I don't know about your tires, but it sure sounds like you are about to blow a head gasket Ruking! Maybe you need to go veg out in IDLSWDY and quit berating folks in here who simply disagree with you.
The whole reason I am asking this information is because the stock tire for my Accord is a 205/65/15 with a SL load rating and a maximum air pressure of 44. The door placard recommends 30 psi front and 29 psi rear. Since I have aftermarket wheels and the Yokohama Avid V4S are 215/50/17 with a XL load rating and a maximum air pressure of 51 I thought it would be wise to check it out with "bobthetireguy". I have stated this in most of my posts but the battle of words you are waging let this info slip through the cracks. FYI I used the 30/29 recommended air pressure on my first set of tires and set a world record for low mileage achieved. I felt like a moron and am trying to do a little better the 2nd time around. Just the same, thanks for your advice.
By the way the Michelin Harmony 205/70/15 on my wife's CRV shows a maximum air pressure of 35 psi so although the majority of tires may have a maximum air pressure of 44 neither of the vehicles in my garage fit this mold.
"Maybe you need to go veg out in IDLSWDY and quit berating folks in here who simply disagree with you."
Oh, I thought that was renamed "we beat dead horses and process horse meat". "
Disagreement is quite alright! However, when I ask several times for the others point of view/verfication or how he sees I can do better, the berating occurs. So yes you are right, there is berating occurring. Evidently for the one doing the berating there seems to be little if any informational exchange. Another poster (who I don't know from Adam) has also indicated that the question he asked him is also not being answered.
I also would hope that in the disagreement or exchange of ideas, I can come away with something of value. Perhaps I am expecting too much?
I called Connor and spelled out my dilemna and explained I was just trying to "do the right thing". Connor was adamant that since both the OEM 205/65/15 and the aftermarket 215/50/17 tires were both an "appropriate fit" for my '03 Accord that I should most definitely go with the manufacturer recommendation of 30/29 psi unless I wanted to add maybe 1-2 psi to suit my ride preference. He said that in my passenger car application that the load index and maximum air pressure were bascially not relevant.
According to this calculator, there is only 1 revolution difference between the two at 1 mile. So my take is this is about as close as it gets!
Given the design parameters of the tire and the side wall pressure on your after market tire of 44 psi, I would be inclined to say 36-38 front with 34-36 (1 to 2 #s less) in the rear. The reason for the departure in the rear is the Accord by virtue of the massive understeer due to front wear drive, front engine will tend to understeer a bit less if you put 1-2 #s less in the rear. Since you have already by virtual of hitting the SL/standard load tp of 35 psi you won't have to worry at all about "under inflation" So if 38F/36R is too stiff for riding comfort, deviate by app -2#'s and see how that affects your SOTP's.
I also have a 2004 Honda Civic. I have the owner's manual "100 mph tp". Even without out that pressure, compared to my other cars the Civic has a more "nervous" ride than say the VW Jetta. But at cruising speeds it is very solid.
on this air pressure discussion. Having a difficult time trying to figure out what psi to run in these Yokohama Avid V4S 215/50/17 (XL 93)for my 03 Accord LX coupe (4 cyl). I am getting recommendations ranging from 30 - 43 psi and each person seems to know a lot more than me which makes is very difficult to determine the right way to go. I am inclined to go with your opinion ... it is bound to break some kind of tie and your advice has always been solid for me.
There is an interesting anomoly for the size that you mentioned. It is the only tire with a mtp side wall of 50, vs 44 for the rest of the sizes.
My 185/70/14 Honda Civic also has 51 psi. I departed from the 43 psi for it seemed that anything above 38 psi was in fact punishing. So while the owner's manual gives 35f/35 R for the 100 mph inflation pressure, I actually run between 36-38 F and 34-36 rear. Since I have less than 2k miles on it, I will keep you informed of the progress.
Capriracer is a tire guru, and I just sold them and raced on them and can only speak from personal experience.
I would disregard the OEM recommendations, simply because you're not using the OEM setup any longer. Bump your pressures to 35-36 psi and monitor your tire wear closely - of course, if your "treadometer" shows center line wear, adjust pressure down; the opposite for outer edge wear.
When racing autocross or hillclimb on hot street tires, on a FWD car, I use 40-45 front and 38-40 rear to minimize roll in, painting the sidewall with white marks to check the amount of roll in, and adjusting pressures up or down to compensate.
