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Tons of R&D went into your vehicle manufacturers tire pressure suggestion in the door jamb. A couple pounds over or a couple pounds under trying to address a tire wear or traction issue is fine. The “max” rating you are referring to on the sidewalk is the maximum load rating. The tire can carry more weight at this pressure.
I’ve been in the tire business for my entire adult life and I can tell you that inflation, either too much or too little will cause tire wear issues. Your tire will not come off the rim without an impact if inflated to the door jamb’s suggested pressure without some type of impact. If you regularly go around hitting curbs it’s probably not gonna matter how much air you have in your tires.
You are not an idiot Rev Ron. I've been a law enforcement driving instructor for many years and we teach to max tire pressures out or even 5 psi over max. The reason for this is to keep from having so much flex in the sidewalls that the tire rolls onto the sidewall and you loose traction. Having the extra pressure keeps the sidewall from flexing so you have more traction and the tire is less likely to break the seal on the rim in a hard turn or when the vehicle would spin off of the road. If you look at your sidewalls and they are scraped from overflexing put more air in until the tire stays on the tread. I can hear the screaming now about what an idiot I am, but myself many experts have tested this on Crown Vics, a Durango, Chargers, and pickups, In my Vette I can't max them out due to there TPMS, but I get the tires as high as I can and go with that pressure. Keep in mind that I have also worked many vehicles crashes and if a tire comes off the rim we have found the tire pressure is usually low in the other tires. It allows the sidewall to flex so much that it comes off the rim, digs into whatever surface you are on and over it goes. Yes I know that tires are built differently, they have different compounds, width, sidewall height, and many other factors that effect all of this. Find what works for you best and go with that. Let the attacks begin.
A law enforcement officer driving instructor out here in California showed me there is an indicator on the sidewall of most if not all tires. You want the tire to roll over to the top of that indicator. If it the tire rolls over past the indicator, put more air in it. If it is not reaching the indicator, remove air. My last track day on my street tires it turned out that 29 psi cold was perfect.
Last edited by sallen619; Dec 3, 2019 at 05:00 PM.
Reason: spelling
Tire size plays a big part on air pressure. If you are running stock tires than go with the door sticker, but if you are running a bigger tire, it will require less pressure.
I was always of the belief that nitrogen was made up of larger molecules than the usual compressor air and less likely to leak off as fast and lose pressure as well as less prone to temperature changes & fluctuations. A few years ago I went in to have nitrogen put in another vehicle's tires only to find out that it isn't readily available any longer. The nitrogen equipment was too expensive to maintain and wasn't found to be worthwhile any longer. Is it still available at tracks and performance tire shops??
I law enforcement officer driving instructor out here in California showed me there is an indicator on the sidewall of most if not all tires. You want the tire to roll over to the top of that indicator. If it the tire rolls over past the indicator, put more air in it. If it is not reaching the indicator, remove air. My last track day on my street tires it turned out that 29 psi cold was perfect.
Please post some pictures of this "roll over indicator" found on most if not all tires.
WOW!.... If tire pressure is this hard what will we all do when we have to (Check the Oil Level) .. Just put 30 lbs in the tires and call it a day for Gods sake..... ....WW
Some cars in my driveway have no dipsticks for any fluids.
My wife's car doesn't either. You check fluids by going through menus with buttons on the signal switch and sterring wheel.......while the car is running. Crazy stuff.
The triangle in this picture. On my Continental tires they are circles. I've seen a small Michelin Man on Michelin tires. You want the tire to roll over to the top of the indicator.
Originally Posted by wjnjr
Please post some pictures of this "roll over indicator" found on most if not all tires.
Last edited by sallen619; Dec 3, 2019 at 05:02 PM.
Reason: add text
I was always of the belief that nitrogen was made up of larger molecules than the usual compressor air and less likely to leak off as fast and lose pressure as well as less prone to temperature changes & fluctuations. A few years ago I went in to have nitrogen put in another vehicle's tires only to find out that it isn't readily available any longer. The nitrogen equipment was too expensive to maintain and wasn't found to be worthwhile any longer. Is it still available at tracks and performance tire shops??
That's cause regular air already is at 78% nitrogen...
The max pressure on the tire is just that. the maximum amount of air you can put in the tire. It has nothing to do with the normal pressure that should be in the tires for the car that they are on. The pressure listed on the door tag on any car is what the car manufacturer recommends and what should be in the tire under normal driving conditions.
this.....
I am always amazed at how many people do not know this, especially older folks...millennial's not so much
Tire size plays a big part on air pressure. If you are running stock tires than go with the door sticker, but if you are running a bigger tire, it will require less pressure.
That is a false statement...The weight and set-up of the car determines the air pressure needed not the size of the tire per say. A larger tire will take more air by volume but the pressure can be the same requirement.
That is a false statement...The weight and set-up of the car determines the air pressure needed not the size of the tire per say. A larger tire will take more air by volume but the pressure can be the same requirement.
Yes it is a accurate statement. The weight of the car is a fixed amount. If you put 30 lbs of air in a tire that is larger it will make less contact with the ground. That is why it is in PSI (pounds per square inch) Same reason you can pump 3000 psi with 1000 lbs of air pressure. The larger area will push harder than the smaller area, and can compress much more. That is how a strut pump works. 30 psi in a large truck tire will support way more weight than 30 lbs in a compact car tire. Ever wondered why the space saver spare has so much air pressure?
Yes the pressure is the same, but the amount of lift isn't the same. Ever seen a large bag lift a heavy load with very little air pressure? It is how we lift airplanes when they are on the ground.
Yes it is a accurate statement. The weight of the car is a fixed amount. If you put 30 lbs of air in a tire that is larger it will make less contact with the ground. That is why it is in PSI (pounds per square inch) Same reason you can pump 3000 psi with 1000 lbs of air pressure. The larger area will push harder than the smaller area, and can compress much more. That is how a strut pump works. 30 psi in a large truck tire will support way more weight than 30 lbs in a compact car tire. Ever wondered why the space saver spare has so much air pressure?
Yes the pressure is the same, but the amount of lift isn't the same. Ever seen a large bag lift a heavy load with very little air pressure? It is how we lift airplanes when they are on the ground.
I rest my case.
and edit for just to be clear, all the tires on all the corvettes, c6 at least call for 30 pounds both front and back, base, GS and Z06 all.......
.. Just put 30 lbs in the tires and call it a day for Gods sake.....
....WW
