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Joined: Mar 2002
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98.5 CSVT, 21%Tint, Helo Lotus 18's chrome, Alpine stereo, MTX amp-2 12"subs, B+M shortshifter,Chip, MAF,Kurtz- Rev induction. More mods to come soon...
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Joined: Jul 2000
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This is bad advice (sorry!) Good rule of thumb: go by what the tire manufacturer recommends not by what the sticker says on your door. By inflating to the max, you automatically, are hurting your ride quality, and your ride. It can lead to prematurely busted supspension components, things rattling loose more quickly, premature tire wear in the center of the tire, diminished handling, and in the worst cases, tire failure). For one, the vast majority of tires are not made specifically for a given car. Therefore, there is a wide range of different weights and pressures put on a tire by each different kind of car. When Ford designs the suspension of a car, they determine the needed pressure of each tire in a complex ride/handling equation (the case of the Explorer was the exception, not the norm). A tire manufacturer's max pressure is how much air the tire can hold without blowing out after running for a while and heating up. It is NOT in any way, shape or form, their recommended pressure. Call any tire manufacturer in the world, and they will tell you this is the case.
98 Silver Frost SVT
"I was doing fine until I ran out of talent."
"It's not whether you win or lose, it's how drunk you get."
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 590
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36f, 34r regular. When going on a twistie road trip 37f, 32r. I keep up with alignment, balancing, rotation, and air pressure, no uneven wear issues.
Keith W
98.5 SE Sport ATX
Lt. Denim Blue
16" Mille Miglia EVO's
Firestone SZ 50 EP's-2nd set!
Free stock filter box mod
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,223
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35 all around!
I've balanced three times and perfect each time!
-Andy
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 443
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Originally posted by Phil Rohtla: This is bad advice (sorry!)
Good rule of thumb: go by what the tire manufacturer recommends not by what the sticker says on your door.
For one, the vast majority of tires are not made specifically for a given car. Therefore, there is a wide range of different weights and pressures put on a tire by each different kind of car. When Ford designs the suspension of a car, they determine the needed pressure of each tire in a complex ride/handling equation (the case of the Explorer was the exception, not the norm).
A tire manufacturer's max pressure is how much air the tire can hold without blowing out after running for a while and heating up. It is NOT in any way, shape or form, their recommended pressure. Call any tire manufacturer in the world, and they will tell you this is the case.This is interesting Phil. I have worked at tire plants and closely with the tire engineers so I posed this exact qeustion to them. I was told that the tire is designed to be run at the pressure printed on the sidewall! Heat is built up in the tire by underinflating it not overinflating it. They told me that if you are driving at speeds of 70 MPH or more you better be running your pressure at the MAX pressure printed on the side of the tire or it could overheat and BLOWOUT.  When I told them that running my tires at that pressure caused a rough ride they explained to me that I needed to bump my pressure by 1 pound check wear and continue to do this until I get a good wear pattern. Once I acheived this if I was going to be driving at 70 MPH or more to bump the pressure up by 2 lbs.[not to exceed the pressure on the sidewall] and leave it.  Oh by the way I run 38 lbs. all around my dealers service people can not believe how well my tires are wearing. They say they have never seen KDW's wear this good. Every time they change my oil they set my tire pressure to 32 lbs. and I put it right back to 38. I think they want to sell me more tires. NAhhh they wouldnt want to do that, What was I thinking? :p
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 590
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REDSVT, you said, They told me that if you are
driving at speeds of 70 MPH or more you better be running your pressure at the MAX pressure printed
on the side of the tire or it could overheat and BLOWOUT. When I told them that running my tires
at that pressure caused a rough ride they explained to me that I needed to bump my pressure by 1
pound check wear and continue to do this until I get a good wear pattern. Once I acheived this if I
was going to be driving at 70 MPH or more to bump the pressure up by 2 lbs.[not to exceed the
pressure on the sidewall] and leave it. Sounds as if you are saying start at the pressure on the sidewall and bump it up. Then you say not to exceed the pressure on the sidewall. This does not sound right, so to be clear to all, you must mean starting at the manufacturer recommended pressure and going up from there, not to exceed the pressure on the sidwall.
Keith W
98.5 SE Sport ATX
Lt. Denim Blue
16" Mille Miglia EVO's
Firestone SZ 50 EP's-2nd set!
Free stock filter box mod
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 3,419
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Posts: 3,419 |
FWIW, I just put 1200 highway miles on my car last week. 32 psi cold all around (just like the door sticker says). Almost all of those miles were in excess of 80 MPH (with the exception of a short stretch in Ohio where a patrol unit decided to follow me after I spotted his laser trap before he could hit me). No blowouts. Even tire wear (I checked at every gas stop). On a set of Potenza RE-730s. On a 95 degree day. (IIRC the max sidewall pressure on those is 44 psi.)
Kind of blows the "if it isn't at max pressure, the tire will overheat and blow on the highway" theory. I did see quite a few blown tires littering the highway that day. Mostly from boat trailers, where the owners obviously did not check the pressure in the trailer tires before leaving and were underinflated. I'd say I saw a dozen over a 9 hour drive, easy. I was dodging tire remnant at every turn it seemed. Underinflation + highway speed + hot HOT day = blammo!
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 443
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Originally posted by Keith W: REDSVT, you said,
They told me that if you are
driving at speeds of 70 MPH or more you better be running your pressure at the MAX pressure printed
on the side of the tire or it could overheat and BLOWOUT. When I told them that running my tires
at that pressure caused a rough ride they explained to me that I needed to bump my pressure by 1
pound check wear and continue to do this until I get a good wear pattern. Once I acheived this if I
was going to be driving at 70 MPH or more to bump the pressure up by 2 lbs.[not to exceed the
pressure on the sidewall] and leave it. Your right about starting at the pressure on the door sticker and working up. Sorry I didnt make that clear. 
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 443
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Posts: 443 |
Originally posted by PA 3L SVT:
FWIW, I just put 1200 highway miles on my car last week. 32 psi cold all around (just like the door sticker says). Almost all of those miles were in excess of 80 MPH (with the exception of a short stretch in Ohio where a patrol unit decided to follow me after I spotted his laser trap before he could hit me). [b]No blowouts. Even tire wear (I checked at every gas stop). On a set of Potenza RE-730s. On a 95 degree day. (IIRC the max sidewall pressure on those is 44 psi.)
Kind of blows the "if it isn't at max pressure, the tire will overheat and blow on the highway" theory. I did see quite a few blown tires littering the highway that day. Mostly from boat trailers, where the owners obviously did not check the pressure in the trailer tires before leaving and were underinflated. I'd say I saw a dozen over a 9 hour drive, easy. I was dodging tire remnant at every turn it seemed. Underinflation + highway speed + hot HOT day = blammo![/b] I'm sorry for another omission of info on my part. What I meant to say is if you are at the weight load rating and driving 70 or faster. The Contour is NOT at the weight load rating it is lighter, thats why 38 lbs. works well for me. Sometimes if I'm taking a long trip I run 40 lbs. I'm pleased to learn that you run 32 lbs. and drive fast and havent had a blowout.[yet anyway] But we all know about the tire blowout problem that has been around for a while now and I sure dont want to hear that that has happned to someone here. Running low tire pressures and driving fast causes tread seperation and very shortly after that KaBloom!! Then who knows whats going to happen. There is alot more info from my talks with the engineers that I have not posted, But it sounds pretty much like your mind is made up. Good luck to you PA.
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