Fixing a Month-Long Blonde Moment

[IJ.]

Your car is also heavier, lowered, different tire size than stock...

Not bashing you, as I know you're anal enough to pay attention to your tire wear

If you had one of those pressure pads where you can see the pressure at different points of the contact patch (like the auto makers do) then you could easily find your optimum tire pressure.

heeerrr hherrr heeerr he said "anal"

 

[toy fanatic78]

The cressy rides better w/the 225/35-18's @62psi than it did with 225-235/60-14's @32psi
Like Ian said,that was for tires 20 years ago,quite a bit different than tires nowadays,(like I stated,my accord has the factory original tires on it,they call for 44psi,if I run 32 like the door sticker says they not only LOOK under inflated,but wear on the outsides edges due too low of pressure),especially when you go with plus size shit(17-18-19")
I would suggest going by the psi on the tire itself,they don't just pull a random number out of their ass,there is research involved on the recommended tire pressure rating for each specific tire.

So the tire maker is smarter than Honda engineers. How interesting. Read my post about pressure, alignment, suspensino, etc. 44 is max for that tire load. It isn't your ideal pressure for contact patch. You will wear in the center before the edges.

Or do what you want. It is your money.

I didn't say I run them at the max tire pressure(actually run them at ~40 psi), but,like I said,if I run them at what the door sticker calls for then they wear on the edges due to under inflation.Have since day one.
My cressida's do get run at the max psi,but that gets driven rather aggressively,and pulls a trailer quite regularly.I have not experienced ANY abnormal wear on the tires on that,and I am anal as hell with it 'cause a set of tires cost what I paid for the car originally.
Wasn't saying to air your tires up to the max pressure as a rule,just stating that a lot of times,especially dealing with ~20 year old cars,that the sticker on the car is too low of pressure.
And if you want to run all tires at a standardized pressure of 32psi,be my guest,but THAT,IMO,is borderline stupidity.A lot of times the tire pressure required for optimum contact patch,regardless of suspension,alignment, car weight,or driving style is within 10 psi of the max pressure.Hell,at 32 psi you're talking ~30 psi difference on some tires.

 

[Ash]

Ash...Why are you running a tire that's narrower than the stock tire? By default you're getting less traction.

The only reason that I am running something that narrow is because those are the tires that came on the wheels when I bought the car. The kid I bought it from didn't know much about cars in general. I think his extent of car-lore went as far as "Ooh, pretty Supra! Me want!". He wrecked the wheels that came on the car and had to buy new ones and I suspect that this tire size was the "budget" size. I just bought it back in December, and only just put it on the road a few weeks ago in March.

Trust me, I want bigger/better tires. I know I'm missing out on a pant-load of grip and traction, but at this point I don't really have several hundreds of dollars (close to $1000 for the ones I want) when the tires I have now are still almost brand-new.

At this point the money that I am spending on the car is going to making sure everything is in good nick. You know, checking brakes, joints, bushings, hoses etc. Once I know my foundation is solid then I will start with the fun stuff (or spend the winter saving for the Nittos I really want after I have my fun this summer).

 

[honestabe]

Oh, ok Ash. Good thinking on creating a solid foundation. Start with the basics and go from there. Good man.

 

[grimreaper]

on my old (2003) dodge pick up, the door sticker PSI kept tire wear normal/ flat/ even. If i went over/under i got the high spots or cupping. All the tires ranged at 50-60 psi max ps (20/55/275r)i. The sticker called for 35psi. Any deviation caused serious tire wear within 5-10,000 miles. Truck was driven for 30-50,000 miles a year for 3 years at 90% highway with records to back it. I understand the sticker on the supra is for a lot smaller tire then most run and for a stock setup. i guess it takes attention to detail to get a desired tire wear pattern and a modded suspension on the supras or any cr for that matter. I think this is a a very fair subject that is unfair to put down guys on considering tire shops locally go by what the STICKER says. The bashing is crap considering most of you have spent as much time as i have with the car on a machine determining a true contact pattern and tire wear pattern based on psi, = 0%. If you have id like results posted instead of the open ended insults. Tire/psi/driving habits/wear pattens/miles on tire etc..

 

[Guyana00]

As I really don't want to get into this arguement, I will say this...

Fine, the sticker on the door is old, but name just ONE new car that runs max PSI on the stock tires. That alone makes any and all comments null and void.

I already said newer cars run less than max PSI. Our cars aren't new cars.

 

[Guyana00]

on my old (2003) dodge pick up, the door sticker PSI kept tire wear normal/ flat/ even. If i went over/under i got the high spots or cupping. All the tires ranged at 50-60 psi max ps (20/55/275r)i. The sticker called for 35psi. Any deviation caused serious tire wear within 5-10,000 miles. Truck was driven for 30-50,000 miles a year for 3 years at 90% highway with records to back it. I understand the sticker on the supra is for a lot smaller tire then most run and for a stock setup. i guess it takes attention to detail to get a desired tire wear pattern and a modded suspension on the supras or any cr for that matter. I think this is a a very fair subject that is unfair to put down guys on considering tire shops locally go by what the STICKER says. The bashing is crap considering most of you have spent as much time as i have with the car on a machine determining a true contact pattern and tire wear pattern based on psi, = 0%. If you have id like results posted instead of the open ended insults. Tire/psi/driving habits/wear pattens/miles on tire etc..

LT tires you'll see a big difference like that, and it will be ok. You'll only notice that when you use it for hauling or put weight in the bed you'd need to air up to handle the load.

 

[IJ.]

Most tire shops are staffed by trained Monkeys go talk to a shop that supplies and supports race teams and ask their opinions.

