The tire pressure recommendation on my 2004 Sebring is 30psi cold. Does this seem low?
| The tire pressure recommendation on my 2004 Sebring is 30psi cold. | | Does this seem low? No, why? I've seen pressure specs as low as 24psi.
It's just lower than any other car I've owned. That's all. I will be going by the 30lbs specification. Thanks for the feedback.
I have a 2004 Sebring Limited with 205/60/16, and i noticed the same tire pressure advice on the door, which seemed low to me as well. I have inflated mine to 35psi, been running it there for the past several weeks. The ride maybe a little more harsh, but i think 30 psi is rather low. only my opinion. Thanks Rog
| I have a 2004 Sebring Limited with 205/60/16, and i noticed the same tire | pressure advice on the door, which seemed low to me as well. I have | inflated mine to 35psi, been running it there for the past several weeks. | The ride maybe a little more harsh, but i think 30 psi is rather low. only | my opinion. | | Thanks | In addition to a harsh ride, over inflating the tires can: o contribute to premature wear of suspension components o reduce wet weather traction o contribute to uneven tire wear...wear in the center of the tread o contribute to erratic panic braking (tire bounce during braking) o lengthen stopping distance during panic stops (tire bounce) o contribute to loss of vehicle control. I would strongly recommend inflation to recommended pressure only. Over and under inflation is bad news!
That's fine but I will bet if you look on the tire sidewall that the max pressure stamped in the tire sidewall is 35psi There is nothing wrong with inflating the tires to the max pressure on the sidewall. The only difference between going with that and the manufacturers recommendation is a slightly harsher ride. But you get longer tire life in exchange, a tradeoff I'm more than willing to make. Overinflation is defined as exceeding the pressure stamped in the tire sidewall. I think the tire companies know more about the pressure their tires can run than the automakers. Plus, they do not have a vested interest in lowering pressure to make the ride feel smoother, like the automakers do. Ted
And better gas mileage too which you forgot to mention, but was well promoted in the recent DRL thread! Bob
| | | > | > | > | I have a 2004 Sebring Limited with 205/60/16, and i noticed the same | tire | > | pressure advice on the door, which seemed low to me as well. I have | > | inflated mine to 35psi, been running it there for the past several | weeks. | > | The ride maybe a little more harsh, but i think 30 psi is rather low. | only | > | my opinion. | > | | > | Thanks | > | | > | > In addition to a harsh ride, over inflating the tires can: | > | | That's fine but I will bet if you look on the tire sidewall that the max | pressure | stamped in the tire sidewall is 35psi | | There is nothing wrong with inflating the tires to the max pressure on the | sidewall. | The only difference between going with that and the manufacturers | recommendation | is a slightly harsher ride. But you get longer tire life in exchange, a | tradeoff I'm more | than willing to make. | | Overinflation is defined as exceeding the pressure stamped in the tire | sidewall. I | think the tire companies know more about the pressure their tires can run | than | the automakers. Plus, they do not have a vested interest in lowering | pressure to | make the ride feel smoother, like the automakers do. | | Ted | | The ones on my Sebring have a max of 44PSI. WAY too high for this car...it would skate in the rain at that pressure.
Well then go ahead and inflate them to 44PSI. Come back later and let us know how it's going. | And better gas mileage too which you forgot to mention, but was well | promoted in the recent DRL thread! | | Bob | | | > There is nothing wrong with inflating the tires to the max pressure on the | > sidewall. | > The only difference between going with that and the manufacturers | > recommendation | > is a slightly harsher ride. But you get longer tire life in exchange, a | > tradeoff I'm more | > than willing to make. | > | > Overinflation is defined as exceeding the pressure stamped in the tire | > sidewall. I | > think the tire companies know more about the pressure their tires can run | > than | > the automakers. Plus, they do not have a vested interest in lowering | > pressure to | > make the ride feel smoother, like the automakers do. | > | > Ted | |
It is interesting then that Michelin uses 44psi as the pressure they determine their tire ratings from, see: http://www.michelinman.com/assets/pdfs/doc_hydroedge.pdf Look at the right side of the chart. Naturally, when inflating tires it is important to keep in mind that due to heat (on asphalt in the summer time) and usage, the tire ressure will rise. If your going to run at 44psi, you should run the tires for a while to get them good and warmed up, then add air to the 44psi pressure. When the tires have cooled down overnight, check the pressure in the morning to see what the variance is. I would imagine if you inflated your Sebring's tires to 44psi when cold, that you would have trouble in the rain - as their pressure after driving would undoubtedly be overinflated. But I think your incorrect about it skating around. I live in Oregon where it rains quite a bit and I have had long experience in wet weather. I even rode a motorcycle for 5 years rain or shine, and if you think a car is bad try keeping a motorcycle going at 60Mph on the highway in a rainstorm you will learn about traction. If the tire is underinflated the contact patch tends to be mooshed out, yes this puts more rubber on the road, but the downside is the pressure per square foot of tire contact patch is lower. It is a lot harder to squeeze water out from in between a wide contact patch and the road. A smaller contact patch on the same vehicle has higher pressure, it cuts down through the water into the pavement. The only time that lower inflation is going to get you more traction is if your running in sand. If your tire has poor tread design for wet weather, lowering pressure isn't going to do anything for it. Ted
To be clear, I was not suggesting inflation to the full rated tire PSI. I was merely pointing out that more inflation should improve fuel economy. The harsher ride and potential damage of suspension components is the downside and had been previously noted in the thread. My statement is based on reducing the rolling tire resistance and personal experience. A previously owned car specified 26 PSI on the driver door placard. The OEM tires that came with the vehicle were max cold pressure of 32 PSI. I learned quickly that the tires squealed when turning, especially in summer, so I always inflated them to 30 PSI (cold) year round. The increase in mileage was about 5% IIRC and the tires wore well. Although the ride was a bit harsher, I experienced no suspension problems, but noted some minor improvement in acceleration from a dead stop. When I finally replaced the tires, the new ones were higher quality Michelins that were rated at 44 PSI maximum cold inflation pressure. At that time I bumped the pressure up to 32, and then subsequently settled on 34 PSI without any noticeable problems. I would NEVER go more than a few PSI over the manufacturer's recommendation (even though the tire is rated 44 PSI) to provide some safety margin. Bob
I ran 35psi in the Michelins that came on my 99 Cirrus and got 82,000 miles out of them. They were also stamped max. 44psi as are the Goodyears on my 2004 Sebring Limited. So i guess 35 psi in these is maybe a 'habit'. At 30psi they just don't look 'up' for my liking. Hope they last as long as the tires on my 99 Cirrus, but i doubt it. Rog
No, they wouldn't be overinflated as Michelin takes the pressure rise due to heat into account when they establish the COLD inflation pressure limit listed on the tire. I never had a problem with my motorcycle. The round profile tires displace the water very well. Generally true. Matt
I'm amazed anyone could get 82K miles out of original equipment tires, even if they were Michelin's. Bob
Yes, i got a bit over 82,000 miles out of them, rotated them every 6,000 to 8,000 miles, done by my dealer, hand torqued the wheels, and always ran 35 psi in them. The car also had the original brakes in it when i traded it in April for the 2004 Sebring Limited. It had a bit over 84,000 miles at that time.
