added air to my tires.

[gid]

Originally Posted by b_hickman11

I have a Cousin who used to run 40 psi in his tires on a 1996 Grand AM and he had a blow out one day, which caused some damage to his left front rim and some other damage up front. When the insurance guy check it out, he tested the psi in the other tires and when he found that they were all at 40 psi, the insurance co.(which was All-State), would not pay since he was not following the manufactors psi rating of 32. So he ended having to pay about $1200 out of pocket just because he did not follow the guidelines.

might as well .

[TgrChica7]

Originally Posted by talnlnky

well.... isn't air 80% nitrogen anyways?.... I'm fine for now.

Yes it is, BUT N2 won't drop in pressure as fast as regular air, the tire pressure should stay more consistant due to there being no moisture in the N2 (with regular air you should check your pressures atleast once a month, with N2 you can go 3 to 4 before checking the pressure) AND is supposedly going to give you slightly better gas mileage as well (not completely noticable but its been told). I work in a tire and automotive shop so I work with this kind of thing all day 6 days a week. Most tire shops are starting to offer the N2 service now. Where I work its $2 per tire and then free after that. If you notice that your tires are low and you have N2 in the tires its perfectly fine to put regular air in them just when you can go back to where you got it installed and have them purge and refill with fresh N2 as the regular air will have diluted it.


ALSO on the inside panel of your driverside door read the placard, it will tell you the correct pressure that the manufacturer calls for in the tires DONT go off of what the tire says.... You could be over inflating your tires and that could cause uneven tire wear and possible hazards.

(Wow I feel like I am at work lol)

[TgrChica7]

Originally Posted by natethegreat38

As a tire professional, I feel that doing this is one of the worst things you could do. If you live in a colder climate that gets snow and/or rain you want to have your tires properly inflated to ensure proper traction in the snow/ice/rain. Over inflating the tires (as is the case @42psi) will narrow the contact patch and result in less tire surface area contacting the road and less traction.

Personally, MPG takes a back seat to my safety and the safety of my passengers

Glad to see there is another tire professional on the forum! I'll back you 100%!! I've been in too many Michelin/BFG, Goodyear, Yokohama, Hankook, Toyo, Pirelli and a few other classes and Ride & Drive's to have people tell us we are wrong...

[TgrChica7]

I'm not trying to argue with you Voodoo, but we do work with this everyday and we see the effects of how people mistreat their tires, you may be an exception bc you haven't had anything happen to you yet, but just be aware that it is possible. We (natethegreat and I) are only giving you what we know and see and highly recommend that you stick to the manufacturers recommendations seeing as they do extensive testing as well as the tire companies to determine what certain vehicles and tires can handle in order to be safe for you and others around you.

[BailOut]

I find it most ironic that folks on this forum can talk about replacing the steering wheel with one that doesn't have an airbag and no one bats an eyelash, or dropping the car so low that it can't turn properly or negotiate speed bumps and everyone cheers them on, or supercharging an engine that was never designed for it and everyone gathers round the campfire to tell stories, but the minute anyone brings up raising tire pressures people begin to preach in the supposed name of safety.

[talnlnky]

Originally Posted by BailOut

I find it most ironic that folks on this forum can talk about replacing the steering wheel with one that doesn't have an airbag and no one bats an eyelash, or dropping the car so low that it can't turn properly or negotiate speed bumps and everyone cheers them on, or supercharging an engine that was never designed for it and everyone gathers round the campfire to tell stories, but the minute anyone brings up raising tire pressures people begin to preach in the supposed name of safety.

hush you heathen! your logic doesn't work here! :-D

[natethegreat38]

Originally Posted by TgrChica7

Glad to see there is another tire professional on the forum! I'll back you 100%!! I've been in too many Michelin/BFG, Goodyear, Yokohama, Hankook, Toyo, Pirelli and a few other classes and Ride & Drive's to have people tell us we are wrong...

