@dunhillmc
Wow, that's about the most wrong thing I've read about tire psi in, well pretty much ever. The reason you have have less rolling resistance is because overinflating reduces the amount of traction the tires have. The tires will also wear out faster (which is also probably why you've gone through 2 sets of tires at 67k miles--those Goodyears are rated for 70k miles). There are tons of complaints here about ride quality when dealers don't drop the psi from the 45-50 shipping level, and here you are putting it up there on purpose
I don't disagree with less rolling resistance = reducing traction or inflating the tires higher results in higher wear but I disagree with the fact that I am overinflating the tires as I am below the maximum PSI rated on the sidewall (cold) of the tire even accounting for driving (hot). I feel like there are a lot of assumptions in this post.
If you dig into most vehicles that come with OEM tires, they don't tend to last long at all due to the compound being used (see TireRack reviews for the OEM tires in my link) and there are many different factors involved to give an accurate answer so attributing the fact that (2) sets of tires are being replaced due to "overinflated tires" seems like a generalization.
To give a little more context:
- I do drive the car very hard with hard cornering/hard acceleration.
- I replaced the OEM set at 28,685 miles with the Goodyear Assurance
For my second set, I think I still have a lot of life left in them but maybe I'm replacing them a bit too early (see below pics). Also, the Goodyear Assurance tires are rated up to 60k miles (see below).
@HyFlyer
Digbicks1234 said:
I don't follow the recommended tire PSI on the driver side door. The number is typically for the factory OEM tires that came with the vehicle to maintain the best balance between fuel economy and comfort. I typically check what the maximum PSI the tire is rated for on the sidewall.
Your car, your choice. But for others who happen to read this ...
No. Don't do that. That max PSI rating also has to do with the tire's weight carrying capacity. (1874lbs @ 51 psi for the Goodyear you mentioned). Your cx5 (packed to the gills with people/stuff) is only putting down about 1150 lbs on each tire (61ish % of the max rating). Your not getting the footprint of the tread to surface that the tire is designed for at that higher operating psi.
Yep, I never advocated for anyone to copy what I'm doing and I usually drive solo or with another passenger.
Digbicks1234 said:
I know that this is a heavily debated topic and if you Google around, most people follow what's listed on the driver side door but I don't because I rather have better handling and less rolling resistance which the higher PSI allows.
Life is replete with choices
. Yes, you will have less rolling resistance at the cost of less traction and reduced tire life. So, just curious, why do that?
The main reason why I'm inflating the tire pressure 4-5 PSI below maximum is because I simply enjoy the handling, responsiveness that this offers. I said rolling resistance since I didn't want to overcomplicate things. Traction seems fine in my situation.
Digbicks1234 said:
I've been going by this rule for the past 2 sets of tires (67.7k miles) and I've ran into no issues so far so I am sticking with what works for me but the ride is definitely stiffer for sure.
Again, Your car, your choice. If you would, please post up a picture of the tread on the goodyear's you are replacing. For a lifetime of over inflation, I would suspect they're worn in the center eh?
Personally, these latest two things you've posted up are pretty "far out" there for me. (Belt tensioner causing performance issues and this tire psi thing).
I've appreciated the great detail and effort to share your experiences with your DIY maintenance work. Thanks
. I'm not trying to beat you up over these two but I feel you are misguided in your thinking. YMMV.
Not quite, they look fine in the center. I'm thinking that I may be replacing these tires a little too soon but I suppose you can take a look and provide your insight
.
The belt tensioner is not something that I can show you as it's something that you would have to drive the car to understand what I'm trying to convey which isn't possible. It's not "far out" simply because this was the only new variable that is being introduced and I'm attributing the difference in the vehicles personality to just that which makes sense. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it.
No worries! I'm not worked up over it and I welcome being wrong but so far I seem to enjoy driving the car 10% below max PSI since handling, responsiveness is greatly improved. I think the tire wear has more to do with how hard I drove the car previously than the PSI itself but it definitely does play a factor, not disagreeing.
We all have a different take on the max PSI which is kind of annoying in a sense. Even in other forums, not just this one there seems to be people that fall in the below category:
- There's some people that strictly follow the manufacturers recommendation (e.g. 34 PSI for 17 inch) due to safety/drivability/fuel economy/comfort etc.
- There are those that go 3-5 PSI above the recommended PSI from the manufacturer to increase fuel economy
- There's those that go 10% below the maximum recommended PSI rating on the sidewall of the tire. = me
- There's those that go the full 100% of the tire = not recommended at all
Biggest problem I have with #1 is that it seems to assume the fact that you are keeping the same exact tires no? For example, the OEM Yokohama Geolander G91A's are 44 PSI but then my current tires, Goodyear Assurance are 51 PSI.
- G91A: 34 PSI (Recommended)/44 PSI (MAX)= 77%
- Goodyear Assurance: 34 PSI (Recommended)/51 PSI (MAX)= 66% capacity used
Again, I don't mind being wrong, but I hope you guys see where I'm getting at with this.
Driver (Front)
Driver (Rear)