Tire inflation question

Greetings,

I have a '99 Miata with "Starfire" tires. Are these the originals for this model? The reason I ask is that the Miata owner's manual states that the tires should be inflated to 26 lbs/sq. in. The tires, however, state "44 p.s.i max".

Which figure do I use?

Cheers,

Jon

Reply to
J.G. Ballard
Loading thread data ...

Use the 26 psi #, that's what my 02 SE calls for. I think the "max" number is an ABSOLUTE MAX. Last year the oil change place pumped mine up to the 40psi max listed on the side of the tire. I noticed it right away and bleed them down to

26 immediately, then called the quick lube and reamed them out.

26 is safe.

-jay

Reply to
Opua

NO ! 44 psi is not the inflation pressure ! That is a max. design pressure. 26 psi to about 32 psi is what you want. It depends on how you drive and how "soft" a ride you want. Many drivers like about 29 to

  1. I don't think "Srarfire" came on anything from a factory ! I think someone made a change for you. Be careful with them ! They may not be a performance tire ! If they are too hard, they will scare the crap out of you !!!!!!!

Bruce RED '91

Reply to
BRUCE HASKIN

Hmmm, My speedometer shows 140 mph max. however state law says that I should drive between 45 and 65 mph on highways. "Which figure do I use?"

Now seriously:

44 psi is good only while You autocross or drift. Personally 28 - 31 psi is what I like. Less = too soft, more = too "bumpy" on surrounding streets. Try different settings, choose what You like.

Kempi '01 silver,IL

Reply to
Kempi

No, they're cheap, no-name replacements.

The "max" number is the pressure beyond which the tire might fail (possibly catastrophically) due to overinflation. It's not a recommendation, it's a warning. Use 26-30 psi depending on your personal compromise of comfort versus performance.

Reply to
Lanny Chambers

Many thanks for all of the responses. They just confirm what I had expected already. I put a little over 30 PSI in them and prefer it to the (admittedly) under-inflated state they where in.

Oh, and BTW, "starfires" aren't no-named! They're made by Cooper! ;-)

Jon

Reply to
J.G. Ballard

Reply to
Lanny Chambers

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.