Tyre pressure

[ben]

wouldnt the reduction in sidewall stiffness in a lower pressure tyre (and therefore negative effects on handling) cancel out any benefits in grip? (unless you are merely talking about in a straight line)...

[schoona]

Lower pressure. Higher straight line grip, poor lateral movement in cornering from sidewall movement and exessive wear, poor steering feel etc.. Not that 205/55s aree going to be great for steering feel, but relatively speaking...

He has a brand new car, he has a manual. Should just read that, every car is different, hence applying say 28psi from a mazda 3 (a small hatchback) to a 118tsi (a small hatchback) may not work, it may be 32psi.

[MIRSAD]

Hi all
Just wondering what is the right /optimum tyre pressure for 16" 205/55?
I got a mk6 118tsi.
I was checking the existing tyre pressure from a gas station to see if I had to fill in, but was surprised to see when it showed 34 or 35 Psi reading! I believe the last time, it was filled by VW dealer/service centre. I then lowered it to 32 psi.

Just open 118TSI Fuel tank cap ... and it is there ... tyre pressure for 2 people (low load)... and for 4 people with luggage.

[flappa]

I wouldn't trust a service station gauge, even the fancy digital ones. Seen substantial differences when compared to a race gauge.

[GTi Crow]

Buy your own gauge and a hand/foot pump. Tyres should only be checked when the car has not been driven for a while and the tyres are cold - preferrably first thing in the morning before you drive anywhere. That way you will have consistent readings.

[number 2]

Depends what your doing i recon. On my car i like about 38psi, the max for the tyre is 44. So that allows a bit for heat-expansion etc. I like the higher pressure for better fuel econ becuase im mainly highway.

On a side note, how many km do most get from their tyres?
I have stock tyres bridgestone they are. I am at 71,000km and still have 1.5-2mm tread before their illegal.

[hooba]

On a side note, how many km do most get from their tyres?
I have stock tyres bridgestone they are. I am at 71,000km and still have 1.5-2mm tread before their illegal.

What brand and size of tyres are you running? Even for non-performance rubber, 71,000kms is impressive.

I agree with you, I prefer to have my tyre pressure slightly higher than recommended.

[Corey_R]

He did say he was mostly highway milage though - so 71k could be what you'd expect from a tyre that you'd normally get around 40k around the suburbs?!

[number 2]

I thought they were bridgestone but their Goodyear. 195/65R15 91V, Eagle NCT 5. Cars allways tracked well and had a wheel alignment 11,000km ago and balance. I wanted at least 80,000km from the tires looks like im gunna get it. I do mostly highway driving. Wheels get rotated every service, but i guess thats pretty standard ?

Is this a lot of km compared to urban vehicles? 40,000 isnt very many id be looking into that. These are the tyres that came with the car new so... Id like to try a bigger tyre next to see if that helps. Would be nice to bring the revs down a little on the higher speeds.

Ha ha. Just checked the specs of the tyre, the V stands for a max speed of 240km/h lol.

[Rocket36]

Just remember when you find out the right tyre pressure, to make the left tyre pressure the same...

[schoona]

Just remember when you find out the right tyre pressure, to make the left tyre pressure the same...

Terrible but i'll pay it lol

[Rocket36]

Yeah my scary fart comment was the funniest! I didn't even remember posting it until I saw it the next day cause I was that drunk after a night at the Belgian Beer Cafe! LOL

[schoona]

It's up there mate! Pissa haha

[cube_3]

I run my tyres at 30 or 31 PSI since its just one person in the car 90% of the time. I do about 60% Highway and 40% Suburbs on the way to work and cover 100Kms a day. I got just over 80,000Kms on my first set of tyres and could have got an extra few thousand before hitting the wear indicator. Guess what, I had the exact same tyres: Goodyear. 195/65R15 91V, Eagle NCT 5. Awesome tyre for longevity, so much so I bought them again!

[moniker]

I hope you mean 30 / 31 PSI as 30 or so KPA would be very flat

Personally I have always run around 34 PSI or higher, in fact running about 36 at the moment (17" 'sports pack' wheels on a 103 TDI - Bridgestones)
Actually the ride / handling seems pretty good at that pressure