Tire Maintenance

[Blackfire]

I recently had new Cooper CSV4 tires installed on my wife's 09 Sonata, V-6, SE.

My curiosity is about tire pressure. I check them weekly and adjust when cold and always in the morning.

The door label recommends 30 PSI, front and rear. Since this is a V-6, does the front end weight matter when it comes to tire pressure. The front tires appear lower than the rear, and it has to be the engine weight that makes that happen.

Do any of you adjust your front tire pressure to be 1,2,3 psi over the rear? Is it safe to do that? Why do you do it?

[GearHead_1]

The door placard is the place you want to get your air pressure specs. The manufacturer has taken into consideration which engine you have in the vehicle. Some come with specifications that vary front to rear (most pick up trucks). In the case of a truck it won't likely be the front tires that need more air but the rear depending upon how the truck is loaded. You can of course adjust this plus or minus a few pounds (3-5) depending on tire, load and handling. Don't fill the tire to the max. pressure rating on the tire sidewall. This figure does not take into account a specific vehicle's needs but rather what the tire is capable of holding under max load. There is no harm in checking ones tires frequently but I suspect that monthly would be about right unless of course you have a tire with a leak.

[Blackfire]

Absolutely not, it is all vehicle dependent. Simply assuming that the front or rear should need more air isn't the way to go about making this decision. How does it handle, how do the tires wear, how often do you rotate the tires all come in to play. The fact that the engine is up front doesn't necessarily mean that their is more of a load on the front tires, consider the pick up again. I don't suspect you would have any issue with the pressures you have mentioned.

Originally Posted by GearHead_1

The door placard is the place you want to get your air pressure specs. You can of course adjust this plus or minus a few pounds (3-5) depending on tire, load and handling. Don't fill the tire to the max. pressure rating on the tire sidewall. This figure does not take into account a specific vehicle's needs.

So are you convinced that all 4 tires should be filled to equal pressure? Or, is 32 front, 30 rear acceptable?

I guess I can test the ride with unequal pressure.

[RANDAL]

Do what is on the placcard. Unless you are using replacement tires and wheel combo. 35 psi should be enough unless pulling or hauling a load. For best ride stay with correct tire size on the placcard. The onlt instance Ive seen that the placcard was NOT correct with the OE tire was on Dodge Dakots a few years ago. They came out with 31x10.50R15, and placcard says P235/75R15. They rode better with the larger tire. DO NOT go over pressure on tire!!!!

[DJsDetails]

The psi rating on the tire allows for the most tread on the ground without ballooning, which wears out the center of the tread, or concaving, which wears out the edges. In the rear, I run exactly what is rated on the tire, not on the placcard. In the front, I run 2-3 over if I'm driving a lot of city miles. This combats the effect of wear on the edges of the front tire due to turning.

I get 80,000 miles out of my Michelin LTX M/S's, on an S-10 and a Colorado, by turning every 3000 miles and keeping them inflated to those ^ specs.

[GearHead_1]

Originally Posted by DJsDetails

The psi rating on the tire allows for the most tread on the ground without ballooning, which wears out the center of the tread, or concaving, which wears out the edges. In the rear, I run exactly what is rated on the tire, not on the placcard. In the front, I run 2-3 over if I'm driving a lot of city miles. This combats the effect of wear on the edges of the front tire due to turning.

I get 80,000 miles out of my Michelin LTX M/S's, on an S-10 and a Colorado, by turning every 3000 miles and keeping them inflated to those ^ specs.

No offense intended but this is poor advice. You won't find one tire manufacturer or vehicle manufacturer that will support this recommendation. When the manufacturer builds a tire they have no idea which vehicle it will end up on. They rate the tire for its maximum load capacity. It could end up on a Ford Ranger or an F150. You can buy a particular size tire with either a P Metric or an LT rating, the maximum inflation pressure varies greatly yet both tires will fit the same vehicle. Running the maximum pressure will only cause premature wear and a harsh ride unless the load is justified. Of course running a tire under inflated will also have adverse affects. Stick to the vehicle manufacturers recommendation they know what works best on their design.