Thanks, Chica- we know what's up.

Originally Posted by BailOut

I find it most ironic that folks on this forum can talk about replacing the steering wheel with one that doesn't have an airbag and no one bats an eyelash, or dropping the car so low that it can't turn properly or negotiate speed bumps and everyone cheers them on, or supercharging an engine that was never designed for it and everyone gathers round the campfire to tell stories, but the minute anyone brings up raising tire pressures people begin to preach in the supposed name of safety.

Bailout- I don't have ANY expertise in those other fields, so I figure that I shouldn't be saying anything about lowering, steering wheels, superchargers, etc... If I did, I might contribute, but I don't. Since I have plenty of tire experience, I feel that I can contribute.

[voodoo22]

Originally Posted by TgrChica7

I'm not trying to argue with you Voodoo, but we do work with this everyday and we see the effects of how people mistreat their tires, you may be an exception bc you haven't had anything happen to you yet, but just be aware that it is possible. We (natethegreat and I) are only giving you what we know and see and highly recommend that you stick to the manufacturers recommendations seeing as they do extensive testing as well as the tire companies to determine what certain vehicles and tires can handle in order to be safe for you and others around you.

I have my own experiences based on how I drive and take care of my car. I appreciate what you're saying(and more so how you're saying it in a professional way), but based on my own personal experiences and the experiences of hundreds of other people I have discussed this topic with who have actually implemented both trains of thought on psi on their cars, I do not agree. I didn't come to these conclusions over night, or from reading 1 post in a forum.

What I also think is being left out here, is that it is proven under inflating your tires is unquestionably dangerous. This is what really causes blow outs and hydroplaning. It also causes a large decrease in FE and tire life.

Even if you don't prescribe to the philosophy that inflating to the max sidewall and even a little beyond is not going to cause you problems unless you are driving your car incorrectly to begin with and then you're a hazard on the road no matter what the psi is in your tires. I would at least hope everyone would stress that everyone should never under any circumstance have a psi lower than the one listed in their cars manual.

For me the bottom line is to never take anyones word on anything. Research it and figure it out for yourself. If you take someones word simply based on how much money and research they say they spent on something or how big of a company they are then we'd still believe things like the world is flat and that the Ford Pinto was a safe car.

[b_hickman11]

Originally Posted by voodoo22

I have my own experiences based on how I drive and take care of my car. I appreciate what you're saying(and more so how you're saying it in a professional way), but based on my own personal experiences and the experiences of hundreds of other people I have discussed this topic with who have actually implemented both trains of thought on psi on their cars, I do not agree. I didn't come to these conclusions over night, or from reading 1 post in a forum.

What I also think is being left out here, is that it is proven under inflating your tires is unquestionably dangerous. This is what really causes blow outs and hydroplaning. It also causes a large decrease in FE and tire life.

Even if you don't prescribe to the philosophy that inflating to the max sidewall and even a little beyond is not going to cause you problems unless you are driving your car incorrectly to begin with and then you're a hazard on the road no matter what the psi is in your tires. I would at least hope everyone would stress that everyone should never under any circumstance have a psi lower than the one listed in their cars manual.

For me the bottom line is to never take anyones word on anything. Research it and figure it out for yourself. If you take someones word simply based on how much money and research they say they spent on something or how big of a company they are then we'd still believe things like the world is flat and that the Ford Pinto was a safe car.

I believe this thread is about over inflating. True the max sidewall pressure is 44 psi as it states on the side of the tire. But also if you notice on the side of the tire it states that you should follow your vehicle manufactor's psi recommendation and not their ratings. When they develop a tire they put an average rating on it to go with any car that tire might be put on. But thats why they tell you to follow your vehicle manufactor because they don't know what the weight of the car will be, is it will be RWD, FWD, etc.

