Guest Chuck Conrad Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 Now that nice weather is just around the corner, the thought of ?re-commissioning? my cars for the summer came to mind. An obvious thing to check is tire pressure, but I suddenly realized that figuring out correct pressure is not as obvious as it sounds. Some of the owner?s manuals for my cars suggest specific tire pressure; some of the manuals do not. For the cars with suggested pressure, I?ve always done as the manual says, but I?m wondering if these specifications are even valid with today?s collector car tires? I assume they would be, but maybe not.For the cars with no specifications given, I?ve just been guessing. It?s the ?if the tire is round, it must be OK? theory. I?ll bet a lot of other people do that too. I wonder how many of us are driving around with improperly inflated tires?Does anybody know of a handy reference to help sort this out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Huston Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 Chuck, this is a good question, one that I have wondered about. It would be nice to see an in depth article in the Bulletin on this subject. I run Lester 6.50 X 19?s on my ?29 Studebaker President. When the car was new it had ?Balloon? tires. I am no tire expert, and don?t know the technical difference, but from the old factory pictures I have seen the tires today don?t look anything like the factory original equipment. So, I am sure the tire pressure recommendations would also be different. I run 38psi in the Lester?s. It would be nice to know if I am running to much or not enough pressure. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chuck Conrad Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 About an hour after I posted my question, the mail arrived with my latest issue of Hemmings Motor News. Inside the plastic cover with all the rest of the stuff was a tire catalog from Coker Tire. To its credit, they list maximum tire pressures and weight capacities for almost all their products. I?m not sure if these specs are suitable for every occasion, but it looks to me like a good place to start.Knowing what is right for our cars is a problem that I fear will only get worse. In the past owners knew about service items almost intuitively. They grew up with similar cars so it was simply second nature. As new people come into the hobby they don?t always have the benefit of first hand experience. It?s not just tires. There are all kinds of routine maintenance items older cars require that aren't considered with modern day vehicles. Unless we just want to park our cars, I think its is very important to pass on this kind of valuable information, no mater how mundane it may seem to ?those who know.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_oldmitchell Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 If you drive the car the correct pressure can be determined in a relatively short time. Using Coker's recommendations for pressure as a starting point take a tread depth measurement every 200 or so miles. The tread wear pattern will tell you whether or not the inflation is correct. The beauty of this way of doing it is that it will work even if oversize tires are used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Miller Posted March 12, 2003 Share Posted March 12, 2003 dont most tires have a maximum pressure rating written on them? I have just been reading my tires. most seem to say 32 or so. I usually go with 32 unless it looks too low. then again most of my cars are more modern so for really old cars with say 20 inch wheels it may be very different.Shawn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chuck Conrad Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 Most modern style tires have maximum pressure marked on them, but many older style tires don't say anything (even though they were recently manufactured). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_oldmitchell Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 If you are inflating your tires to the max pressure listed on the side you may be overinflating for the vehicle. New vehicles have the recommended pressure listed somewhere in the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poci1957 Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 That is correct, the maximum pressure is rarely the factory recommended pressure. I would suggest (only my opinion) to use the factory recommended pressure which is listed in most owners manuals. I might inflate a few pounds over, but never to the maximum pressure. If the recommended pressure cannot be found, ask other owners of your car model and try to form a conclusion, best wishes, Todd C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now