Tyre pressures

My handbook specifies tyre pressures from 29 to 46, depending on load. Do Ford seriously expect me to deflate my tyres every time I use the car on my own, and re-inflate them when I load up with the family? Is there a happy medium I can set them at?

Reply to
Mike2
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What model and what size tyres have you got?

On my Zetec 5 door 1.8 i've tried many different pressures and find the best balance to be around 30psi front and 28rear. That is 99% driver only.

I would raise the back to around 31-32psi if you carry passengers or luggage reasonably regularly.

Remmeber the published figures are only a guide, and yes you should inflate for a full load and then deflate again when runnin light. If you had an accident and tyre pressures were found to be wayward the insurance company can and do refuse to pay out.

Tim..

Reply to
Tim (Remove NOSPAM.

Tim

The handbook figures for my 1.8 LX are 32psi front and rear. In the UK it is an offence to drive with wrongly inflated tyres. I have it on good authority (friendly traffic cop) that a 10% variation from maker's figures is enough to justify a prosecution, so I would imagine 28psi is a bit low.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

I have a '99 Zetec estate 1.6 (T reg).

Handbook specifies 29 front and rear for a 'normal load', (specified as 'up to three persons'), and 32 front, 46 rear fully loaded (defined as 'more than three persons').

I'm sure this is meant to be a range varied according to common sense: if you put 46 in the back with only four persons it defintely doesn't handle properly! When the vehicle was serviced by Ford it came back with pressures around the 36 mark (in the rear at any rate) - either the garage don't bother to check the correct pressures for each model they service, or they are used to usng a compromise setting within the range.

Reply to
Mike2

Please read my post immediately before this one.

Sorry I forgot to state the tyre size: 195/55 R15, but the handbook specifies 46 for the rear pressures on ALL tyre sizes for both saloon and estate, with the only different specification being for my tyre size in the front only: 29 for 'normal load' compared to 32 in the front for all of the others.

Reply to
Mike2

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