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Tire Pressure

I don't know why the moderators locked the thread on tire pressure, but they did, so I thought I would respond in a new thread. The tire pressure marked on the side of the tire is the maximum tire presure that the tire is rated for in any application. The "footprint " of the tire is controlled by tire pressure. More pressure, less tire is in contact with the road, and less pressure puts more tire in contact. That is why in sand or soft snow, you can let some air out of your tires and get better traction, because it allows a larger "footprint". The trick is to strike a balance of adequate traction and acceptable mileage from the tires. That is where the inflation reccomendation on your vehicle comes in. The engineers that designed the tire size for your vehicle have determined the pressure which gives you good traction with acceptable tire wear. If you inflate the tires above this point you will probably get more mileage out of your tires and perhaps a little better gas mileage, but at the cost of traction, especially in wet or slippery conditions. The best advice is to follow the recomendation of those that designed and built your vehicle, anything else is a gamble.
 
Good post...makes sense to me.

However, given my normal driving conditions here in the Sunshine State, I keep mine at 34-36. I suppose that in the hot summer temps here that makes it all-the-higher. Perhaps I'll reconsider.
 
I have currently set mine at 38 PSi. The car is brand new. When I left the dealer, they where at 32 PSI. When driving it at highway speads on the interstate at 32 psi, I felt like the car was swaying. That is when I increased it, plus it also looked low.
 
Big_Don said:
The best advice is to follow the recomendation of those that designed and built your vehicle, anything else is a gamble.
Click to expand...
Of course, this is true up until the point that you swap your tires out for something else, because that sticker on your door specifically applies to the stock tires and nothing else.

If you swap your tires for something of similar design and size that happens to have the same max pressure, then the sticker PSI is probably still a pretty good recommendation.

But if you change them out for something that is taller or shorter, wider, and perhaps has a higher max PSI rating, then that sticker is WAY off the mark. My GoodYear Wrangler MT/R 285/70R17 have a max rating of 65psi for instance. They run FAR better at 45-48PSI than what's printed on the door sticker.

There was a formula chart being passed around that helped you calculate the correct pressure for your tires and load, I can repost it if it's been lost.
 
The other thread was locked because there are other several other threads dealing with the same information. I provided links to these threads in the last post.

Please continue this conversation in one of the other threads so we can keep this information together. That way finding the information you need using the "search" function is less time consuming.

Tire Pressure

More Tire Pressures

Still More Tire Pressure Reading

Guess What?

 
I am trying to figure out the best tire pressure to minimize wear and cupping. My Goodyear Wrangler AT/S (Z71 Avalanche) tires are starting to show some cupping at 33K miles. I keep them at 33PSI front, 32PSI rear. What have others seen with the AT/Ss?? How many miles are they able to get, and did they were evenly?

I just picked up a full set of Goodyear Wrangler HPs (Escalade take-offs, 5K miles, $350), same question, what pressure should I use, and what kind of milage and were are people getting? I plan on using the AT/Ss for three months each winter and drive the HPs during the summers, they are much quieter.

I just got back from the local Chevy dealer, had a coupon for a free oil change and set of wipers blades. They bumped up the tire pressure from the 33/22 I had to 40, 42, 42, and 44, and the sidewalls indocate 44 PSI max.

What should I set them to?

 

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I came across this formula a long time ago. But, I can't remember who posted it originally.
Sorry, but kudos to them anyway.
Tire Pressure​

Here's a way to find a starting place for testing....

Your Av has a GVWR rating.? That's the weight of your fully loaded AV.
Your tires have 2 federally mandated pieces of information on the sidewall. Max Pressure, and Max Load. (BTW the max Load is rated at Max Pressure). Please note that the Max Pressure is NOT the pressure you ever want to run a tire at, if you can avoid it. It's the Max Pressure you can put in a tire without it exploding.

________________________________________


Take the GVWR of your AV and ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ?? ? 7,000
divide it by 4 times the Max Load (2535)? ? ? 10,140
of your tire (because you have 4 tire s). ? ? ?? ??? .69

The answer should be a fraction, and you don't need to fully resolve it yet. If the answer is greater than 1, then under no circumstances should you put those tires on your AV.

Now multiply that fraction ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ?? ? .69
by the Max Pressure from your tire's sidewall.? ? ? x 44
The answer is the theoretical pressure ? ?? ?? ?? ? ?30 psi
you should run your new tires at.

From this starting point you should then test, by driving your AV.
If your handling feels 'squirrelly', then increase the Pressure by 4 psi and test again.
If after a 10-15 mile Freeway run at about 65 - 70 mph your tires are warmer than hand hot (if it is uncomfortable to hold your hand on the sidewall for more than a brief touch) then increase the Pressure by 4 psi and test again.
If your ride feels like it's on rocks, you could decrease the Pressure by up to 4 psi. No more than 4 psi!
________________________________________

(New Tires Only)
Draw a chalk line across the tread and drive a few revolutions of the tire.
Look at the chalk line.
A: If it is evenly scuffed, you're fine.

B: If it is more scuffed at the edges, increase the Pressure by 4 psi and retest.

C: If it is more scuffed in the center, the situation is this - At the Pressure you want to run them at, your new tires are over-inflated (essentially you bought a somewhat inappropriate tire). You then have 2 choices - 1. Decrease the Pressure until the scuffing is even (and accept poor handling, but maximize tire life) but never to less than 4 psi below that original calculated figure.
2. Leave them at that Pressure and accept that you will not get as long a life as you could have out of those tires. (Note that this could still mean you get very long life, if the tires are 'over-engineered'.)

In the morning, when the tires are cold again, check and note your new tire pressures.
Click to expand...
HTH

I found the original thread Proper Tire Pressure
Kudos to TreeHugger
 
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