[natethegreat38]

I'm over it. You can only explain something so many times... whether or not one wishes to listen is up to them. Thanks to those who understand. I'll properly inflate my tires and live happily (and safely) ever after.

[talnlnky]

Originally Posted by b_hickman11

I believe this thread is about over inflating. True the max sidewall pressure is 44 psi as it states on the side of the tire. But also if you notice on the side of the tire it states that you should follow your vehicle manufactor's psi recommendation and not their ratings. When they develop a tire they put an average rating on it to go with any car that tire might be put on. But thats why they tell you to follow your vehicle manufactor because they don't know what the weight of the car will be, is it will be RWD, FWD, etc.

ok.... so. the yaris is 2300lbs. how many cars are there out there that weigh less than 2300lbs which MIGHT run these same tires? I have a hard time thinking that weight is such a big factor on these tires when coupled with a yaris. Maybe the 14" variant is different, I dunno... but the 15" tire could possible find itself of heavier sedans, or even light duty trucks I imagine. which could weight as much as 1000lbs more than the yaris.

[b_hickman11]

Originally Posted by talnlnky

ok.... so. the yaris is 2300lbs. how many cars are there out there that weigh less than 2300lbs which MIGHT run these same tires? I have a hard time thinking that weight is such a big factor on these tires when coupled with a yaris. Maybe the 14" variant is different, I dunno... but the 15" tire could possible find itself of heavier sedans, or even light duty trucks I imagine. which could weight as much as 1000lbs more than the yaris.

whats your point young grasshopper??

[Ace]

I’ve been lurking on this thread for a while…

I think talnlnky is saying different appreciation requires different psi with the same tire. It needs more psi if the vehicle weights more to keep the tire’s form/shape intact to hold the road and weight.

I could be wrong.

I will crawl back underneath my rock now.

[428CobraJet]

Originally Posted by TLyttle

Seems to me that Allstate will go to ANY lengths to avoid paying out, moreso than any other company I dealt with in the auto collision repair industry.

After the Firestone/Explorer/low pressure=nice ride fiasco, you'd think they would have celebrated!

[talnlnky]

Originally Posted by Ace

I’ve been lurking on this thread for a while…

I think talnlnky is saying different appreciation requires different psi with the same tire. It needs more psi if the vehicle weights more to keep the tire’s form/shape intact to hold the road and weight.

I could be wrong.

I will crawl back underneath my rock now.

yeah... pretty much.

[BailOut]

We have had a few days of storms that have dropped lots of rain and about 5 inches of snow at altitude. 17 of the 27 miles of my commute was under snow tires or chains controls today. On the way to work I and my two carpoolers saw two 4x4 pickup trucks that had lost control and gone far enough off the road to require winching. On the way home we saw another 4WD vehicle in the same position.

We traversed the mountain in both directions without issue. At 60 PSI.

[Shroomster]

Originally Posted by BailOut

We have had a few days of storms that have dropped lots of rain and about 5 inches of snow at altitude. 17 of the 27 miles of my commute was under snow tires or chains controls today. On the way to work I and my two carpoolers saw two 4x4 pickup trucks that had lost control and gone far enough off the road to require winching. On the way home we saw another 4WD vehicle in the same position.

We traversed the mountain in both directions without issue. At 60 PSI.

hey Brian, how was the ride with that psi? what kinda speeds were you going at? i'm just curious as another site I was on (for my civic) there were hypermilers (or the like) that would do all the same stuff to 7th gen civics (blocking for winter heat, psi calibrations some even did coolant bypasses on the t/b and additives and such)

I'm just curious as to what effect this kind of stuff has on the car.

I would think personally as seeing certain brands of tires undergoing 120-150 or more psi while trying to seat the beads 60 psi is nothing....I can only see a problem with "over-inflation" if high speed was involved and the over-inflation was not performed prior to balancing the wheel/tire set....as out of round issues would appear.

I'm wanting to understand the reasoning and logic behind this instead of persecute and judge.