The tires in question are 225 70 16 OEM's are 101S@ 44PSI Replacement tires is 103H @ 51 PSI 225-70-16 Car is a 02 Highlander; Placcard specifies 30 psi. Where does one obtain the load table?
Load Tables are published in every year by the Tirer and Rim Association (TRA) and the European Tire and Rim Technocal Organization (ETRTO). Unfortuantely they are each an inch thick, and because of the volume isn't available on the web directly from them. But sometimes you will find exerpts at some of the tire manufacturer's web sites.
BUT THAT'S WHY I'M HERE!!!
Your OEM tires had a P in front of the size (The letters are important!). This indicates a TRA based standard.
The replacement don't have a P in front, indicting an ETRTO based standard.
Since the load index went up you should be able to go down in inflation pressure and still maintain the same load. HOWEVER, the load tables are shaped differently between TRA and ETRTO, the net effect of which is that at lower pressures, ETRTO has lower loads compared to TRA.
So, this means you need to use a slightly higher inflation pressure to be technically accurate. (We're talking 2 psi!) But for practical purposes, it's the same.
Since you've got a Japanese vehicle,the pressure specified probably has lots of reserve capacity. On the other hand, it is an SUV. So my recommendation would be to either use the same inflation (30 psi) or a bit more. (say 32).
This discusion on inflation pressure kind of got out of hand. There are lots of opinions out there - some based on fact, some based on experience, some based on ???? And it even seems that folks who should know - like Tire Dealers - don't always have the right info.
I am glad this discussion took place. I learned enough to become dangerous...hehe! Definitely realize that there are several schools of thought and that "experts" can have practically conflicting views.
I have decided to go with 35/34 psi and to monitor my treadwear religously which means I now need to purchase a new tool to measure treadwear....nothing like a good excuse to buy a new tool. This is 3 psi below your recommendation, 2 psi below driftracer's recommendation, 5 above Connor at the TireRack's recommendation, and quite a bit below Ruking1's 85% rule.
I am still amazed that everyone recommends a fairly similar psi for a stock size replacement tire but change the wheel size, load rating, and maximum allowable air pressure and the recommendations are all over the map.
That tool you speak of can be bought at any Pep Boys or Autozone - it's small, and has an adjustable protruding needle that touches the tire surface between tread blocks, and a gauge show the amount of penetration, giving you your tread depth.
Yeah, I use a set of digital calipers. (nothing like overkill) But I got a pretty inexpensive tire depth gauge at the local WalMart. The first couple of times I measured with both and it was a bit like asking a person with two watches what is the time!
Now that you have selected your psi point of departure, a tire depth gauage, tire pressure gauge and even something as low tech as blackboard chalk, plus your SOTP's can help to further fine tune your measurements. Measurement is important for it lets you know are you really getting what you set out to get!?
SOTP's is pretty important for performance, satisfaction or lack there of usually comes from this perception and not necessarily the objective numbers. Of course perceptions can be all over the map.
Hey 18fan, it's been raining all week here and my wife is complaining that the Toyo's are slipping leaving the stop sign when there's a slight uphill grade. She's not thrilled with them this week and is muttering about snow tires for our road trip to Seattle over Thanksgiving.
Anyone, can you sipe tires that have 14,000 miles on them?
I need some help on something - Took my 3 season wheels/tires off and put the snows on a little early this year. I need to replace the summer tires, and I am also due to get an alignment. Question is this: Are alignment settings independent of what wheel/tires are on the car? In other words, would it make a difference if the winter setup is 225/55 16 all around, and the summer setup is staggered, with a 235/40 18 front, and a 256/35 18 rear?
hey i have some z racing rims from sears. i recently had two bent rims and i am trying to get to a web site to order more. anyone got any info on a phone # or website. by the way the rims can be ballanced by most places.
Interesting discussion. I think I will be useing a depth gauge to monitor both alignment and tire pressure on a 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe fwd. I have an inexpensive Radio Shack Infrared Thermometer. It does not have a laser dot but will try a few mile high speed runs at varying psi's, then check temperature across tread, and when temperature is uniform and lowest, will then assume pressure is optimum Are there any fatal flaws in this reasoning?
