Ask the audience: Tire Pressure Dilemma Poll

[many a good man]

Here's the problem: Tires are low on air. Take to gas station. Sticker on the car says tire pressure should be 30 psi. Tires say 44 psi. How much air should I put in the tire?

[BiggJawn]

1. Believe the tyre.

The sticker may have been intended for a different brand of tyre.

[arwalden]

2. That's What I Was Going To Say...

but BiggJawn types faster than I.

[Blue-Jay]

3. Stop saying "tyre", ya damn Anglophyle!

TIRE.

[jpgray]

4. He's actually expressing his love for Phoenician cities

:silly:

[Blue-Jay]

5. HAHAHA!

nice one

[yorgatron]

6. NO NO NO!!!

44 psi is the MAXIMUM amount of air you can put in your tire,NOT the recommended amount.30 psi is the amount the manufacturer determined is correct for the weight of the vehicle and proper function of the suspension components.too much air will leave no room for heat expansion when the tire gets hot,always fill tires COLD (less than a mile to the service station) too much air will cause the tires to wear out in the center of the tread,you will also have less grip in corners,and will fail faster-george

[Blue-Jay]

7. Perhaps the original poster should split the difference.

I tend to go by what the tire manufacturor reccomends. I figure that they know more about tires than a typing monkey at the auto factory.

[Longhorn]

23. That's what my husband says, too. n/t

[BiggJawn]

22. Just doin' my bit for more colourful speech!

Too many Haynes manuals when I was leaning the wrenching biz....

Or would that be the spanner biz?

[jukes]

8. believe the car

improper tire inflation affects steering characteristics & will wear tires. car suspensions are designed specifically, tires are designed for generic app's.

[Nikia]

9. Is there a reason that they don't match?

Did you buy this car used? Did you buy the set of tires that is on the car now? Different vehicles work best with different tires. When you buy tires, you have to pay attention to this. The tires that came with the car when it was new should match what the car says.

[many a good man]

10. Still the tires from the dealership

Its the original set (Goodyears) so I figure they must be a perfect match. Actually, my other car is an old Honda and there's a 7 psi difference between the label and the tire. 14 just seems absurd to me.

[jukes]

12. those tires

are intended to be used on different vehicles, w/diff suspensions & load limits. use the recommended pressure for that vehicle.

[many a good man]

11. Car wins according to National Safety Center

National Safety Center

Safe Tips
Tires

1. If you don't keep enough air in your tires, they can wear irregularly, which in turn can make it harder to control your car.
* Don't eyeball your tires--use a pressure gauge.
* Check it every week, and before trips.
* Check the air pressure when the tires are cold.
* The recommended pressure is usually listed on a label in the glove compartment or on the driver's side door frame.

2. The maximum inflation pressure appears on the side of the tire.


Edmunds says this:

Keep your tires at the recommended inflation pressure. This can be found in your owner's manual or on the label either in the glove box or near the door latch on the driver's side. The maximum inflation pressure is shown on the side of the tire. With the recommended air pressure, tires will last longer and be less likely to fail, and the car will use less fuel. Serious injury may result from tire failure because of under inflation or overloading.


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So, according to these sites, you go by what's on the sticker in the car. The number on the tire is apparently just the "maximum" you shouldn't exceed. As long as the sticker's amount is less than the tire's amount you're cool.

14 psi difference sounds HUGE if you ask me, but I think I should just blindly follow the experts.

I think the poll results show that most people wrongly go by the number on the tire. EVERYONE SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO THIS. We need all the Democrats alive and able to vote on Nov. 2 !!!

:dem:

Oh, and thanks Google.

[jmowreader]

13. Believe the car

The tires say MAX PSI 44. Trust me. They do.

This means that you can put these tires on any car that needs 44psi or less in its tires when they are cold.

Your car's suspension was designed around tires with 30psi in them. It will not hurt a tire that was designed for 44psi to be run on a car designed for 30.

FWIW, an old VW Bug was designed to have 28 in the back and 18 in the front, because of where the engine was, and you ran tires at both ends that were rated for 44.

[Wcross]

14. I work for a tire company.....

The maximum inflation for the tire is stamped on the sidewall. Your car maker sets the recommended pressure for the most desirable comfort and handling. The more air pressure you have in the tire, the more load it can handle and it will produce less heat. You will also see an improvement in gas milage.
You will also have a rougher ride and handling may suffer to the point of driving an unstable vehicle.

I drive with mine at the maximum tire inflation to conserve fuel. It works for me.

[MrSandman]

18. Will excessive underinflaion...

Not also cause disintegration due to excessive heat?

[Wcross]

19. Oh yes it will...

I started out in tire testing and we ran a test called a Cord breakup test (CBU). We inflated a tire to 14 PSI and ran it at 37mph in a 100 degree room until failure. A passing level would be 10,000km of continued running. The sidewalls would crack and eventually fail. These were new tires fresh from the press, the results for tires that have seen previous use would be much lower.

If you refer to a T&RA book (tire and rim association), you will see that the rated load for a tire will decrease as you lower the air pressure.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

15. Fill one till it explodes, then take 18% off that nt

[Endangered Specie]

16. Split the difference.

Tire pressure not only depends on the type of tire but the type of car and driving situation. Best to not go on one extreme.

Always compromise. The car manufr is based on the cars make and whatnot and the type of tire the avg driver will get with it. The tires psi is the maximum it can handle, based on the type of tire and what it was meant for.

[pscot]

17. Inflate tyres to 100 psi

Take one hit of acid. Hit the road. You'll feel like you're driving the Zamboni machine.

[Wcross]

20. Please don't....

Have you ever been close to a tire when it explodes? There have been many deaths related to over-inflating tires. (of course I know you were kidding!)

[BiggJawn]

21. I run mine at 110...

Just the Hutchinson Excel 700X23's. I tried running the Conti sport 1000's at 110 and blew it off the wire. Funny, it was rated for 110 max...

These are bicycle tyres tho....