Why is my Tire pressure so low?!

[Peter Aawen]

Or trailer. The tires on ours run at 80 PSI

How big is your bloody trailer to need that much pressure in the tires?! Or how small are the tires??

If your trailer is running pneumatic tires (and mentioning their air pressure suggests that they are pneumatic) then unless the trailer's actually carrying at least a few heavy cars or something of a similar weight, or it's only running tires that're the same size as a kid's bicycle tires, then it's extremely unlikely that your tires really NEED that much air pressure in them for the load they're carrying, even if they might be safely capable of holding that much pressure in them for those (probably very few) instances when they might be carrying their maximum load!

Just cos the placard on their sidewall or in the maker's specs says they CAN hold that much air pressure to achieve their MAXIMUM LOAD capability, it doesn't mean they SHOULD be run at that pressure all the time, not unless they actually ARE carrying that maximum load! Even my 22 tonne 3 axle dog trailer doesn't need that much air in its tires 90% of the time!

Just Sayin!

 

[Poppie65]

How big is your bloody trailer to need that much pressure in the tires?! Or how small are the tires??

If your trailer is running pneumatic tires (and mentioning their air pressure suggests that they are pneumatic) then unless the trailer's actually carrying at least a few heavy cars or something of a similar weight, or it's only running tires that're the same size as a kid's bicycle tires, then it's extremely unlikely that your tires really NEED that much air pressure in them for the load they're carrying, even if they might be safely capable of holding that much pressure in them for those (probably very few) instances when they might be carrying their maximum load!

Just cos the placard on their sidewall or in the maker's specs says they CAN hold that much air pressure to achieve their MAXIMUM LOAD capability, it doesn't mean they SHOULD be run at that pressure all the time, not unless they actually ARE carrying that maximum load! Even my 22 tonne 3 axle dog trailer doesn't need that much air in its tires 90% of the time!

Just Sayin!

I knew that would light you up. Lmao.

 

[Lew L]

Where is Mike (Blueknight911) when you need him...

 

[Kcled01]

I know no comments have been added since August but I see most of you are still active on here. I just bought a 2014 Spyder RS a couple weeks ago from a dealer with very low miles, 2,500. They installed new tires on it for me. I blame myself for not checking the pressure but they overinflated the front tires. I've been reading through the owners manual and saw they're supposed to be 15psi. I went out and checked them and found both at 23psi. I've ridden motorcycles for a few years, not recently though. So I'm taking my time getting use to the Spyder. I had noticed somewhat of a rough ride, primarily in the front on my rides. I had thought maybe the balance was off because they seemed to want to bounce around 40mph on relatively smooth roads. It's dark and wet outside right now, so I'll wait to see if the overinflated tires were the reason. Do you guys think that 8psi over would be enough to affect the handling that way? They would basically be inflated at 160%. The rear tire was properly inflated at 28psi.

After finding the tire pressures high, I have to agree with IGETAROUND that it's time to find a new dealer as this wasn't the first thing I found wrong with it that they should have caught. The manual parking brake wouldn't release after I got it home and found the spring on the dawg was hanging down. If it had fallen completely off, I might not have realized where the problem was. I take responsibility for the tires though because that's one of the first things I should have done was learn the correct pressures and checked them.

 

[Peter Aawen]

Running tire pressures that are too high certainly can make for a rough ride and that bouncing around you mention - they'll also contribute to a lack of traction on cornering, darting &/or erratic steering, an increased tendency to wear oddly, a higher risk of punctures, and a whole lot more. So maybe dropping your tire pressures will help...

However, be warned, the OEM Kendas and any of their clones or copies are really just lightly constructed car tires, often with little in the way of quality control or quality construction, and they are nowhere near as capable of safely running under a Spyder at pressures anything much lower than about 2 psi below THEIR recommended pressures. 'Normal' car tires (as opposed to the lightweight OEM car tires like the Kendas etc) are made a LOT stronger than the Kendas etc, and generally, they're made with better quality materials and to a LOT better standards too, and they are more than capable of carrying a full sized car, ie much higher loads than a Spyder, at those higher pressures, so they don't need as much air pressure in them to safely carry the load and operation of a lightweight Spyder; but due to their lesser construction, the Kendas et al DO need those pressures just to do the job, as best they can anyway!

