Best way to know how much air needed for tires

[houseband]

this is a simple dilemma i keep on pondering everytime i drive up to the gasoline station.

where is it indicated to know the best the amount of pressure for your vehicle's tires? i know that the tire pressures are indicated in the label pasted on the beam of the driver's door, but it seems not right.

for example, in my adventure, it is indicated there that the front Tire Pressure is 26 and the back tires 39. seems strange kasi when i follow this, the front tires seem under inflated...

true enough, when i changed my tires, kalbo yung sides ng tires and makapal sa inner area. sabi dun sa shop na nagpalit ng tires ko, the tire pressure should be 35 all through... sa apat na gulong.

so i am a little confused. which is which? the indicated tire pressure in the car, or a supposed-to-be-expert opinion from a Tire-Shop Expert?

thanks in advance (TIA)!

[nicolodeon]

The recommended tire pressure can be found on the side walls of the tire. The recommended tire pressure found on that sticker at the door only works if you will use tires of the same specs each and every time. However, if you change tires e.g. from 186/65/14 to a195/65/15, then the tire pressure changes. For me, I usually follow what's indicated on the tire itself.

[kinjikitatani]

so, sir nic, the tire pressure should be the same for all the tires? i really have no idea, but for my sportage, i use 35 for the front tires and 40 for the rear tires (coz that's what my neighbor told me). when i had my tires changed early this year, i asked the person in charge if the tire pressure i was using was ok. he said it doesn't matter much, and proceeded using the 35/40 tire pressure. maybe i should follow the tire pressure indicated on the tires

[Pawl]

Yep.. sa gilid ng tires may naka indicate dun kung ilang PSi dapat... Peo ang nandun is ung MAXIMUM PSi.. it doesnt mn na kelanagn mu isagad un or sumthing like that...

it depends din kung san mu gagamitin ung car..
simple tire info.. correct me if im wrong.

Pag High PSi tire - mas madaling iliko, matipid sa gas, matadtad, madaling maubos ang gulong...

Pag Low Psi naman - mas makapit ang gulong mu, maganda sya sa cornering and akyatan, usually ginagawa sa mga race cars..

ngaun, kelangan mu ung sa gitna nun, hehe..

Peo for me? pakiramdaman lang naman yan eh.. me? i use 28front 30rear for my 195/50/15..

[wilie_witch]

This is the tire pressure I usually use...so far di pa ako nasabugan or nagkaroon ng abnormal defects on some tire brands (good year, yokohama, dunlop, perelli, bf goodrich and chinese brands ;D)

Base on cold tire;
car - 28 front, 30 rear
van - 30 front, 32 rear
pick-up - 32 front, 35 rear
bus - good view sa front, maalog sa rear (hehehe di pa ako nakadrive ng bus :D

Just remember, tumataas ang psi pag umiinit na ang daan.

[Pawl]

oh yeah add up ko lang.. check your tires psi pag MALAMIG or normal temp ung gulong.. malamang before mu gamitin ung car... mas accurate kasi,,

^gaya nga ng sabi ni papa.. pag mainit ang gulong tumataas ang psi ng tires.. :)

[Ventoy]

what if you use Nitrogen same pa rin ba

[nicolodeon]

so, sir nic, the tire pressure should be the same for all the tires? i really have no idea, but for my sportage, i use 35 for the front tires and 40 for the rear tires (coz that's what my neighbor told me). when i had my tires changed early this year, i asked the person in charge if the tire pressure i was using was ok. he said it doesn't matter much, and proceeded using the 35/40 tire pressure. maybe i should follow the tire pressure indicated on the tires


Technically, yes. Well, at least that's how I do it - no problems so far.

[Ventoy]

I think higher Tire pressure = Good Fuel economy , Then, Less Tire pressure = High FC

[VtEC]

normal gamit ko 30/30 pero pag medyo kargahan na 30/35 or 35/40 depende talaga sa load mo.

[Yoda]

I think higher Tire pressure = Good Fuel economy , Then, Less Tire pressure = High FC


Affects comfort and handling too. Lower = softer ride, better traction.

I use 30 for all fours on our sedan, 35 for our van. I raise it by 5 psi for heavy load trips.

[2diy4]

Also, lower tire pressure, more tire wear as tires heat up easier. Remember the Firestone debacle in the Ford Explorer vans. Lower tire pressures were specified to improve the ride. The result, tires blew up and resulted in many accidents. Firestone and Ford suffered financial losses and damaged reputations.

This is why it is important to always have correct tire pressures.

[fgvillegas]

An underinflated tire will ride smoothly but feel sluggish, have mushy turn-in and go around corners with high slip angles or just not much grip at all. An overinflated tire will feel harsh on impact and over smaller bumps, and while responding crisply, will lack grip when pushed hard.

In the event that you aren't able to find a recommendation for your car, or the tires on your car are so different from those that were originally fitted from the manufacturer as to be incomparable, a "realistic starting point" is:
(Vehicle Weight in lb/100) + 2 psi at heavier end + 2 psi all around if suspension and alignment are stock.

Example: Stock 911, 3,000 lb.
(3000/100) = 30 psi
Add 2 psi all around = 32 psi
Add 2 psi to heavy end = 34 psi at rear
With modified suspension, the result is 30 psi front, 32 psi rear.

HTH. :)

[tscotom]

A friend just sent me a powerpoint on tires.

Be careful w/tire pressures.

First you have to find out the tires' maximum allowable inflating pressure.
You can find this in the tire itself (somewhere around the top of the bead area/sidewall).

Eg. If max is 32 PSI ---> 28 PSI is ok
44 PSI ---> 35 PSI
50 PSI ---> 44 PSI

underinflating tires will overheat them and make them fail faster.

Your tires also have a maximum load carrying capacity. Check on that and
never overload your car, van, p/up or truck. Thing is, here in the 'Pinas, that
is almost an impossibility.

Here's a little trivia. Do you know tires have a shelf life of only 4 years ? After that, there are no guarantees. Look in the tires side wall, you will find a 4 digit code like "0707" meaning to say the tire was manufactured on the 7th week of the year 2007.

Be safe !! :)

[fgvillegas]

That's a very informative trivia!

Even if our tires look good and thick, we have to change our tires when it already "expires". Life is more important than the cost of the tires. Better safe than sorry!