher inflation pressures usually provide an improvement in steering response and cornering stability up to a point. This is why participants who use street tires in autocrosses, track events and road races, run higher than normal inflation pressures.
air inside ur tire supports the weight of the vehicle and it's load. if u set it too low...there isn't enough air to properly support the weight. it also becomes prone to damage and over-heating. the load that was supposed to be picked up by the air is now being picked up by the tire and probably the rim.

if u have too high a pressure, well, that leads to a weaker tire as well. think of it this way. if u have a balloon that's inflated about halfway, it's got just enough resilience that when u use a pin and gently push against it, it will give a little, but also push a back little and not break. if u have a balloon that's inflated to max, take a pin to it, it breaks immediately... something like that..
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Old Jan 2, 2003 | 02:58 AM
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asdf
Originally posted by steve s
this is something from tirerack's website



air inside ur tire supports the weight of the vehicle and it's load. if u set it too low...there isn't enough air to properly support the weight. it also becomes prone to damage and over-heating. the load that was supposed to be picked up by the air is now being picked up by the tire and probably the rim.

if u have too high a pressure, well, that leads to a weaker tire as well. think of it this way. if u have a balloon that's inflated about halfway, it's got just enough resilience that when u use a pin and gently push against it, it will give a little, but also push a back little and not break. if u have a balloon that's inflated to max, take a pin to it, it breaks immediately... something like that..
but how does that damage the rim? I'm willing to sacrafice a tire in order to save a dent from a rim. Im more interested in how a rim can be damaged with high pressure.
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Old Jan 3, 2003 | 01:26 AM
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if u blow a tire, all the air gets let out. on a tire that gets blown out by the a pothole, the sidewalls are usually damaged. sometimes, even if it's not totally damaged, u may see a bulge in the side of the tire wall. the inner steel belt (giving radial tires their strength) most likely has been broken and the rubber is the only thing that is keeping the tire together, so u'll c a bulge. how does that happen? when u hit a pothole too hard, the air gets pushed all the way to the other side of the tire, so instead of the air inside the tire cushioning the impact, all u have is the tire being squished real fast. the tire is now in between the pothole edge and the rim, and breaks. the pothole has now hit the rim, and that's how u get bent rims.
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Old Jan 4, 2003 | 09:53 AM
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Larry Sonsini
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In addition to that, if you ride on over inflated tires like the balloon example above, you're more susceptible to catastrophic blow outs. Have one of these at highway speed, and your rim is more likely to get damaged...unless you have some cool rally/race rims that are meant to be ridden on just in case of a blow out.
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