Tire pressure for best MPG ?

[huunvubu]

What Happens When You Drive On Overinflated Tires?

There are several areas of concern when it comes to driving your vehicle with tires that are overfilled with air.

Loss Of Traction And Reduced Braking

One of the biggest problems is going to be a loss of traction, particularly on wet pavement. Over inflation reduces the contact patch between the tire and the road. The result is worse traction, less grip and reduced braking performance. Wet roads only magnify the situation. Altogether, this can quickly become a recipe for disaster during an emergency maneuver.

Uneven Treadwear

The same traction and handling issues due to a much smaller contact patch will also create uneven treadwear. Since only the middle portion of the tire is making contact with the road surface, it only stands to reason that the middle of your tire is going to wear much quicker.

Decreased Ride Comfort

Driving on overinflated tires is somewhat similar to riding in a covered wagon. The ride is rough, jarring and unforgiving. The tire lacks the ability to absorb any of the impact from road imperfections because it is overinflated. Not good, unless visiting your chiropractor for a back adjustment is something you look forward to.

https://tirereviewsandmore.com/driving-on-overinflated-tires-is-it-dangerous

Sponsored

 

[huunvubu]

What tire pressure are you running ?

What is listed on the driver door frame. 35 PSI.

Just a FYI but the TPMS on my Maverick measures on the high side by about 2-3 PSI.

I have multiple digital and analog tire pressure gauges and they all measure the same 35 PSI I have in the tires. The TPMS measures 37-38 PSI.

 

[Edge Haley]

There is a reason all the Weather Services recommend reducing your tire pressure when driving thru SNOW. Only time I've ever hydroplaned was with overinflated tires.

Most experienced motorcycle riders carry an "air pump" so they can reduce tire air pressure on muddy, icy or snow covered roads and use their air pump to return the air pressure to recommend psi. Decreasing air pressure creates a wider tire patch surface to the road.

 

[Atisko]

Hydroplaning is easy, it is well-established that hydroplaning speed is directly affected by tire pressure.

https://mechanics.stackexchange.com...re-pressure-affect-susceptility-to-hydroplane

Wet snow acts similar to water, dryer snow gets complicated, because depth and other factors come into play.

More tire pressure results in a narrower contact patch, less pressure results in a wider contact patch. Which will help or hinder depends on the exact snow conditions.

http://racetrackdriving.com/tech/tire-review/snow-tires-wide-vs-narrow/

Many people choose to "minus size" their winter tires in order to narrow the contact patch.

https://m.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=126&

Note that I am not making a recommendation, just discussing the physics.

Read these articles-there’s a lot of different variables that could come to play&Probably would be good if these articles were peer reviewed…drive through a bunch of corners fast with your maverick psi at 33, then do it again at 50 psi,tell me how well you hold the corners in dry conditions which we have 90% a time, some people might do some very light dirt road situation, try the two different PSI running over a firm sandy beach, tell me what happens…

 

[BlueSnake77]

Always go by the tire pressure on the door sticker, not the max pressure on the tire itself. Remember also that the tire pressure increases as you drive from the friction between the tire and road surface. You inflate to max pressure on the tire ...say 51 lbs, and after driving for x amount of miles, the tire pressure WILL increase past that. I don't care what the tire guy says or Joe mechanic. Some of the "experts" don't know what they are talking about. I remember when the young Pep boys auto mechanic told me he used a breaker bar to tighten the lug nuts on his cars wheels. Uhhh yeah, right. Nice way to strip the threads. Or the time the dealer mechanic put the wrong weight oil in my car even though the oil weight was listed right on the filler cap? Etc. I always go by the door sticker. The proper way to check tire pressure is when the car has been driven less than 3 miles or hasn't been driven for 3 hours. Also use a good quality tire gauge. I like the dial type myself. The gauge built into the air hose at some gas stations can be notoriously inaccurate. I've gone by the door stickers and never had a problem with abnormal wear or exceeding the EPA MPG. Been driving since 1984, owned several cars and used to be a pretty good backyard mechanic. (don't have time now to work on my own cars). Over and under inflating will cause more tire wear and even the possibility of a blow out.

 

[Bushpilot]

Read these articles-there’s a lot of different variables that could come to play&Probably would be good if these articles were peer reviewed…drive through a bunch of corners fast with your maverick psi at 33, then do it again at 50 psi,tell me how well you hold the corners in dry conditions which we have 90% a time, some people might do some very light dirt road situation, try the two different PSI running over a firm sandy beach, tell me what happens…

You are certainly correct that in some conditions the tires behave differently than in others. I am not sure why you bring up my quote when you talk about those other conditions.

I only spoke to the physics of hydroplaning and snow, and never made any recommendations regarding tire pressures; there are (as you suggest) too many variables at play.

However, the physics of hydroplaning are clear and well-established. Higher PSI is better.

 

[Sjbuck2021]

Your going to beat the crap out of your suspension and yourself over inflating. Don't do it.

 

[fbov]

I assume you're trying to save money?

Keep in mind, higher than "normal" air pressures will make the center of the tire crown out towards the road. This will reduce rolling resistance, but will also reduce contact patch and reduce traction. This will resullt in faster tire wear too, which will negate any fuel savings.

