Tire Pressure Argument for the 49th time

I have read many members use 18 or so pounds of pressure in the front tires. My argument is that that is good. My wrecker driver friend says that I need 44 pounds in the front tires and I'm using Continental ContiProcontact. The argument is that the manufacturer requires 44 lbs. I've been happy with 19 - 20 lbs pressure but no, a heated argument has ensued. No lives at risk, but... Is the guy wrong? And after picking up many vehicles he reports that Continental tires fail most often. Any comment? My guess is that based on forum comments, performance is better at 18.

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Originally Posted by ricford

The argument is that the manufacturer requires 44 lbs.

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The 44psi marked on the tire is the MAXIMUM PRESSURE COLD. Pressure is mostly based on vehicle manufacturer's recommendations. That said, adjustments have to be made for vehicle weight, road conditions, load, etc...

I run 18psi on my front Federal car tires. Putting a car tire on the back next week. Don't know what I will run yet.

Regards,

Don

44 lbs? not for your spyder. That is probably what you would run in a fully loaded SUV or something.
44 lbs on your spyder will have absolutely no flex or give and will handle like a rock.
Your tow guy probably sells Goodyear or ANYTHING but Continental. We only hate what we ain't got.

Ricford,

I'm no expert, but have been doing a bunch of tests to bear out what I have been told. Trust, but verify. I have tried everything, including the 4 PSI heat buildup rule, handling, etc. What finally convinced me is the wet tire footprint. Some folks use chalk, some use water. Here's what I did.

1. On smooth dry concrete. Air your tire up to about 20-22 PSI.
2. Spray bottle with water, mist the front patch on the tire until slightly wet.
3. Roll bike forward until you see the wet patch on the concrete behind the tire.
4. Measure the footprint. Compare it to the tires tread width. If all the tread width isn't hitting the ground, how can you expect the tire to do its best? I don't consider the edge where the tire curves up to the sidewall the tread area, even though it's got grooves and sipes.
5. Adjust tire pressure up or down to get the correct footprint. Take into account your bikes load at the time of the test, your body weight included.
6. Come up with a 2 pressure system, unladen (you only, or maybe you and a passenger)., and fully laden, including max weight of the bike with everything in the bags.

Have you noticed in all the threads the amazing differences people are getting in tire mileage before wear out? I figure it this way, if all the tire is supporting load, there should be less load per square inch. I'm currently running 17 PSI front and 17 PSI rear for my unladen pressures. You can't rely on my numbers, your tires are different, bike weighs different, etc. I was amazed how low the pressures can get before total footprint contact, still testing to see if they're correct. So far, it looks very good.

44 lbs on the front and you will be bouncing all over the highway, 18 - 20 PSI is what is recommended. stick with it.

Cruzr Joe

Don’t believe it i am running the same tires at 16 psi 27000 miles at 7.5 32 nds left

Oh god, 911 You must be on boil over by now!!:roflblack: You know you want to!!:bdh:

What kind of Spyder does your wrecker friend own?:shocked:

That guy is NOT a real friend.
He is a moron.
You should not listen to him.......about anything probably.

Should you try to tell him the truth ?
Maybe but he probably won't listen.

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Originally Posted by Easy Rider

That guy is NOT a real friend.
He is a moron.
You should not listen to him.......about anything probably.

Should you try to tell him the truth ?
Maybe but he probably won't listen.

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Abrupt.........but fair, EasyRider :2thumbs:

Pete

Thanks hogrider, on of the best tire comments I've read in a good while.

David

Motorcycle tires are rounded so most car tire examples don't relate.

Cruzr Joe

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Originally Posted by Devious56

Thanks hogrider, on of the best tire comments I've read in a good while.

David

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Mr. David,

Someone once told me that when normal people look at a stoplight, they see red, yellow, or green. They then told me they believed I "saw" timers, relays, and programmable logic controllers. They were not wrong. I am inquisitive to the point of aggravating, but when I know something I don't have to guess.

He is wrong. It's as simple as that. You could run 44 psi in the front tires but you would be very sorry. You would not be doing yourself or your tires any favor. There is more to correct tire pressure than what the manufacturer states on the side of the tire.

All you have to do is look at the door post on your car where the manufacturer suggests correct tire pressure for that specific vehicle. Then compare it to the max pressure the tire is rated for. You will almost always find a lower pressure on the door post. Why? Because the tire manufacturer doesn't know what you're going to run the tire on so they just tell you the 'Do Not Exceed' pressure.

The manufacturer of the vehicle, on the other hand, knows exactly what pressure you need to run because they know how much the vehicle weighs. Which is the main component to tire pressure. How much weight does the tire need to support?

