Tire psi
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 111
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From: Waunakee WI
Tire psi
I have a 1973 454 Stingray. I bought the car last May and it had on it New/Near new Goodyear Eagle GT II (P225/70R15, I was told once what the #'s meant but I forget.) The tires say 44 psi max. The door panel sticker says 20/20 psi. The tires currently are near or at 35 psi. Todays cars/tires normally are around 35 psi. Should I go lower or am I just fine with where the psi is at???
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,727
Likes: 38
From: Fremont CA
Re: Tire psi (aharte)
Figure roughly about 1psi for every 100 pounds of car weight. You car is around 3650 with all that 5MPH bumper stuff so, go about 35-36PSI for your tires and keep an eye on tread wear to determine if you are in the right range.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 164
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From: Denton Texas
Re: Tire psi (Macs73)
I run 28 front and rear on my 73 convertible with factory steel spring and AC Delco shocks. Any higher gives me a really choppy ride on anything other than really smooth pavement.
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Re: Tire psi (73ragtop)
You must be feeling every bump in the road at 35 psi. Try 32 psi for a smoother ride. :)
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Re: Tire psi (Macs73)
You can ignore the 20/20. I checked with every old-timer around that was part of the Corvette back then and none of them can recall why it was at 20.
Personally, I run in the 30psi range. I think the tires tend to get a bit hard above 32psi, so I keep it around 30.
Tire pressures are set with the vehicle load in mind, and particularly the max vehicle load compared to the max tire load rating. That said, there should be no concern at all over a 15" Corvette tire running around 30
Personally, I run in the 30psi range. I think the tires tend to get a bit hard above 32psi, so I keep it around 30.
Tire pressures are set with the vehicle load in mind, and particularly the max vehicle load compared to the max tire load rating. That said, there should be no concern at all over a 15" Corvette tire running around 30
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: La porte Texas
Re: Tire psi (ddecart)
My second new Corvette was a 73' . It came with 20# f/r. It was so squirrelly compared to my 71' LT1 that I inquired about tire press. I was informed that going to the rubber body mounts and new (new at the time) radial tires was due so many complaints of a harsh ride. Remember we were getting away from the real vette owners who lashed valves, had no a/c, no am/fm etc. Anyway I pumped them up to 30-32# and it seemed to help stiften the sidwalls and they handled so much better.