All true, save for the bolded parts.

Is MPG > than Safety? I mean MFG determines the tire pressure for optimal use,... Push the limits and you may hurt yourself or some one else that happens to be around you when things literally start going sideways.

What Happens When You Drive On Overinflated Tires?

Loss Of Traction And Reduced Braking

Uneven Treadwear

Decreased Ride Comfort

False
False
True

But why would you overinflate your tires?

Most experienced motorcycle riders carry an "air pump" so they can reduce tire air pressure on muddy, icy or snow covered roads and use their air pump to return the air pressure to recommend. Decreasing air pressure creates a wider tire patch surface to the road.

Floatation doesn't work in snow. This is sand-thinking.

 

[huunvubu]

All true, save for the bolded parts.



False
False
True

But why would you overinflate your tires?

Floatation doesn't work in snow. This is sand-thinking.

So much misinformation in this post it is not even worth correcting.

 

[999]

Pump em up to 48 psi. See how it goes. Watch for accelerated tire wear in the center of the tire.

 

[fbov]

I've yet to see anyone quote the sidewall correctly. They all say the same thing: "XXX lb. @ YY psi"

The safety nuts ought to tell you that underinflation is the killer (look up Firestone and Ford Explorer), because it's critical to have tires that can safely carry the vehicle. If you put 30 psi in a tire rated at 50 psi, your true load capacity is much lower than the tire's rating.

The Maverick is a truck so tires are rated for high load. My OE tires were rated at 41 psi. The true load capacity at 33 psi will be much higher than on a tire rated for the same load at 51 psi. This is the only really BIG issue.

The rest are secondary questions. Note that "high" pressure is near the tire rating, "low" pressure is near the mfr. spec.

Folks who think high pressure kills traction have never had their cars on a race track. The first thing you do is "air-up" so you won't drive on the sidewall (and potentially lose air, dig the rim and roll the car). Keeping the shiny side up is important. I've run special tires that only needed 24 psi to perform, but that was not a passenger tire.

Folks who think high pressure kills tire life haven't driven belted radials. I started autocrossing in 1980, and 40 years of elevated pressures haven't hurt my tires. It does make rotation important, so you keep the edges level with the center.

Folks who "air-down" in snow get stuck. Snow is not sand. You can't make a "sand-ball" while snowballs are ubiquitous this time of year. Snow requires bite, a high pressure contact patch. You get that by making the contact patch smaller.
The exception is deep snow, where you need a tracked vehicle. Wheels don't work in 3' of snow.

You can also estimate the benefit of changing tire pressures.

The rolling coefficients for air filled tires on dry roads can be estimated

c = 0.005 + (1 / p) (0.01 + 0.0095 (v / 100)2) (3)

where

c = rolling coefficient

p = tire pressure (bar)

v = velocity (km/h)

I did some comparisons at popular speeds. Starting at 36 psi and 60 mph, you reduce RR by 5% going to 40 psi, and by 15% going to 51 psi. However the mileage effect is much smaller, as RR losses are smaller at speed, compared with aerodynamic losses.

And I'm not going to reference a web site as an authority. A lot of links above, and all are accurate, just not when talking about the tires on my car today. Or yours.

 

[fbov]

So much misinformation in this post it is not even worth correcting.

You're sure to get good snow advice from a Texan.

 

[Larrythelunatic]

Pump em up to 48 psi. See how it goes. Watch for accelerated tire wear in the center of the tire.

Yes, as long as you are going in a straight line, and never cornering, the center will wear faster. But if you enjoy your driving, and perhaps drive “aggressively” (relative to the road, NOT other vehicles), then you will wear the sides equally to the center.
The result will be a bit rougher ride. So pretend you’re on a bike……go around the imperfections, potholes, and manhole covers.
The pressures listed on both the car and the tires are cold readings. Increased pressure due to heat has already been figured in.
One more thing…….There is such a plethora of tires being put on these Mavs at the factory. Different tires, by different manufacturers, require different inflation. The on-tire number will, of course, be appropriate for that tire. I don’t know if the manufacturer’s sticker will change with the various tire brands.
As has been said here before……. Ford wants you to have a happy wife riding next to you, in a nice comfy ride. The tire manufacturer wants you to be pleased with the performance and lifespan of their tire.
Been doing this for 55 years. My tires ALWAYS last longer than the warranty, by a factor of 50%!

 

[Decayed]

So much misinformation in this post it is not even worth correcting.

It's the internet so there always has to be one. It's the law if I remember correctly.

 

[casanewt]

You never go by the MAX pressure on the side of a tire. You always go by the vehicles specs on the sticker on the vehicle. Tire manufacturers design tires for a multitude of vehicles with a multitude of weights and load capacities. Vehicle manufacturers spec a tire size, load rating, and PSI for the vehicle. The best example is the small trailers with their tiny wheels/tires. Many trailer manufacturers have a sticker on there recommending 90PSI. It seems crazy compared to the PSI your truck or car tires are supposed to be at, but it is all based on those tiny tires having to support all the weight that your trailer can potentially carry. Adjusting tire PSI on a vehicle +/- 5 PSI is not a big deal, but going from a recommended 35 up to the max on a tire of like 55 PSI is way out of spec for the vehicle's design.

Sponsored