It is too bad that such bad information gets circulated out there. Who knows how many people this guy has talked into running more pressure than they should.

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Originally Posted by Mikey

Oh god, 911 You must be on boil over by now!!:roflblack: You know you want to!!:bdh:

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Actually what I REALLY want, is to not read Stupid comments / posts , especially from people who just Thrive on controversy ….. your welcome …. Mike :ohyea:......PS it's coming back to me now, why you are on my Ignore List :clap::roflblack:...…….:ohyea:

Can I assume the wrecker driver looked at the sidewalk and did not take in account that this goes on something totally different?
If so, I hope I never need his services!

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate it. My friend is still my friend. He's also an 18 wheel OTR driver. I would guess he is accustomed to seeing very large vehicles that DO require high pressure. He was just looking out for me because he cares. But you've given me ammunition for my argument. He had inflated my tires to 38 PSI without asking but did tell me. They are again, again, at 18 PSI. This morning I'm off to Rockwall, TX for lunch at In N Out burger. The best on planet Earth. OKOKOK really good anyway. I do have my Veskimo to keep me cool in the 500 degree heat of the afternoon. I appreciate all of the comments I read almost everyday for all of the problems ryders encounter and the always helpful solutions. Often the answer to a question I just haven't asked yet.

This debate has gone on ever since the first ryder installed a CAR tire on his/her spyder. The clear answer is they cannot be the same as mentioned above , the vehicle they are installed on. Your wear on the tire will be greatly compromised by the wieght of the vehicle as discribed in the water mark above. Your steering will be much better as you will have much less contact with the pavement and as we all know the tires tend to get less contact as they spin at high speeds. I'm sure he means well but does not have all the facts to make a recommendation on your specific vehicle. I have no idea where he got the information on the Continental tire failure rate.... One should always start with the vehicle recommendation and adjust accordingly....:thumbup:

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Originally Posted by ricford

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate it. My friend is still my friend. He's also an 18 wheel OTR driver. I would guess he is accustomed to seeing very large vehicles that DO require high pressure. He was just looking out for me because he cares. But you've given me ammunition for my argument. He had inflated my tires to 38 PSI without asking but did tell me. They are again, again, at 18 PSI. This morning I'm off to Rockwall, TX for lunch at In N Out burger. The best on planet Earth. OKOKOK really good anyway. I do have my Veskimo to keep me cool in the 500 degree heat of the afternoon. I appreciate all of the comments I read almost everyday for all of the problems ryders encounter and the always helpful solutions. Often the answer to a question I just haven't asked yet.

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I apologize for making comments against your friend. I understand that a friend is always a friend. He is just in error on this one. Even well meaning friends can be wrong at times.

I posted this in another post last year.

http://www.lehmantrikes.com/assets/d...ook-master.pdf

I know this is from a manufacturer of delta trikes but it has info that correlates to the tadpole design of our Spyders.

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Originally Posted by Cruzr Joe

Motorcycle tires are rounded......

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And the Spyder does NOT use "motorcycle tires" so that comment doesn't relate either.

Why not start at 18 and go up ? There are so many factors that probably your best bet is trial and error. What works for you may not work for me. I had a mazda 6 which manufacturer recommended 32psi which was fine for original tires that came with than i switched to different tires and it felt like the sidewall was so soft that tires will come off. I took it back and they said there is nothing wrong with the tires and that there is something wrong with my suspension which i knew its not the case as it was OK with old tires. So i went to 35psi and boom problem solved who knew 3psi would make a world of difference.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ricford

I have read many members use 18 or so pounds of pressure in the front tires. My argument is that that is good. My wrecker driver friend says that I need 44 pounds in the front tires and I'm using Continental ContiProcontact. The argument is that the manufacturer requires 44 lbs. I've been happy with 19 - 20 lbs pressure but no, a heated argument has ensued. No lives at risk, but... Is the guy wrong? And after picking up many vehicles he reports that Continental tires fail most often. Any comment? My guess is that based on forum comments, performance is better at 18.

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Hi,

I am running the Continental Contiprocontacts tires on the front of my 2014 RTS-SE6 and I am running them at 19PSI. I haven't had any problems. The tires were installed 3 years ago.

They are also wearing very well,and looks new.
Deanna

I have them as well and for the last two years I have kept them at 15 psi. They still look like new, handle great and wear is even across the entire width.

Just one more thing. I have been running Continental tires since I bought the bike new. I changed after 600 miles based on recommendations that I read here. I am very happy with my tires and have put just over 35K miles. And no, I don't know where he got the info on Continental except that is HIS experience. Again, THANKS for your comments.