poohlikeshunny

Hey everybody! I just did a search to find out what I should be puttin into my tires, but it's very vast. Maybe some of you guys can help me out...my tires are labeled as 45psi as the max psi...acura says it should be 32...i got the car used (2000 TL-P with 76000 miles) and the guy I bought it from had tires on there that I never heard of before. I noticed when I inflated it to 45 psi, i was bouncin all over the place...way more so than at the 40 psi i lowered it too after...then I lowered it to 36 psi (for all tires) and I notice my cornering is a little better and the ride is smoother...I am comfortable with the ride as far as comfort at 36 psi, but will i be unevenly wearing out my tires? Plus, I drive in between aggressive and grandma...depends on mood and traffic...would I ever blow a tire or anything if I have it set to 36 even though the tire says 45 psi? I just want to be sure if I keep it here, my tires won't pop or anything...or wear too unevenly. (note: all the measurements i took were off of warmed up tires) Thanx everybody! I would have searched the forum more before posting this thread, but since everyone had so many different things to say, I thought maybe I'll toos up my stats and see what someone with more experience has to say....Thanx again!!!

AYA

SatinSilverTypS

iTrader: (1)

i actually posted the same thing about two weeks ago. after seeing the replies, consulting the dealer, and looking at my own car experience, i recommend setting it down to the 32-33 psi range. the car will handle better from more even tire grip and get better gas mileage as well as better tire wear. i dont think 36 will do major damage or anything like that, but the 32 is just a better fit since thats the recommended pressure. let us know how it goes.

poohlikeshunny

Thanx! I just went outside on my break here at work to see how it works...and 32 psi does feel VERY different from 40...I like it MUCH better...taking the curves aorund here, i feel less body roll (at least i think its body roll)...when you take a say...right turn really hard and you feel like you're being thrown to the left of the car, and the car feels like it's lowering on the left and raising on the right...with 32 psi i get less of that "thrown in the other direction" feeling. But when I look at my front tires, they look kinda..smushed against the ground...but the rear tires lookk fine...even though they are all 32 psi...is this a bad thing? Thanx for replyin!!!

Aya

Vicman17

Just got my air compressor a few days ago and tried different pressures on my 16's. My sweet spot is 34 Front and 33 Rear. Can't wait to put on my 17's and play with the pressure on those. Darned Toronto snow..........

medic

assuming you have the same size tire that originally came with the car, go with the manufacturer recomendations...~33 all around. if you've changed your tire size, then follow the directions for determining the proper inflation below.

when you over inflate (45 is MAX not recomended) your tires have less contact on the road and you will have less control (more bounce and less traction) since less of the tire is in contact with the road surface. You also wear the center of your tire faster then the edges

with underinflation, you develop a similar problem, but you get poor handling becasue now the edges contact the road more then the center of the tread.

if you want to find the ideal (for traction purposes) psi, do this:

inflate/deflate your tire when it's cold and draw a nice big chalk line on the tread.
drive forward and see how much of the chalk line transfers to the ground.
keep doing this until you find the psi that gets the most chalk to transfer to te ground.

fsttyms1

at the track (scca& autocross) i got conciderably better times with my tires at 42 than 32. the car shouldnt have a bouncy ride and less handeling. the ride should be more firm and you should feel more of the cracks and stuff though i ran the stock tires at 38-36 and that was the optimal for handeling.

SatinSilverTypS

iTrader: (1)

no youre ok. this is just because the front has more weight on it than the rear. it does look like its getting low at first glance though. i agree. and remember, setting the psi at the recommended value is a good thing. the faster you go, the less area of your tire is touching the pavement, so starting off with high inflation allready lowers your traction. you definately dont want to go too high. enjoy your newfound handling!

SSTS

poohlikeshunny

Thanx medic! That was actually a fantastic idea...my ideal pressure is 35-36...good to finally know...lol! I was running on 45 psi for almost the whole first two months since I got the car...and I wondered why it didn't handle like the ones i test drove at the dealership...all because an ex roomie told me if I didn't fill it to whatever the tire says, my tire will blow...(well since then, I have learned that HE is the one that indeed blows...) Good thing I can always come to this site for some ACTUAL information!!! But today...it feels like a whole new car...i can actually take some of the curves around here at a CONSIDERABLY higher speed without my back end slipping...and it's cool, because I've been used to the back giving out like that...so now that ALL the tires stick to the road like I'm on rails...well...found my problem...


Everybody's been very helpful to me here....thanx for the time. I appreciate all the experience everyone has to share with me. Mad props to all the enthusiasts here.

fldave

To each his own. I run 40psi front and 36psi rear because those settings run the best for me. Along with the better ride the 40psi front offsets that "underinflated look" due to mass wieght off the front!

FlDave

yoda

You guys need to realize...that tire pres changes depending on if it's a "hot" or "cold" temp...you guys that are putting in 40psi sounds like you guys are doing this cold...once the temp gets hot you're easily running 47psi or so...which would be OVER the max air pres...

Just something to think about..specially if you're driving on the freeway at over 80mph for awhile and wondering "why the *@$&(*@#$ did my tire blowout?!"