Wrong. The more you inflate, even with a gas that is lighter than air, the more weight you add to the wheel. However, this is an insignificant issue. The weight of the air or a gas in the tire, whether it's inflated to 20psi or 60psi, is insignificant compared to the weight of the wheel and tire.

No.

 

hehe, I was joking about making the wheels lighter with the Helium, but I thought from a long time ago watching a Mr. Wizard show, they popped a helium filled balloon with a (fire) source and it made a big flame ... must have been filled with something else though, It was just a guess from a 20+ year old memory.

 

Over the weekend, I dropped the pressures from 42/40 to 39/38. The difference in the ride was so pronounced I think I'll leave it there. Might even try a little lower.

Ron in SoCal

 

It's been stated before that +/- 10 degrees outside temp = +/- 1 psi. That's not from me - just what's been offered here in other threads.

Clearly there's a lot of opinions on tire pressure. While I'm not an expert, we should acknowledge that tire ratings (max pressure) are there for a reason, and are established by people who know a whole lot about material strength, gas expansion, and real-world behavior. Anything we assume about over-engineering or perceived "safety margins" is just that - an assumption.

I ran 45 psi on my Dunlop SP20's (OEM on my 03 HCH, 51 psi max) for 20K miles or so with no problems, no unusual wear.

I'm running 41 psi on my new Continental ContiTouringContact CV95's (also 51 psi max) - have about 1000 miles on them, also without incident. I'll probably raise that this summer once I'm convinced the tires are able to handle it OK.

 

that balloon would have been filled with hydrogen not helium. hence the hindenberg disaster....hydrogen is combustible, not helium...else all our kids would be walking around with explosive balloons.....

also, the ideal temp for checking tire temp is 70 degrees, and your tire pressure does change 1 degree for ever 10 degree cahnge in outdoor air temp....

 

I'm a little confused as to why people are interested in tire pressure other than for safety or performance. If you follow the recommended psi in the owner's manual you will be fine. As for improved FE, it's so minute that filling up your gas tank half way will probably offer better FE than maxing out the psi in the tires. So if it's performance, yeup, your car handles better and brakes better but at the cost of a harsher ride. If it's for FE, don't bother.

 

livvie, there's a lot of people who claim significant improvement in FE with higher tire pressures. It sure seemed to help mine.

 

If significant is 1 to 10 miles over an entire tank, then yeup it's significant. I say to those worried about proper pressure to try a simple test. Do an honest effort at +5psi over recommended pressure... and then another trial at max or near max PSI. I will be shocked if there is a huge difference. I did the above test and noticed no difference in FE.

 

Ahhh ... Hydrogen, I knew it was some H-word.

When I went from 30 psi to 50 psi, I didn't notice a harsher ride at all. I asked my passengers who rode with me before I filled them up and after, they claimed no difference either. I think the suspension in the HCH is soft enough where it doesn't matter too much. We are also used to a clunky 00 Mustang and my RX-7 ... so I don't think 100 psi would provide as harsh a ride as either of those.

As far as wear ... higher psi should help I would think. I know if it was low in my other cars, the tires would wear out faster, especially if the tires spun. I used to think a slightly lower pressure gained more grip though? When they drag cars, don't they drop the rear pressure some for a little sidewall flex in a 'softer' tire, and a wider contact patch ... which would give you more grip? Of course not taking in account for rain and the treads ability to disperse water.

 

drag racing.... and regular tires, 2 different worlds. while what you said is true, it doesn't always apply to street tires. It also depends on the conditions. On a wet road, you don't want tires that are underinflated.

As for harsher ride, i should clarify. When you hit a bump or go over rocks, you feel it more than at regular PSI. Also, the sound is a lot louder. As for comfort on a smooth road, it's the same.