Fastone

We got some nasty conditioned roads where I live, and I found myself checking my tire pressure more often nowdays, cause it keep getting lower real quick. How often do you guys check tire pressure?

Also I need an advice. I just got new alloys with new tires on them(Sumitomo HTR200). I checked the tire pressure right away and it was set to 36psi. I lowered it to 30psi just like manual says. But now I'm wondering if maybe I shoul've kept it at 36psi. I'm gonna call tirerack and ask, but before i do I wanted to ask You guys. What pressure I should keep it at?

My wheel/tire size is 185/70R14.

dp_yz713

iTrader: (12)

i check mines visually everytime i get in my car, and with the gauge before long trips. you HAVE to do it everyday, but if you sleep beter at night go ahead .

what size tires do you have? assuming stock wheels, not 16,17,18 etc...

Fastone

Oh, sorry I forgot to mention the size! My tire/wheel size is an original 185/70R14.
About what You said regarding visual tire inspection. Sometimes I look at the tire and see some pretty visible bulge on the sidewall. But when I check the pressure it's just fine, 30psi as usual. Weird! So what might it be? A real thing or I'm getting optical illusion ?

drive_fast_dail

30 psi is kind of low for tire pressure. Manufacture recomended pressures are usually more of a comfort pressure. The tires max pressure is probably about 44 psi, thats normal. I usually run closer to 40 psi front and maybe 35 rear. If you drive hard you definately gotta use the higher pressure your sidewall just gives and you eat up your edges turning hard on 30 psi.

diskreet

iTrader: (1)

I look at my tires every time before i get in my car and can pretty much tell where they are at.

IrockCivics

iTrader: (21)

I never do... why do you have to check it for?

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

lol. i check every month and fill upto 32psi.

rjngo

iTrader: (3)

CenZ

i check it when i take a normal turn my wheels scream, so then i know i got low air pressure. i fill up to 35psi

bOoStEd042dr

iTrader: (2)

lets just say they should be at least visually checked everytime your car has to go down the road.....i personally only check tire preasure when i have to drive for a ways

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

the only thing a visual will tell you is if the tire is flat lol. i've seen tires at 20psi and they look just like 30 psi.

CraigW

iTrader: (1)

Always check cold.

shroomster

most tires have a natural bulge on them (at the contact patch) after all, they are holding their fair share of the car's weight...

visual does nothing like gearbox said, looksare very deceiving when dealing with one of the two most diabolical car parts ever...(the other is the battery)

don't go filling up to 44 or even 40 for that matter because that is the tire max p.s.i at the max load....if you're running a max p.s.i tire of 44 on a heavier car then it's understandable, but the civic has a curb weight of what, 2.6-3.0k pounds? the max pressure reads by the load index scales too, if you're tire is under 85 its not tooo safe for our car....86 & up with a pressure between 32 and 36 is the safe and norm...no more no less.

DDragon7

I check every month to every 2 months unless it looks like there isnt enough air. And fill it to 35 psi.

bOoStEd042dr

iTrader: (2)

well then lets say thats the very least you should do.....better than driving off on under 20lb.s and bending a wheel...

FALKEN

iTrader: (55)

i check mine with a gauge every week

Madchild

I usually check on tire change (winter/summer) or before a long trip (800-1500km).
If you want to have a best visual check you can use special caps.
Something like that:
h__p://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NIB-TIRE-PRESSURE-INDICATOR-VALVE-CAPS-36-44-PSI_W0QQitemZ8053476121QQcategoryZ33746QQssPageNam eZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

burke420

iTrader: (4)

check once a month for best gas mileage, tire life, and traction. if it keeps going low, go get a flat repair. theyre free at Discount Tire and America Tire Co. but it's 30 psi for stock tires, and go 32 with anyhting else unless you are 5 deep and a system or luggage in the trunk, go with 40-44. but dont run that with yourself in it. your middle tread will wear quick. i see it at work too many times to just not check it once a month or week, preference. the better the tires, i recommend more often.

Fastone

I called tire rack today, they said I shoud keep tire pressure according to Honda specs so it's 30psi. So who do I listen to now ?

drive_fast_dail

Well I would say just base it off of your driving style. I pretty much takes turn as fast as the road/traffic allows me to with a reasonable amount of safety, so running 38-40 psi still gets my edges worn quicker. At the recomended 30 the tires would last long at all for me. But for someone who drives slow and boring 30 psi is more of a comfort setting and should still have even tire wear (although I dont know everyone in my family takes turns fast ) Basically just mess around with it and go for what you like. Although do note that running higher pressure decreases rolling resistance of the tires and improves fuel economy ever so slightly.

jerseydetailer

im at 32psi.i check it weekly when i wash my car..takes a second to do...i am a huge advocate of checking your tire pressure weekly....imo if you check you tire regulary you will significantly reduce they chance of getting a flat or blowing a tire because usually it starts from a foreign object*ie nail* that has found its way to the tire...if you check it regulary you will notice the slow leak and then be able to plug/patch or replace the tire

shroomster

no, no, no & no....
everything you just said is wrong and not correct at all.
rolling resistance has to do with the tread and the compound of the tread and tire, not the p.s.i
when you increase the p.s.i you decrease the size of the contact patch (the part of the tire that is always touching the road surface)

30 p.s.i. is not for slow and boring driving, it is the reccommended pressure for optimal m.p.g under 'normal/average' driving conditions.

read the sidewall of your tire.
to get the optimal presure you go by what the vehicle says then by what the manufacturer of the tire suggests. if they're similar you go in the middle for best results. you don't run 40 p.s.i in a tire that has a max p.s.i. of 44 just because you can. you run that for reasons that include load range, weather, suspension, etc. not because you can, but because it would be deemed necessary.

please if you're going to post inaccurate information post it somewhere like A HAPPY PLACE.....

gelshmoff

iTrader: (1)

I agree. I like to keep mine at 30 or 31psi.

