Always use FACTORY tire pressures!

[yrwei52]

Of course there's always room for experimentation and adjustment, but for everyday driving duties I have always used the factory pressure settings, even on the 205/45-16 tires I run on my Integra today.

For our 1998 Honda CR-V, 26 psi is the recommended inflation pressure. Back to early days the maximum inflation pressure was either 32 psi or 35 psi for P-Metric tires and I'd no problem on tire wear. But with newer generation tires coming out with higher 44 psi and now up to 51 psi maximum pressure, I can't use 26 psi anymore otherwise the tire definitely will wear outside edge of the tread, and the tires feel severely under-inflated. On the current set of General AltiMax RT43 205/70R15 96T tires with 44 psi maximum inflation pressure, I use 36 psi, 10 psi more than factory recommended pressure, to get much better handling and even wear. And the technician at Discount Tire has never questioned the request of adding 10 more psi than recommended pressure, although they have to honor tread-wear warranty on these tires.

For our CX-5, you'll notice many members here add at least 2 more psi than factory recommended inflation pressure for better handling and even wear.

 

[CapriRacer]

........ Back to early days the maximum inflation pressure was either 32 psi or 35 psi for P-Metric tires and I'd no problem on tire wear. But with newer generation tires coming out with higher 44 psi and now up to 51 psi maximum pressure, I can't use 26 psi anymore otherwise the tire definitely will wear outside edge of the tread, and the tires feel severely under-inflated. ...........

I take from this statement, you are still convinced that tires with 44 or 51 psi max pressure have different load curves than tires with 35 psi max. This in spite of being shown several load tables that max out at 35 psi, and not having found any that max out at 44 or 51 psi.

And for those who are following this thread and would like proof that the load maxes out at 35 psi (or 36 psi for metric based tires) for Standard Load Passenger car tires, look up the max load and max pressure for ANY Standard Load Passenger Car tire. Tire Rack is a good place to do this. Call the tire manufacturer and ask what the load carrying capacity is for that tire at 35 psi if the tire size starts with the letter *P*, or if the tire size doesn't have the letter *P* in front of the number, use 36 psi. What the tire manufacturer will tell you is that the load at 35 psi (or 36 psi) is the max load just as listed by Tire Rack, in spite of the max pressure being 35, 36, 44, or 51 psi.

Please note that Extra Load tires can be done the same way using 41 or 42 psi depending on the presence (or absence) of the letter *P*.

Also please note that LT tires are done differently.

 

[fvansan]

To get the car to respond quicker, tire manufacturers use softer rubber that improves grip but wears faster. Generally, the higher the mileage the manufacturer promises, the harder the rubber is. Hard rubber will make more noise when they wear down.

 

[CapriRacer]

To get the car to respond quicker, tire manufacturers use softer rubber that improves grip but wears faster. Generally, the higher the mileage the manufacturer promises, the harder the rubber is. Hard rubber will make more noise when they wear down.

....... Mmmmmm ...... Not exactly!

Getting a tire to respond faster to steering input is different than the level of grip. Grip is about the tread compound, and speed of response is about sidewall stiffness.

Inflation pressure can greatly affect sidewall stiffness, but so can the size and stiffness of the filler (see the cross section of the tire posted earlier.) - not to mention the aspect ratio. That's one of the reasons racing cars use low profile tires. Quick response makes it easier to control in a corner. (The exception to this is drag racing where it is better at launch to get the tire to absorb the shock by winding up and high profile tires are better at that!)

But improvements in steering response come by sacrificing ride quality - specifically impact harshness. So soft riding tires don't respond quickly and vice versa.

When it comes to tread compound, there is a 3 way technological triangle between grip, wear, and rolling resistance (fuel economy). To get improvements in one area, one or both of the other areas have to be sacrificed. So tires with great grip don't wear well and consume more fuel. It's all about the compromise.

However, small changes in this triangular relationship can be made by some changes in the make up of the tread compound. Replacing carbon black with silica improves the grip - if I understand this correctly - and that means that it is possible to get a bit more fuel economy out without affecting the wear and grip - and the term LRR has been applied to those tires that have that kind of tread compound change.

Please note: LRR is a relative term, not an absolute one. It means better fuel economy compared to tires with similar grip and wear properties - so it is possible for a non-LRR tire to get better fuel economy than an LRR one!

As an aside, good wearing tread compounds tend to be hard, but both high grip and low rolling resistance compounds tend to be soft.

To sum this up: Grip level and quickness of response are not tied to the same things, so it is possible to get a tire to have fantastic grip (and poor wear and fuel economy), but slow response and a soft ride - and it is possible to have a good wearing tire (with a moderate to low level of grip and poor fuel economy), and quick response and poor ride - and all the other combinations!

 

[JML32]

Hey All,

I joined this site because I'm in need of new tires and I have very little idea on what to look for so hopefully you guys can help me out here. I apologize for my ignorance in advance.

Okay, I have a 2014 GT AWD (bought in Aug. 2013) that came with Pirelli tires. I just took it in for an oil change and it was brought to my attention that I need a new set of tires. Being so ignorant in cars in general I wanted to do a little online searching to possibly avoid a shady salesman selling me on the higher price tag and not so much the better quality. However, after reading site after site on type, brand, style, resistance etc. everything was just going right over my head. As as far as maintenance I pretty much just have my tires rotated and an realignment when I go in for an oil changed, which is about every 6 mo. or less, and I go by whats in the manual when checking air pressure. I would say that I'm a rather rough driver (speedier than most) and my work commute is roughly 60 miles p/day on rural back roads majority of the time; I currently have around 37k miles. So, with all that being said, I would greatly appreciate your expertise in a few tire recommendations that would be most beneficial for a rough (speedy) driver but also, rides smooth and helps decrease noise; previously owning an Audi A4 2.8 Quattro, I greatly miss the feel of smooth driving but not as much as the quietness; which, the cx-5 severely lacks.

 

[yrwei52]

... Okay, I have a 2014 GT AWD (bought in Aug. 2013) that came with Pirelli tires. I just took it in for an oil change and it was brought to my attention that I need a new set of tires.

You have an AWD GT and you should have Toyo A23 225/55R19 99V tires from factory. But you said you have Pirelli tires which is very strange. Can you verify the size of the tires on your CX-5 AWD GT first? And if the size is correct, check this thread which lists all availablet tires for the size with detailed specs and other important information:

225/55R19 Tire Comparison Table for CX-5 GT - Many to Choose From

Personally I recommend General AltiMAX RT43 tire which is one of the lightest tires for the size. It has excellent hot reviews for the size with decent price. This's going to be the one I'd get when my time comes.

 

[JML32]

You have an AWD GT and you should have Toyo A23 225/55R19 99V tires from factory. But you said you have Pirelli tires which is very strange. Can you verify the size of the tires on your CX-5 AWD GT first? And if the size is correct, check this thread which lists all availablet tires for the size with detailed specs and other important information:

You're right, they are Toyo tires. Thanks for the advice!