Tire Pressure

I just put a new set of Michelin Harmonies on my 2004 Taurus.

The tires have a max PSI of 44 listed on the sidewall.

Ford recommends a max PSI of 30 for tires on this car.

How much pressure should I use in practice? Car typically doesn't haul any heavy loads.

TIA

Reply to
Tire Guy
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Go with the Ford recommendation (whatever's on the door post.) SC Tom

Reply to
SC Tom

"Tire Guy" wrote in news:45OdnXgrrdp snipped-for-privacy@adelphia.com:

ARE you SURE the Ford listing is MAX tire pressure? There's a big difference.

The Tire listing means exactly that. The tiremaker knows the design limits of the tire.. but he has no idea for certain what vehicle it might be used on.

The Car Mfr recommends the best pressure for load, economy/wear and handling. And has NO way of knowing what aftermarket tire MAX might be.

HOWEVER - as you may know, different tire designs may handle differently and work/ride/wear better at slightly higher or lower pressure so it should be used as a general guide.

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic

Backyard Mechanic wrote in news:Xns96DFD2E89135Bpettyfogery@207.115.63.158:

Hmmm... just happened to think..maybe that's why tires have a speed rating code instead of actually just LISTING the speed limitations, eg

130MPH.. ;)
Reply to
Backyard Mechanic

What? Where the hell does Ford recommend 30psi? Go with what the tires say,

44psi, or, of course, you can always just blow a tire and die if you like.

Brad

Reply to
BradandBrooks

Ford designed the automobile, therefore they know what pressure is required (they depend on quality tires, unlike the Firestones a few years ago). The max pressure listed on the tire is just that - the maximum psi that can safely be used. The tire manufacturer does not care about the handling or ride comfort. Go with the Ford recommendation.

Reply to
mcalister

This is a terrible recommendation. Assuming the new tires are of the same size and load rating as were supplied on the car, you should follow the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation. Michelin has the following to say (see

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): "Recommended Pressure

"Always inflate your tires to the recommended pressure listed by your vehicle's manufacturer. This information can be found in the owner's manual and often on a placard located in the vehicle's door jamb, inside the fuel hatch, or on the glove compartment door."

This is a recommendation for US drivers. P Series tires with a 44 psi recommendation are not rated to carry a higher load than other P series tires of the same size with the same load rating which may only have a 35 psi maximum pressure rating . The higher maximum pressure is to allow vehicle manufacturers to recommend higher pressures for higher speeds. The spec sheet for Harmony tires includes the following additional recommendation

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"For high-speed driving, additional inflation pressure and possibly reduced tire loading and/or upsizing is required. In the absence of specific recommendations by the vehicle manufacturer, use the following guidelines based on those in the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organization Standards Manual.

For speeds over 160 km/h (100 mph), load and inflation must be adjusted according to the table below. S-Speed Rated Sizes: Maximum Speed (mph) 100 106 112 Inflation Increase (psi) 0.0 1.0 2.0 Load Capacity (% of max.) 100 100 100 T-Speed Rated Sizes: Maximum Speed (mph) 100 106 112 118 Inflation Increase (psi) 0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 Load Capacity (% of max.) 100 100 100 100

Of course, since US speed limits are much less than 100 mph, these recommendation in theory only apply to certain European countries (Germany).

Regards,

Ed White

Reply to
C. E. White

Tire Pressure Group: alt.autos.ford Date: Wed, Sep 28, 2005, 3:11pm From: snipped-for-privacy@guy.org (Tire=A0Guy) I just put a new set of Michelin Harmonies on my 2004 Taurus. The tires have a max PSI of 44 listed on the sidewall. Ford recommends a max PSI of 30 for tires on this car. How much pressure should I use in practice? Car typically doesn't haul any heavy loads. TIA

Reply to
Eric Toline

tires get hot and pressure raises. you dont want to put 44psi in a cold tire then drive it and have the pressure raise to 55psi. on the door it will say what is recomended, use that. then you can play with it alittle to get the comfort you want (+-3-5psi)

Reply to
xmirage2kx

For tires pressures are "When Cold", so what the pressure rises to when hot is not really part of the equation.

FYI: My 2005 F-450's tires are filled to 95 PSI as per both the tire sidewall and the Ford door plate.

Reply to
351CJ

What's an F-450?

Reply to
Michael

FYI: My 2005 F-450's tires are filled to 95 PSI as per both the tire sidewall and the Ford door plate.

What's an F-450?

Reply to
Eric Toline

It is an F-350 Superduty on steroids... Same sized truck body with massively larger frame springs brakes & axels...

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Reply to
351CJ

Reply to
351CJ

What? ARe you saying to run a 44psi tire on 30psi? BLOWOUT ahead! Like I asked, WHERE has Ford said A taurus must run 30psi? Maybe on the stock tires... are these stock? I doubt it.

Sorry man.

Brad

Reply to
BradandBrooks

So, you are saying Ford put a 44psi tire on a car that they recommend run

30psi? (Does this car have a 60mph limiter on it?)

Are you guys crazy? Do you know what happens to severely underinflated tires at highway speed. Try it for a while. PS: wear your seatbelt, you're going to need it.

Again, would someone show me WHERE does Ford say to put 30psi in a 44psi tire? Please, explain. The original poster has no idea what he is talking about, and neither do you guys. No offence.

Brad

Reply to
BradandBrooks

Tires do not increase 14psi in hot weather, so run 30 in a 44. Holy, this news group is insane. And you people offer advice? On a 44psi tire, I would run 41 to 42 psi year round. 2 to 3 psi increase is about what you can expect in hot weather. Maybe 5 max if it is really hot.

Brad

Reply to
BradandBrooks

AH, a sane man. The plate matches the tire. No shit! Listen to this man. Ford says 30 and the tire is 44? Are you all crazy?

Brad

Reply to
BradandBrooks

I just checked the sidewall info on the Bridgestone Potenza G009

215x60x15 tires on my 99 Taurus.

Plain as day it says _never exceed 44 psi_. The Ford sticker on the doorjam says reccomended pressure is 32psi measured cold. I run with

35psi because the 215x60 is a plus size and I prefer a slightly firmer ride.

Eric

Reply to
Eric Toline

Again, would someone show me WHERE does Ford say to put 30psi in a 44psi tire? Please, explain. The original poster has no idea what he is talking about, and neither do you guys. No offence. Brad

Reply to
Eric Toline

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