Tire Pressue Dumb Question
 

My car handles like crap in the snow. Just bouhgt it used a few weeks ago. It has 16" factory wheels. What should the tire pressure be set at? It doesnt say anywhere on the sidewall. Im thinking 35-35 lbs??

Right now most of the tires are at 25. IM thiking this might be part of the problem.

If that info is not on the outside of the tire ,it will most definately be on the inside.
Dave

Lower pressure should help in the snow. It puts more tire on the ground giving you better traction. I'd be looking at better tires not different tire pressure.

See, I'd think that higher pressure would be better in snow. With a wider tire (lower pressure), the weight of the car is spread out more over the snow, and the tire can't bite into the pavement underneath. With a narrower contact patch, the car's weight will force the tire to bite better.

At least, that is what I learned, years ago. Seems to work.

I think it is always important to keep tires inflated to the recommended pressure for safety and longevity reasons. I think you need to find tires that are better suited for the snow. I know I just did for my GP GXP.

These tires are new and Im not going to keep the car long so Ill juts have ot deal with it.

Bulls coments are correct from what I understand, but i just done know what the correct pressure is. Its not written anywhere on the tire.

Can't you just do a search on the manufacturer of the tire and look up the recommend pressure rating on their website?

Most non-speed rated tires are rated 35 psi, max cold pressure.
I've seen some with a 41 psi rating. I'd put 35 in 'em and go with it.

Aren't tire pressure inflation recommendations vehicle specific ?

In other words, the car mfr. recommends certain front and rear tire pressures based on power and weight of the vehicle, RWD vs. AWD, weight distribution front to rear of vehicle, etc.

I think that the exact same model of tire can have different inflation recommendations on a different make and/or model of vehicle.

Also, I think all of this goes out the window when driving on snow ! ;)
I drive a subaru all wheel drive in the snow so not familiar with traction problems on 2WD cars

Hmm??? you could be right about the snow. I know in sand you need lower pressure to spread the weight out so you won't sink. I'll have to research that one some more.

Glen

OK did some research. It's a damned if you do damned if you don't kind of thing.

In theory a thinner tire with more pressure will cut to the pavement easier thus giving better traction.

But also in theory if the snow is too thick and the tire can't cut through to the pavement a lower pressure would be better by putting more tread on the ground. kinda like a snow shoe.

All of the auto advice sights strongly discouraged changing the recommended pressure for any reason other than if you were stuck in sand.

The tire pressure on the sidewall, (yes, it's there - in very small type) is the MAX cold pressure and bears no reality to what the auto manufacturer specifies. Many 16" tires specify 44psi max, but the car needs pressure usually in the 28-35 range.

You should look at the decal that specs the OE tire size and pressure. Most US cars it is on the driver's door in the jamb area, or in the door jamb itself. If not there, look on the inside of the console or glovebox. Second choice is to read the owner's manual - what a concept!

einstein is right again. Read the decal on the vehicle and inflate to those pressures. If traction is marginal, then changing tires is the only way to improve. BTW, a tall narrow tire is better in snow.

Alan a.k.a. TreadHead

What the heck is this owners manual you speak of???

Ok, well I put 35 lbs in them yeaterday and well see what happens. The tires are new (not put on by me) and they are a realitivly cheap brand, so Im not expecting much.

The car just seems to wander in the slightest amount of snow. Its just terrible.

I had 16" Goodyears on my car and they sucked in rain or snow. I got a set of steel 15" rims to replace the 16" and put on a set of snow tires. The 16" tires were 60 series so I got 70 series snow tires to retain the same height. I will put the factory 16" aluminum wheels back on after winter and run the Goodyears until they need replaced. I wont be getting another set of Goodyear tires ever again. I have been running Mastercraft tires lately and they seem to be good tires. Jim

I've had good results with Cooper Tires. I've got their Discoverer ATR snows, front and rear, on my 2-wheel drive truck and they do real well. They're quiet, handle well and have infinitely better dry traction than the Goodyears I ran. They'd light up on a dry road with less than half throttle! The Coopers will barely spin at full throttle. The Wet traction of the Goodyears is pathetic! Check them on Tirerack.com. I lost the rear-end on a wet curve with them and spun out. I've driven that road 5-days a week for 11 years and never had a problem at faster speeds with other tires.

Rich

Some tires just suck in the snow. A decent set of snow tires should help. Blizzak makes a decent snow tire.

I recommend moving to SE Florida

:D :D :D :D

M

I also liked the Coopers, I got 90,000 miles out of my last set.

I checked in my truck and the inflation pressures are posted in door jam, 50 lbs. seems high though.

If you run Load Range "E" tires, they are 50psi front and 80 psi rear, or 80psi all around for fully-loaded vehicles. LR "E" tires are typical on one-ton PUs and work vans.