No! The black board white chalk can also be another data point. If you chalk in a stripe across the tread, you can graphically see if the tread is wearing evenly. Also as you probably would guess, the higher pressure runs will probably heat up less than the lower pressure runs.
Because you are potentially messing with your well being, do not do a high speed run on a "under inflated tire"
I have had tires siped on my 91 mustang and 2001 Ford Explorer Sport. Last Nov. when going to have my studded tires put on the Explorer, hit black ice and totalled the SUV. Bought a 2000 Chevy Blazer and in May when I had the studded tires taken off I asked about siping the tires they were re-installing. Was told there wasn't enough tread. So I bought new Toyo 800 Ultra Premium Touring tires and was told by tire shop that they did not need siping. Recently went to that same tire shop chain in a different state for rotation and was told they DID NEED siping. HELP, are they just trying to get more $$. Thanks! Gigi1
Ive got a 92 Nissan 300zx w/ 44k miles. It has required frequent re-balancing of its new (sep 04) Bridgeston RE950 tires ... even tho to date the tires only have 3500 miles on them (car is stored winters). Last fall, I put Stillen front brake rotors & pads on the car after Firestone chomped down on the newly turned rotors and screwed them up when installing these Bridgestone tires. I noticed that the tires were one year old in date made before thaey got installed. Is there something wrong with these tires? The dealer is saying that its normal, just the car, driver etc etc but nothing substantive to explain the situation. thanks for any help you can offer.
I think the only flaws in this line of thinking are this:
1) The placard pressure should be considered a lower limit. That way you will always have the load carrying capacity the vehicle manufacturer intended. I think this is a smarter way than to go add air every time you add a few passengers or luggage.
2) Infared Thermometers will read the surface temperature, which might not be a good indicator of the internal temperature of the tire. Cooling of the surface can occur very quickly and you might not get a good reading.
3) Driving in a straight line is going to emphasize the centerline tempertures and since most tire wear occurs in cornering (because of slip angle), you might be tempted to reduce your inflation pressure to get an even temp, then discover the shoulders are wearing a little quicker than you thought.
4) Driving in a straight line might also emphasize the camber of the tire causing youto think you need to readjust it. However, when you go around a curve the camber will change and might flatten out so the tire has a more even contact with the road surface - just another possibility of getting misleading information.
A couple of weeks ago I tore open the sidewall on my front tire. After some research, I found a local place to replace and shave the new tire to match the other 1/2 worn Pirellis on my Tahoe. So far so good--plug for 5 Point tire in Redwood City, CA, they seem to know what they are doing.
Yesterday, I gouged a chunk out of the sidewall of my rear tire--it is still holding air. Should I replace it? Is there a rule of thumb for replacing a tire due to sidewall damage, e.g. if it is deeper than x% or wider than y inches?
(PS: Why do people have sharp things sticking out of their curbs?)
I wonder if you are experiencing flat-spotting of the tires?? How long is the car parked? It would no tbe uncommon to get flat spots (even overnight in some cases, and also weather dependent) but any vibration should go away after you drive on the tires for a while unless the flatspotting is severe and permanent (like a car parked for the winter).
One of the tires on our vehicle seems to lose 2-3 psi per day. This is quite annoying, as I am forced to add air to the tire every 2-3 days to keep it in a safe zone. The vehicle, and the wheels, have 113,000 miles on them. The tires have 61,000 miles on them.
In situations like this, what is typically causing the air pressure loss - the wheel, or the tire? My dad's mechanic told him it was the wheels, not the tires, on his old Subaru Legacy that caused those tires to lose air so quickly. Something about oxidation of the alloy wheels or something. He was constantly adding air to all 4 tires.
Whatever it is there is obviously something wrong. I have had both steelies and alloy past 250k and no air leakage as you describe. So unless your tires are actually 113k miles old the most likely culprit is the wheels be they steelie or alloy.
Take a bucket of water with a sponge or towel. Put lots of dishwashing soap in it. Sponge it over the tire, around the bead, around the valve stem and on the end of the valve stem.
If you're leaking that fast, you should see bubbles wherever the leak is. One likely place is the rubber valve stem if it wasn't put in new when the tires were replaced. I skipped the new valve stems and later had a leak as the rubber aged.