As for checking the pressure, I check it every other time I fill up with gas and more often during season changes.

drive_fast_dail

decreasing the contact patch decreases rolling resistance. If you drag race in a RWD without tires specifically for it you will boost the front pressure to or above the max for just that reason. Running on most tires until you get to slicks, the car is going to perform in the turns much better with higher tire pressures. Just look at tireracks, recomendation for driving in SCCA, "Stop at a gas station and fill your tires to approximately 45psi-Front/35psi-Rear for a front-wheel-drive car, or 40psi all around for a rear-wheel-drive car." which you can find here: http://www.tirerack.com/features/solo2/handbook.htm Of course they are going to tell you to go with manufacture recomended for ride quality for everyday use. I dont know about you guys, but I drive agressive everyday so I keep my pressures high. The main reason for the recomended 30 psi all around, is because for normal driving thats all it needs, it provides comfort with the tires absorbing some impact, and more favorable for bad weather.

shroomster

why are you trying to use racing as a scenario? this is for normal everday driving come on now...Common sense is not on your side right now...
you are right, reducing the contact patch does equal less resistance, but also less grip, less lateral stability, less handling capabilities, it's not wise if you're looking at everyday driving. and besides a less rolling resistance tire like the ones on the prius and certain other hybrid/electric cars, are made of different compounds that do not require a massive amount of p.s.i. they jsut have a different tread compound.

drive_fast_dail

Equals less grip in the static, or low force sense. Lower rolling resititance is typically accomplished by a lower mass thiner wheel, and harder compound tires like toyota and honda typically go for on their economy models. Still increasing your tire pressure can have a slight affect, and letting it go lower than the 30 psi can have major disadvantages. With the large side wall on the 15" tires you would be surprised how easy it is to bend the sidewall. Even with a little above average turn speeds you are going to be wearing your front outside edges much quicker than the rest of the tire. You arent going to feel the sidewall give unless you push hard but just the size of the buldge when its static shows how easy it is to get running all your turning force on the little edge. I have little power profile (16") on my car and I still run the 38-40 psi just because im the kind of person that goes out of the way to hits some curves and take them fast. With this my edges are still wearing quicker. Im just saying you should adjust the tire pressure to the way you drive. If you got a smaller sidewall it will matter less, but with a large one you could get more edge wear than you should.

shroomster

tires manufactured today are made to withstand greater lateral force, why else would there be 75,80 and 85 series sidewall tires? we're not using bias ply tires anymroe and the sidewalls are made more rigid to offer better support and better handling capabilities.

you're running a worse risk of problems by overinflating tires. you're forgetting while minimal a tires internal air temp can increase the overall p.s.i range by a s much as 4-5 p.s.i. with overinflation comes greater problems such as , buckling belts, overdramatized undulation (greater definition of belt latch), tire failure casued by separation or explosion (not likely to happen but ya never know) and the higher the p.s.i. the greater the negative response the tire has to road conditions (suspension wise).

I'm not trying to tell you to run your tires a certain way, I'm just saying think about what you're doing/saying, its only fair.

drive_fast_dail

yes side walls are getting better, and if you buy a tire with a better tire youll have to worry less about adverse wearing. Still side walls will give and increasing you pressure helps to stop it. As far as increasing 4-5 psi that is incredibly unlikely you are talking about a 60 to 80 degree F temperature difference there, and road compounds are not made to run anywhere near that kind of temp change. You are going to increase dry road performance with a high pressure. I know my tires are getting better, but still you might getter better wear with higher pressures depending on your driving.

shroomster

the reason there is a 4-5 p.s.i difference is because you're forgetting the fact that the brakes generate heat, a lot of heat is transfered to the wheels, the wheels are connected to the tires, thus raising the internal temperature significantly.

haven't you ever gotten out of your car after driving and put your hand up to or touched the wheels, pads, etc? you do realize temps reach upwards of 300* (correct me if I'm wrong) cuz brake fluid itself has a very high boiling point around there...

drive_fast_dail

yeah 300 degreea is a realistic brake temp, but its only going to have a slight effect on the tire temperature. Most of the heat from the brake rotors is going to be transfering into the air and caried away. The heat that will actually transfer through the rotors onto the wheel and the to the tires is not going to be much by the time it hits the tires, because wheels got a ton of surface area to dissapate the heat that is coming from the relatively small contact with the rotor. There really shouldnt be a signicant rise in temperature due to the brake rotors on the tires. Tires temperature changes outside of friction are going to be mostely related to road temp, and sun. The heat you feel after you drive is mostly from the rotors the calipers really shouldnt be getting extremely hot either and the brake fluid shouldnt either.