The door sticker has NO relevence to modern tires.... :nono:
(even back in the day it was more to ride quality than handling)

 

[dumbo]

Oh, ok Ash. Good thinking on creating a solid foundation. Start with the basics and go from there. Good man.

I think she's a lady, blonde I presume

 

[Ash]

I think she's a lady, blonde I presume

Um...no.
Not so much.:3d_frown: I'm a dude.

(Damn, and I bet you were hoping I was one of those rare chicks that's hot and loves Supra's, right?:biglaugh

 

[IJ.]

The big giveaway was mention of a "wife" in the profile

 

[Nick M]

Seriously though, when a car is produced the manufacturer pick a company and gets them to either make a tire for them or chooses a tire that is already made that suits what they want.

That is true.

The sticker on the car tells you what PSI to run on the tires the car came with. I doubt anyone is running the original tires still or OE replacement tires.

Why do yo doubt that?

Same size and tire pressure markings still don't make it the same tire. The compound is different, the tread patterns are different and all make the tires react differently to different tire pressures.

The writing on the tire does indicate the type of tire it is.

It's likely that as with most manufacturers, toyota chose to mark a few PSI lower than the max on the tires is came with for ride comfort and quality.

No, they didn't. They chose a tire pressure to compromise with the tire that is on it, the old gatorback when new, comfort, long life, and and handling. If you had a 4 cyl Camry, tire noise would enter into the equation. Your tire was picked because it was the best mass produced tire at the time. It came on Corvettes, Supras, Ferraris, Camaros and Mustangs, to name a few.

They test the car at different pressures to determine which one is the one they want, they account for wear, ride quality, responsiveness etc.

Right. So why say that below.

After so long, the sticker means nothing, go with what the tire max. pressure is and you can move down depending on setup/preferences. Running 32 PSI on a 50PSI tire is just called underinflation. Lower it to your preferences but don't go to low, and do not exceed the max for any reason.

Under inflation is running air under what will keep an even contact patch.

The door sticker has NO relevence to modern tires.... :nono:
(even back in the day it was more to ride quality than handling)

That isn't true.

 

[dumbo]

Um...no.
Not so much.:3d_frown: I'm a dude.

(Damn, and I bet you were hoping I was one of those rare chicks that's hot and loves Supra's, right?:biglaugh

Shit sorry dude, I just figured blonde moment, Ash-Ashley... My bad:icon_mad:

Still enjoying reading this thread, as I know little about tires.

 

[Suprizim TT]

:biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:

 

[mkIIIman089]

Shit sorry dude, I just figured blonde moment, Ash-Ashley... My bad:icon_mad:

Still enjoying reading this thread, as I know little about tires.

You... don't really know more after reading this thread. LOL.

 

[Ash]

Shit sorry dude, I just figured blonde moment, Ash-Ashley... My bad:icon_mad:

Hey, no worries:biglaugh:. In retrospect it wasn't the best thread-title either. Besides, you were half-right. My name is Ashley. But I had one boss who made my name so terribly irritating to listen to that I shortened it to 'Ash' to make my life easier. (And easier for her to pronounce with her super-thick Filipino accent) Seriously, try listening to someone call you Aashawee while they nag you for ten hours a day...

Plus people seem to really remember that name when I introduce myself.

 

[Mk3runner]

LOL this thread is cool. I put my tires per sidewall says give or take a few psi due to lazy..

 

[supradjza80]

First off I have to disagree with everyone saying to inflate the tires to the max pressure, you are just giving away grip. It is safe to say that the optimal pressure for handling will be between the door sticker and the max on the tire but I am thinking if tested you will find the value will be somewhere in the 35-50 range depending on tire tread width.

If you have the opportunity to read a book on Vehicle dynamics/tires you will learn that optimum tire pressure is determined by and individual tire and its side wall stiffness. You want the pressure distribution across the tire to be as even as possible, and therefor you will need enough pressure to keep the tread of the tire as stiff as the sidewall. Any amount of pressure past this is going make the tire perform worse.

For autocrossers or corner carvers, Chalk is a good tool to use to determine tire pressures. Chalk the side wall/edge of the tread to see where the tire is being used. You can use this information to help determine the optimal tire pressures. Tire temperature testing from a surface pyrometer is also a good method.

FYI - I run 40 psi F/R on my car with 235/45-17 and 255/40-17 on TT wheels. I have not done any of the above testing to my tires but believe the pressures are pretty close to optimal and will only need slight adjustment (im thinking slightly down in the rear and higher up front)

Also Poodles makes a great point stating no manufacturer recommends the max pressure. It doesn't matter if the car was built in 1970 or 2009, there is a reason for this

Another thing to think about is a tire is just another spring in the vehicles suspension system (albeit a tire is a very complicated, hard to understand or model spring/damper system). As we all know it is possible to have springs which are two stiff. Having the tires at the max stiffness probably upsets the vehicle more then a more moderate level when they are able to be more compliant to road irregularities

 

[Nick M]

The tire pressure on the side is part of a statement. Read it. It says the tire can handle a maximum weight load at the set pressure. It is a warning about overload. That has nothing to do with hou much air you should use. There are many factors, put out in this thread.

If you are extensively modified, have a different tire, different alignment, adjustment of pressure to keep the same patch and heat dissipation should be done. I agree. Especially if your tire now has less air volume than the stock tire. Increasing density of the air will prevent wheel bending. You need to keep the same mass of air to suspend the car. Too low of air will also over heat the tire.

 

[IJ.]

My car is close to the limit weight wise I drive it hard and fast and the tires I use are rated to 44psi max, this works for me.

I'm happy to give away a small percentage of lateral grip and ride quality in return for NOT flat spotting my rims everytime I hit a crap road at speed in the middle of nowhere.

I NEVER reccomended that anyone else do it.