Re winter storage & flatspotting... Most of the vibration is gone after a tire balance, then returns/ worsens again. As to storage, I do run the car every 3 weeks in the winter for at least 45 min. at speed , fairly religiously, to avoid misc. problems developing ... assuming I can find a road clear of ice/salt. If weekend weather is good, it goes out more! But some vibration has staid with me despite a new driveshaft (frozen cv joints),turned f/r rotors, new fr.rotors & f/r pads, alignment, multiple (4) tire balances, etc. All suspension work was done in Aug & Sep 03 by Goodyear, an alignment/brake specialty shop, and Firestone dealer. I rebalanced in Oct, then left problem to deal with in Spring... etc. Unfortunately, problem is still here!
I finally replaced the OEM Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus tires on our 99 Acura 2.3 CL after 71,600 miles with BFGoodrich Traction T/A H. Wow! what a difference! The new tires are quieter in both road and impact noise, corner better, and are much better in the rain. I wish I had replaced them long ago. I'm such a cheapskate, however, I ran the Michelins down to the wear bars. I can't complain about the tread life, but nothing else is above average in the OEM tires.
As you get more mileage on the BFG Traction T/A-H, I would be interesting in hearing your take. This tire has been identified as a real performer in the category for the VW Jetta TDI. it also looks adaptable to the Honda Civic.
"The new tires are quieter in both road and impact noise" If you had replaced the worn tires with the OEM tires, you probably would notice a drastic reduction in noise, and improved traction. The wear slowly changes the original tires. It's a slow process so we don't realize how much change there is. I currently have 70K on X-Ones and I notice they're much noisier than they used to be. They are harder. There's not as much tread depth to absorb the impacts, so all gets transmitted to the carcass and to the car. The higher ridge of rubber gives better with side thrust so it maintains contact with the road better. The shorter ridge of rubber tends to scrub sideways and doesn't have the flex to stick to the contact point.
Flat spotting does seem to be the cause, but here are a couple of thoughts:
If you are running the vehicle once every 3 weeks, I hope you aren't driving fast or hard. This heats up the tires, which promotes flatspotting - unless you allow everything to cool down gradually - which means a long time at slow speeds. Or you could allow the tires to cool for 15 minutes then move the car forward 1 foot. This creates 2 small flatspots instead of 1 large one.
There are a lot of sources for wheel end vibrations: tires, mounting, brake rotors, bearings, etc. Individually, they might not be a problem, but if each is added together, the acculative effect may be enough to exceed the threshold of sensitivity.
Another way to say this is: Things may be so bad, that any additional problem pushes it over the edge. Fix one of the problems, like balancing the wheels, and it gets better, but just even not to be sensed. It looks like you're going to have to find out if there are additional sources to really eliminate the problem completely.
There are ways to improve the sensitivity of the vehicle, but those are usually counterproductive for handling - for example softer bushings.
Do you have aftermarket wheels? These generally do not pilot on the hub and a little eccentric mounting can really develop a vibration. Then every time the wheels get taken off, they are put back in a different place.
bluedevils...If you have 60K+ miles on the wheel and tire combination I would bet you have some corrosion or oxidation between the wheel and the sealing surface of the tire. This is very common if the wheel and tire has been through a few winters. Salt and moisture work their way into the bead of the tire and the rims will corrode, pushing the rubber away from the rim and causing a leak. The only "fix" is to have the tire dismounted, clean off the rim at the bead area, and remount the tire. Probably will cost about $20 to $30 / tire to do it. Been there, done that.
Thanks. This seems to be what my dad's mechanic was telling him regarding his old Subaru. Yes, our Trooper has 3 salt-filled Michigan winters on the current wheel/tire combo.
$20-30/tire seems somewhat steep and almost not worth it on tires that already are at least half worn. I am hoping to bring the truck to Discount Tire tomorrow to see what they say about all this.
Would the same condition exist if I put new tires on the vehicle without doing anything to the wheels?
Probably not worth doing with tires that old. The cost is in the labor in breaking the bead loose from the rim, inspecting the bead seating area for corrosion and buffing it out if there is some. Then they have to reseat the bead and balance the tire. If you put new tires on those rims, let the installer know that they have been leaking around the bead and maybe they can clean them up a little before mounting the new tires. If there is active corrosion on the rim, the leak will eventually come back, but not for a couple of years. Depends on how bad the corrosion is. I've seen some where the seating surface is too pitted to seal. I've had those leak problems before and when they install new tires, the rubber is a little more forgiving and combined with the tire guy buffing up the bead area of the rim, and using that soap solution they use when mounting tires, it seems to hold OK. I drive enough miles/year that I usually don't have tires more than 2 or 3 years and I usually get rid of them before they get down to the wear bars, far less than 60K miles.
