Best Tire Pressure On Your C5 With Non-Runflats?
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Mr. (05-14-2021)
On the road they usually get up to 32# -33# depending on the time of the year.
11-25-2014, 10:14 AM
#25
11-25-2014, 11:37 AM
#27
Le Mans Master
I have always used somewhere between 30 (from the door sticker mfg recommendation) to 32 psi when cold.
That is the starting point. From there I look at tire wear patterns to see if I have center wear (needs less pressure) or edge wear (needs higher pressure).
The final pressures may vary from car to car, from front to back, with rim width changes, or tire size changes. For examples, my S10 is very light in back and needs lower pressure on the rear tires. My Caprice with the stock tires needs higher pressures, but with wider tires it needs less.
I usually start most cars at 32 and adjust as needed, although the stock setup on my C5's I used 30 and it looks pretty close.
Good luck.
That is the starting point. From there I look at tire wear patterns to see if I have center wear (needs less pressure) or edge wear (needs higher pressure).
The final pressures may vary from car to car, from front to back, with rim width changes, or tire size changes. For examples, my S10 is very light in back and needs lower pressure on the rear tires. My Caprice with the stock tires needs higher pressures, but with wider tires it needs less.
I usually start most cars at 32 and adjust as needed, although the stock setup on my C5's I used 30 and it looks pretty close.
Good luck.
11-25-2014, 01:36 PM
#28
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CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
Its TOUGH to get people to accept that the C5 & C6 Corvette tire pressure is correct at 30 PSI. It is what it is. The weight of the car, suspension tuning, tire width, side wall construction, speed rating of the tire, alignment etc.. all come into play.I fall within what Lionel recommended. I have CCW 505a 11.5" wide rims and wider low profile tires. 315/25/ZR19 Rears, 275/30/ZR19 Fronts.
I have experimented and found that I get the best performance and wear with 28 rears and 30 fronts. The low profile help prevent side wall flex and excessive wear on the outsides.
Paint a white stripe across the tire and take a short ride and see where most of the wear happens. Its a good indicator if your even close to the best pressure. If all the wear is centered, your way too high. If its all on the outside, you are way too low. Adjust from there. Do some hard corners and see how far up your side wall is scrubbing. Adjust from there and come up with a happy medium.
TRUST me... 40 PSI has a very harsh ride, wears the center of the tire, compromises lateral and forward tire grip.
I drove from the North East USA "Connecticut", to Bowling Green KY in MAY. The average day time temperature in CT was 35-40. By the time we got to KY, it was 97 Deg day time temp. I had to pull over and re-adjust the tire pressures. I could feel every crack in the road!
My tire pressures were close to 40 PSI.On the way back to CT it SNOWED in the mountains in PA. Had to stop and get air.
Bill
Last edited by Bill Curlee; 11-25-2014 at 01:38 PM.
11-27-2014, 12:12 PM
#29
Drifting
so i just checked out my e50 (amg). recomended pressure is:
235/40/18/front 32-41 psi depending on load and speed
265/35/18/rear 33-48 psi depending on load and speed
i always thought the lower the aspect ratio, the higher the tire pressure.
235/40/18/front 32-41 psi depending on load and speed
265/35/18/rear 33-48 psi depending on load and speed
i always thought the lower the aspect ratio, the higher the tire pressure.
11-27-2014, 05:17 PM
#30
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I did notice you said "warm" and that confuses most of us...so now we should go by 30 "warm" not "hot"? or 30 cold? maybe 30 medium rare?...lol...So you are in disagreement with ET? He says 30 hot (not 30 warm)and since I have been using this formula, I have seen no rear tire wear problem like I use to see...go figure???
What I meant is you set them at 30 psi cold. Cold always means cold and cold only occurs on a car that hasn't been driven for 3 or 4 hours and hasn't been unevenly exposed to sunlight that raises the temperature of the tire. When you have done that you will have the proper pressure (whatever that may be) after you have driven them for 10 or 15 miles to warm them up.
Hot pressures don't exist unless you are tracking the car and pushing triple digit speeds with high cornering forces. Typical highway driving in the summer will get the tire tread into the 130 degree range while track driving will raise that temperature to the 190-220 degree range. That is why I use the term warm as that is all you get putt putting down the road at 80 mph.
On track hot pressures depend on the tire compound, the tire construction and the heat range the tire needs to be most effective. That is why NASCAR and other racers worry about 1/2 pound increments in tire pressure. That sets the spring rate of the tire, the operating temperature of the tire and thus the grip the tire has and how long that grip will last.
I run Continental Slicks on my C6Z I set cold pressures at 24 front and 22 rear and then check my hot pressures after 5 or so hot laps. I am looking for hot pressures in the low 30s and those cold settings get me close to where I want them to be.
Bill
11-27-2014, 05:19 PM
#31
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Depends on the car and what the car manufacturer decides is required. Since the BMW can run on the Autobahn at unlimited speed they tell you what pressures you need to keep the street tire from failing. Increased speed generates more tire heat and increasing the cold pressure reduces the amount of heat generated.
Bill