So even if they are brand new, if you are still running OEM tires &/or any of their clones and your Spyder's tire placard &/or manual calls for 23 psi or similar in those tires, then you really shouldn't run just 15 psi in them!! After all this, you might be beginning to grasp why so many Spyder owners scrap the OEM tires &/or any of their clones and run 'real' car tires instead - the improvements the 'real' car tires bring in ride, handling, traction, safety, tire wear, and more when run at an appropriate (lower) pressure for the lighter load of a Spyder vs that of a full sized car are often more than enough to overcome any extra effort involved in changing your Spyder's tires yourself, or finding someone who's not a dealer to do it for you.

Ps: If your dealer has fitted non-OEM tires for you, please don't 'out' them here on the public pages of the Forum, or even hint at it - doing that may well see them change their minds about doing it for anyone else, maybe castigated, &/or possibly worse... It's happened before, so just don't 'out' them!

 

[Kcled01]

Thank you so much for the speedy response. I've heard about running car tires on a Spyder before. Definitely something I'll switch to. I'll try running these at the 15psi that's on the placard and see if the ride has improved. They are Kendas that the dealer installed and I'd hate to replace them so quick. Since I'm currently just riding locally to get use to the ride and don't yet have a need for high performance, I'll go ahead and put some miles on them. The manual and placards called for 15 but they were at 23. I believe as you said the higher pressure could be causing the bounce, so hopefully I'll experience a better ride.

 

[Mikey]

If they still bounce as you say, you may have to have them rebalanced, just saying!!! Wear them out and get yourself into a nice set of car tires, you'll love them.

 

[Kcled01]

If they still bounce as you say, you may have to have them rebalanced, just saying!!! Wear them out and get yourself into a nice set of car tires, you'll love them.

Thank you Mikey. Hopefully, I will get out this afternoon and see if lowering the pressure helped. If not, I had thought about getting them rebalanced. Fingers crossed, the pressure was the problem and I can continue to use these just to familiarize myself with the ride before upgrading to car tires.

 

[Kcled01]

Update. With the lower tire pressure, it is easier to maneuver and a more comfortable ride but the bounce is still there. I'll take the tires in and get them rebalanced to see if that's the problem. Going down to 15psi did make a big difference in the handling though.

 

[Mikey]

Any tire shop can balance the front tires - all you have to do is take them off. They are directional tires, so pay attention to what side they came off. Running 15 pounds could give you a little cupping, so be prepared to see that going on! Good luck, get out there and get some air in your face!

 

[Kcled01]

Thank you for the info. Just had some cool 44° air in my face. Better than coffee in the morning. The manual says 15psi +/- 2psi. Would 17psi be better for it then or do you think I'll still see cupping? I definitely feel like I have much better control now than I did at 23 pounds.

 

[Peter Aawen]

Thank you for the info. Just had some cool 44° air in my face. Better than coffee in the morning. The manual says 15psi +/- 2psi. Would 17psi be better for it then or do you think I'll still see cupping? I definitely feel like I have much better control now than I did at 23 pounds.

I'd suggest that given what the manual says and if you've already dropped them to 15 psi, just ride with them at that 15 psi for a while, maybe 1000 miles or so, before you make another pressure change.

Sure, get them balanced just to be sure, preferably by someone who's NOT a dealer, and maybe even ask if they can detect any obvious issues with the tires, like excessive balancing needed, or a fair bit of run-out, or anything else that might contribute to your bouncing &/or any other handling issues. You might be surprised, if not horrified, at how many poorly constructed OEM tires have been put on Spyders and caused issues like this, so ask if the balancers can see anything obvious...

 

[Tango]

Lets not forget cooler weather reduces tire pressure.

 

[Kcled01]

Thank you for the helpful tips. We have some cold weather moving in over the next couple days, so it'll be the perfect time to take them off and get them in to get balanced.

Lets not forget cooler weather reduces tire pressure.

I set the pressure with cold tires.