I just recently bought a used set of aluminum rims for snow tires on for my wifes Legacy and they were factory painted on the inside. That looks like a good way to prevent that corrosion from starting. The rims were off a 98 Legacy GT and had been in winter conditions, and they looked clean on the inside, no corrosion.
This is excellent information. Thanks for the help. I will print your posts to have them handy when I visit the tire shop.
My parents' Legacy was a 1995 LS, so presumably their rims were NOT factory-painted on the inside.
The longevity of these Michelin LTX M/S tires seems to be a two-edged sword. The vehicle logs about 20k miles a year, so you'd think the tires would be worn out by 3 years or so. But these tires still have 7/32" - 8/32" remaining on all 4.
I'd like to take a quick poll for those who have experience on either of these tires. First of all, it's my wife's so comfort(quiet) is on the top of her list. I do drive it occasionally, so performance would be second and finally longevity. Price range less than $150.
If there are other tires that I should consider, do let me know.
We just replaced the factory Continental ContiSports (at 20k) with the Bridgestone RE750 from Tire Rack on our 2002 530i with the sport package etc.. With almost 2k miles we can say that they are quiet, better handling, great in the rain and will probably last at least 5k more than the Continentals. Plus they were $153 each.
225/55R17's are mostly high performance tires - H speed rated and higher - while 225/60R16's can be S rated all season tires. Completely different animals.
Comments
Steve, Host
By the way the Michelin Harmony 205/70/15 on my wife's CRV shows a maximum air pressure of 35 psi so although the majority of tires may have a maximum air pressure of 44 neither of the vehicles in my garage fit this mold.
Oh, I thought that was renamed "we beat dead horses and process horse meat". "
Disagreement is quite alright! However, when I ask several times for the others point of view/verfication or how he sees I can do better, the berating occurs. So yes you are right, there is berating occurring. Evidently for the one doing the berating there seems to be little if any informational exchange. Another poster (who I don't know from Adam) has also indicated that the question he asked him is also not being answered.
I also would hope that in the disagreement or exchange of ideas, I can come away with something of value. Perhaps I am expecting too much?
For your Accord with the aftermarket tires and wheels - 38 front / 37 rear. Sorry about the error I made. Zigged when I should have zagged!
For your CRV - Since this is a Japanese vehicle, I think the placard inflation is good, however a couple of extra psi is not a bad thing.
Hope this helps.
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
According to this calculator, there is only 1 revolution difference between the two at 1 mile. So my take is this is about as close as it gets!
Given the design parameters of the tire and the side wall pressure on your after market tire of 44 psi, I would be inclined to say 36-38 front with 34-36 (1 to 2 #s less) in the rear. The reason for the departure in the rear is the Accord by virtue of the massive understeer due to front wear drive, front engine will tend to understeer a bit less if you put 1-2 #s less in the rear. Since you have already by virtual of hitting the SL/standard load tp of 35 psi you won't have to worry at all about "under inflation" So if 38F/36R is too stiff for riding comfort, deviate by app -2#'s and see how that affects your SOTP's.
I also have a 2004 Honda Civic. I have the owner's manual "100 mph tp". Even without out that pressure, compared to my other cars the Civic has a more "nervous" ride than say the VW Jetta. But at cruising speeds it is very solid.
My 185/70/14 Honda Civic also has 51 psi. I departed from the 43 psi for it seemed that anything above 38 psi was in fact punishing. So while the owner's manual gives 35f/35 R for the 100 mph inflation pressure, I actually run between 36-38 F and 34-36 rear. Since I have less than 2k miles on it, I will keep you informed of the progress.
Capriracer is a tire guru, and I just sold them and raced on them and can only speak from personal experience.
I would disregard the OEM recommendations, simply because you're not using the OEM setup any longer. Bump your pressures to 35-36 psi and monitor your tire wear closely - of course, if your "treadometer" shows center line wear, adjust pressure down; the opposite for outer edge wear.
When racing autocross or hillclimb on hot street tires, on a FWD car, I use 40-45 front and 38-40 rear to minimize roll in, painting the sidewall with white marks to check the amount of roll in, and adjusting pressures up or down to compensate.
OEM's are 101S@ 44PSI
Replacement tires is 103H @ 51 PSI 225-70-16
Car is a 02 Highlander; Placcard specifies 30 psi.
Where does one obtain the load table?
BUT THAT'S WHY I'M HERE!!!
Your OEM tires had a P in front of the size (The letters are important!). This indicates a TRA based standard.
The replacement don't have a P in front, indicting an ETRTO based standard.
Since the load index went up you should be able to go down in inflation pressure and still maintain the same load. HOWEVER, the load tables are shaped differently between TRA and ETRTO, the net effect of which is that at lower pressures, ETRTO has lower loads compared to TRA.
So, this means you need to use a slightly higher inflation pressure to be technically accurate. (We're talking 2 psi!) But for practical purposes, it's the same.
Since you've got a Japanese vehicle,the pressure specified probably has lots of reserve capacity. On the other hand, it is an SUV. So my recommendation would be to either use the same inflation (30 psi) or a bit more. (say 32).
Hope this helps.
Welcome to my world!!
I have decided to go with 35/34 psi and to monitor my treadwear religously which means I now need to purchase a new tool to measure treadwear....nothing like a good excuse to buy a new tool. This is 3 psi below your recommendation, 2 psi below driftracer's recommendation, 5 above Connor at the TireRack's recommendation, and quite a bit below Ruking1's 85% rule.
I am still amazed that everyone recommends a fairly similar psi for a stock size replacement tire but change the wheel size, load rating, and maximum allowable air pressure and the recommendations are all over the map.
I actually have a Sienna with 205/70R15 Nokian WR's. I put them at 35psi, as recommended by the tire shop. Is this OK?
Now that you have selected your psi point of departure, a tire depth gauage, tire pressure gauge and even something as low tech as blackboard chalk, plus your SOTP's can help to further fine tune your measurements. Measurement is important for it lets you know are you really getting what you set out to get!?
SOTP's is pretty important for performance, satisfaction or lack there of usually comes from this perception and not necessarily the objective numbers. Of course perceptions can be all over the map.
Anyone, can you sipe tires that have 14,000 miles on them?
Steve, Host
Side note - these WR's are awesome! Nice and grippy even in the rain, and on freezing rain.
I can't wait until winter to really test them!
Because you are potentially messing with your well being, do not do a high speed run on a "under inflated tire"
The tire shop says that any tire with 5/32 or more tread left on it can be siped.
(the last time I lived 24/7 in winter conditions was upstate New York 1974-1976)
Last fall, I put Stillen front brake rotors & pads on the car after Firestone chomped down on the newly turned rotors and screwed them up when installing these Bridgestone tires. I noticed that the tires were one year old in date made before thaey got installed.
Is there something wrong with these tires? The dealer is saying that its normal, just the car, driver etc etc but nothing substantive to explain the situation.
thanks for any help you can offer.
1) The placard pressure should be considered a lower limit. That way you will always have the load carrying capacity the vehicle manufacturer intended. I think this is a smarter way than to go add air every time you add a few passengers or luggage.
2) Infared Thermometers will read the surface temperature, which might not be a good indicator of the internal temperature of the tire. Cooling of the surface can occur very quickly and you might not get a good reading.
3) Driving in a straight line is going to emphasize the centerline tempertures and since most tire wear occurs in cornering (because of slip angle), you might be tempted to reduce your inflation pressure to get an even temp, then discover the shoulders are wearing a little quicker than you thought.
4) Driving in a straight line might also emphasize the camber of the tire causing youto think you need to readjust it. However, when you go around a curve the camber will change and might flatten out so the tire has a more even contact with the road surface - just another possibility of getting misleading information.
Hope this helps.
Yesterday, I gouged a chunk out of the sidewall of my rear tire--it is still holding air. Should I replace it? Is there a rule of thumb for replacing a tire due to sidewall damage, e.g. if it is deeper than x% or wider than y inches?
(PS: Why do people have sharp things sticking out of their curbs?)
Craig
In situations like this, what is typically causing the air pressure loss - the wheel, or the tire? My dad's mechanic told him it was the wheels, not the tires, on his old Subaru Legacy that caused those tires to lose air so quickly. Something about oxidation of the alloy wheels or something. He was constantly adding air to all 4 tires.
