Tire Pressure

[jthornton]

Just for S&G I put 20 psig in the front tires of the RT yesterday and went to town and back. I didn't care for how it seemed to wander around as I drove. I looked on the front tires and interestingly the maximum load was at 15 psig and the maximum pressure is 30 psig. Today I dropped the pressure to 15 psig and took a short trip... much better than 20 for sure, but I think I like 17 psig better. My premise for this experiment was reducing rolling friction to get better fuel mileage.

JT

 

[SpyderAnn01]

Do you have BajaRon's sway bar? If you want to reduce roll that is what you need. I usually ran my 2010 RT at 18 front and 28 rear.

 

[Old Texan]

That's interesting because I've found just the opposite. I run 19psi in the front ( 2 up ) and 28psi in the rear and get less wandering particularly at speeds above 70mph. The trick is to have a very accurate digital tire gauge and keep the pressure within a 1/2psi of each other. Just my findings and definitely do what works for you and the way you ride.
Keep the shiny side up.

Jim

 

[jthornton]

Do you have BajaRon's sway bar? If you want to reduce roll that is what you need. I usually ran my 2010 RT at 18 front and 28 rear.

I'm fully loaded up with BajaRon, Elka, and Len brackets.

JT

 

[jthornton]

That's interesting because I've found just the opposite. I run 19psi in the front ( 2 up ) and 28psi in the rear and get less wandering particularly at speeds above 70mph. The trick is to have a very accurate digital tire gauge and keep the pressure within a 1/2psi of each other. Just my findings and definitely do what works for you and the way you ride.
Keep the shiny side up.

Jim

I made a rig with a 30 psig large dial gauge and a cross and two clip on hoses so I air up both tires to the exact same pressure. I've changed it since this photo to add 45's in between the clip on chuck and the hose to make it easier to remove the chuck in a swift manner.



I need to check my rear again to see what it is and repeat the experiment. I did notice at 15 psig you could see the tire side wall flexing in corners (kinda hard to watch both the tire and the road).

JT

 

[Bob Ledford]

Experimentation is what it is all about

If we did not experiment we would never know what works or doesn't work. I am running 18.0 PSIG on my 2011 RTL SE-5 shocks in position 5.

 

[Bob Ledford]

awe shoot generator

I did notice at 15 psig you could see the tire side wall flexing in corners (kinda hard to watch both the tire and the road).

JT

Watching the road can become a genuine awe shoot generator if you spend to much time gawking instead of driving. Right?

 

[Bob Denman]

John, I think that you're right in thw sweet spot for your tire pressures. :thumbup:
Too high up front; you'll feel every shadow on the road surface... :gaah:
Too low; your bike will feel like a '57 Buick on bald tires! :yikes:
The rear seems less sensitive, but you can really monkey-up the life of your tire if you've got it wrong! :shocked:

 

[jthornton]

Watching the road can become a genuine awe shoot generator if you spend to much time gawking instead of driving. Right?

It's even more fun if you get bitch slapped from the back for getting too close to the edge...

JT

 

[jthornton]

John, I think that you're right in thw sweet spot for your tire pressures. :thumbup:
Too high up front; you'll feel every shadow on the road surface... :gaah:
Too low; your bike will feel like a '57 Buick on bald tires! :yikes:
The rear seems less sensitive, but you can really monkey-up the life of your tire if you've got it wrong! :shocked:

Yep, I think you nailed this... I was kinda thinking 50 Pontiac you know the one that you had to jack the bumper up about 18" before the wheel would start to move up and had the small ship sized flat head 8 under the hood.

JT

 

[Bob Denman]

They actually kind of went down the road just like a small-sized ship! :roflblack: