[Roadsters] Tire questions

[John F Sandhoff]

It was asked:
> can someone respond to tire pressure recommendation?

And one suggestion was:
> How about the pressure they wrote on the side of the tire

The pressure listed on the sidewall is the absolute maximum
pressure that should never be exceeded (measured on a cold tire).
In typical use the desired pressure will be notably lower.

If the pressure it too high over time you will wear the tread in
the middle of the footprint ('cause the tire bulges out), and the
ride will be very hard ('cause the sidewalls don't flex). Steering
may feel 'jittery' (my term) because there's a reduced contact
patch on the road. Good gas mileage, though.

If the pressure it too low over time you will wear the tread on the
edges of the footprint and the ride will be mushy. Steering will
feel heavy. Gas mileage suffers, and you risk catastrophic tire
failure because the sidewall will flex too much, causing internal
heat and wear.

-- John
     John F Sandhoff   sandhoff at csus.edu   Sacramento, CA