Take a bucket of water with a sponge or towel. Put lots of dishwashing soap in it. Sponge it over the tire, around the bead, around the valve stem and on the end of the valve stem.
If you're leaking that fast, you should see bubbles wherever the leak is. One likely place is the rubber valve stem if it wasn't put in new when the tires were replaced. I skipped the new valve stems and later had a leak as the rubber aged.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
It's a '92...
struts/shocks?
bent wheel?
out of alignment?
road force balance needed?
Steve, Host
Most of the vibration is gone after a tire balance, then returns/ worsens again.
As to storage, I do run the car every 3 weeks in the winter for at least 45 min. at speed , fairly religiously, to avoid misc. problems developing ... assuming I can find a road clear of ice/salt. If weekend weather is good, it goes out more!
But some vibration has staid with me despite a new driveshaft (frozen cv joints),turned f/r rotors, new fr.rotors & f/r pads, alignment, multiple (4) tire balances, etc. All suspension work was done in Aug & Sep 03 by Goodyear, an alignment/brake specialty shop, and Firestone dealer. I rebalanced in Oct, then left problem to deal with in Spring... etc. Unfortunately, problem is still here!
If you had replaced the worn tires with the OEM tires, you probably would notice a drastic reduction in noise, and improved traction. The wear slowly changes the original tires. It's a slow process so we don't realize how much change there is.
I currently have 70K on X-Ones and I notice they're much noisier than they used to be. They are harder. There's not as much tread depth to absorb the impacts, so all gets transmitted to the carcass and to the car.
The higher ridge of rubber gives better with side thrust so it maintains contact with the road better. The shorter ridge of rubber tends to scrub sideways and doesn't have the flex to stick to the contact point.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
If you are running the vehicle once every 3 weeks, I hope you aren't driving fast or hard. This heats up the tires, which promotes flatspotting - unless you allow everything to cool down gradually - which means a long time at slow speeds. Or you could allow the tires to cool for 15 minutes then move the car forward 1 foot. This creates 2 small flatspots instead of 1 large one.
There are a lot of sources for wheel end vibrations: tires, mounting, brake rotors, bearings, etc. Individually, they might not be a problem, but if each is added together, the acculative effect may be enough to exceed the threshold of sensitivity.
Another way to say this is: Things may be so bad, that any additional problem pushes it over the edge. Fix one of the problems, like balancing the wheels, and it gets better, but just even not to be sensed. It looks like you're going to have to find out if there are additional sources to really eliminate the problem completely.
There are ways to improve the sensitivity of the vehicle, but those are usually counterproductive for handling - for example softer bushings.
Do you have aftermarket wheels? These generally do not pilot on the hub and a little eccentric mounting can really develop a vibration. Then every time the wheels get taken off, they are put back in a different place.
Hope this helps.
$20-30/tire seems somewhat steep and almost not worth it on tires that already are at least half worn. I am hoping to bring the truck to Discount Tire tomorrow to see what they say about all this.
Would the same condition exist if I put new tires on the vehicle without doing anything to the wheels?
I just recently bought a used set of aluminum rims for snow tires on for my wifes Legacy and they were factory painted on the inside. That looks like a good way to prevent that corrosion from starting. The rims were off a 98 Legacy GT and had been in winter conditions, and they looked clean on the inside, no corrosion.
My parents' Legacy was a 1995 LS, so presumably their rims were NOT factory-painted on the inside.
The longevity of these Michelin LTX M/S tires seems to be a two-edged sword. The vehicle logs about 20k miles a year, so you'd think the tires would be worn out by 3 years or so. But these tires still have 7/32" - 8/32" remaining on all 4.
Fuzion ZRi or Pirelli Pzero Nero M+S.
I'd like to take a quick poll for those who have experience on either of these tires. First of all, it's my wife's so comfort(quiet) is on the top of her list. I do drive it occasionally, so performance would be second and finally longevity. Price range less than $150.
If there are other tires that I should consider, do let me know.
TIA!!
They have the same overall dimensions, bu the 16" actually has more rubber!
Is it just because they don't sell as many? Or because they figured they can get away with it since people with 17" wheels are used to paying more?
225/55R17's are mostly high performance tires - H speed rated and higher - while 225/60R16's can be S rated all season tires. Completely different animals.