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Street tire pressures

I run mine at 32 on the street.
 
In general, I always run the highest pressure rated on the tire. If you can see more tire wear in the middle of the tire, decrease pressure. Every tire I've ever seen wore out on the outides. It also gives you extra protection from pothole blowout.
 
General rule:
higher pressure = more stable(stiffer) sidewall.
higher pressure = less contact patch on the pavement.

To adjust pressure for maximum contact patch and most even wear on the tires:
Get some kids drawing chalk and mark a thick line across your tread. Drive it back and forth a few times(no cornering) and inspect the line. You are looking for the chalk to evenly wear off across the face of the tread.
Chalk wears off on the middle = overinflated for tire/rim/weight combo.
Chalk wears off edges = underinflated
Don't go above the max pressure listed on the sidewall, and don't be surprised if you come up with different pressures for the front and rear.
 
That sounds like a good idea, but if you drive hard, you will wear off the outside portion of your tread using that method. Especially on a front wheel drive car or minivan. Just look at the typical minivan front tires driven too hard by a soccer mom who's always late. They always wear off the outer regions of the tread. With rear engine Beetles, we ran 16PSI up front and 24PSI in the rear. On a front wheel drive car, I run the max on the tires for the front and 5 lbs less in the rear. Your chalk idea sounds cool, but you'll get more life from your tires (if you drive hard) if you pump them up a little more. The way to tell is by looking at your tire wear now. When I ran to factory recommendations, the outside always wore out first.
 
I was trying to give him a place to start.I do agree about checking tire wear. If, after a couple thousand miles, you see an irregular edge- or center- wear pattern, a pressure adjustment is called for.

Please don't take this as an insult winterbeater, but if I wanted to drive hard, I wouldn't drive my XJ. I kind of figure if the BFGs are making squealing noises, I'm probably doing something wrong.


(And who puts 33x12.50s on a minivan!:D)
 
33.27583
 
i run 40psi in my 235 bfg mt's, but it's a smaller tire so it's prolly expected, and i just dont see how that chalk line idea is accurate... i could see being far too low or much too high but if your within 15 lbs it should rear pretty close.
 
in your 235's id be running no more than 35psi and pretty much anything bigger 32-33. i only worked at tire stores for 6 years so thats just my .02
 
23-25 for me,33's on 8" rim ,seems to be my secret to tire tread life,or else I wear unevenly, I'll go 28-30 on road trips
 
higher the pressure = better the gas mileage. higher the pressure will also smoke the middle tread off the tires if too high and it will also ride like a rock.
 
Smittty9785 said:
in your 235's id be running no more than 35psi and pretty much anything bigger 32-33. i only worked at tire stores for 6 years so thats just my .02
Click to expand...

ive been reading on google that people reccomend about 32psi for the 235's and the tire stores did my tires up to 40psi, thats just where i've kept them... 32 is better for me anyways... just means i dont have to fill up as much after leaving the trail or dunes!

good lookin out smittty
 
anytime, i had to see people burning off tires for no reason. rubber is not cheap thats why i dont use em..im trying to get a F*** trophy.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I neglected to mention that my XJ spends very little time on the street. In fact, I just looked and I've put 1,100 miles on it since 2005! All but about 100 miles of that is off-road. I've just done some work to make it better to drive on the street and I'm going to take it on a 400 miles trip this weekend. Tire wear isn't really a concern. My aim is the best handling and stability. I think mine are at 35 psi right now (max cold pressure on the tires) and I'll probably leave it there and see how it does.

Thanks again!
 
1911Shooter said:
Thanks for the feedback. I neglected to mention that my XJ spends very little time on the street. In fact, I just looked and I've put 1,100 miles on it since 2005! All but about 100 miles of that is off-road. I've just done some work to make it better to drive on the street and I'm going to take it on a 400 miles trip this weekend. Tire wear isn't really a concern. My aim is the best handling and stability. I think mine are at 35 psi right now (max cold pressure on the tires) and I'll probably leave it there and see how it does.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

what size tires you running?
 
have 33x10.50

I run 30psi on road.
seems to work best for me.

BOB
 
I had 32" mud kings and ran them pretty much all the time under 20. I made sure the tire had a stable foot print. I drove them to and from FL (from WV) at this tire pressure and it handled fine. Maybe it was just that tire. I felt safe though. The high pressure (about 30) made the jeep ride like a rock, I mean you felt every little bump, and with the lower pressure the ride was more comfortable and handling was till ok.
If you don't usually drive on the street try around 20 and see what that gets you, no harm in trying different pressures on an afternoon drive.
 
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