I have 20's and run 35psi. Normal street driving is all I do. I would say as high as you feel comfortable due to the lack of sidewall / rim protection, but I think 43.5 is Insane for a passenger car. That's truck tire pressure.
2004 Gallardo Tire Pressure on 20" Rims
As seen from the photo the factory 19" wheels call for 43.5 PSI. However this is the maximum recommended. My question for the community is (because most people have aftermarket wheels) on a larger size wheel up like a 20" rim, would this tire pressure recommend by Lamborghini change? Does anyone else have 20" wheels and found an optimum pressure level perfect for comfort and performance during aggresive driving?
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Fontus- Thanks for your input. I would think that engineers would have a reason for recommending 43.5 psi. Does anyone know that reason, and if so if you are inflating your tires around 35 psi or nearly 25% below the manufacturers recommendation of 43.5 what is your basis on doing so? In cotrast my Maserati Gran Turismo recommended pressures are 33psi, so why is the G so much higher?
Good point/question, I'd like to know as well. 35psi is actually higher than anything before, used to 30-32 on other cars I've had. Never even looked at that tag to realize they had it that high !Fontus- Thanks for your input. I would think that engineers would have a reason for recommending 43.5 psi. Does anyone know that reason, and if so if you are inflating your tires around 35 psi or nearly 25% below the manufacturers recommendation of 43.5 what is your basis on doing so? In cotrast my Maserati Gran Turismo recommended pressures are 33psi, so why is the G so much higher?
The 43.5 Is recommended per handling tests and tire manufacturers recommendation for the capability of the car. Somewhere i read that above 100-120pmh if the tire psi is too low, the sidewalls will heat up and potentially blow. So, they have to put that on the door since the car is capable of that. If you run it low and blow out at speed, absolves Lamborghini of liability.
Remember when Ford Explorers were blowing tires on the hwy? Firestone specifically said they needed the tire PSI higher to handle 80mph+, People complained that the Explorer road to rough, so Ford officially (on the door sticker) lowered to PSI. Tires blew out as Firestone predicted.
Sorta like how you 'Have' to run super exclusive insanely expensive tires on a Veyron. This is true IF you go 200+ in the car. If you don't go that fast most tires will work just fine, but if you run them and go fast and total, Bugatti is not liable.
Performance/liability/cost/comfort etc. all come into play here.
I'm not near my car, what does the tire itself say is the MAX PSI on the sidewall? I assume 50psi?
43.5 is very high (from a comfort standpoint), but if you want the G to perform as designed at speed, that is where you need it to be. If you are like me and the cars ability far outweighs your driving ability, then you'll die long before the low PSI in the tires cause you harm.
On to the original question though, the 'rule of thumb' (a statement which has hilarious historical value and will be cancelled soon) is 2-4 additional PSI per 1" increase in wheel diameter, assuming your tires stay the same overall diameter. There are a ton of other factors to this, but it is a good starting point. As always, keep an eye on tire wear, make sure your car is aligned and don't assume any PSI change will be obvious. Might take some miles and a good romp around a round-a-bout.
Remember when Ford Explorers were blowing tires on the hwy? Firestone specifically said they needed the tire PSI higher to handle 80mph+, People complained that the Explorer road to rough, so Ford officially (on the door sticker) lowered to PSI. Tires blew out as Firestone predicted.
Sorta like how you 'Have' to run super exclusive insanely expensive tires on a Veyron. This is true IF you go 200+ in the car. If you don't go that fast most tires will work just fine, but if you run them and go fast and total, Bugatti is not liable.
Performance/liability/cost/comfort etc. all come into play here.
I'm not near my car, what does the tire itself say is the MAX PSI on the sidewall? I assume 50psi?
43.5 is very high (from a comfort standpoint), but if you want the G to perform as designed at speed, that is where you need it to be. If you are like me and the cars ability far outweighs your driving ability, then you'll die long before the low PSI in the tires cause you harm.
On to the original question though, the 'rule of thumb' (a statement which has hilarious historical value and will be cancelled soon) is 2-4 additional PSI per 1" increase in wheel diameter, assuming your tires stay the same overall diameter. There are a ton of other factors to this, but it is a good starting point. As always, keep an eye on tire wear, make sure your car is aligned and don't assume any PSI change will be obvious. Might take some miles and a good romp around a round-a-bout.
I have to step in and comment here. The Ford Explorer issue with Firestone tires was not the result of incorrect tire pressure. I was the Vehicle Engineering Manager for the Escape during this time period and this issue became a clash of personalities between Firestone CEO John Lampe and Ford CEO Jac Nasser. Firestone threw multiple scenarios at Ford blaming the Explorer design for the problem. Nasser had enough and pulled all Firestone tires from Ford products. I had to do a complete new tire program for the Escape with Continental. After months of hindering Ford's quality team from obtaining requested data on the Firestone tires that failed, Ford finally obtained the date codes from multiple tires. Every one was made in a two week period when there were manufacturing and labor issues at a single Firestone plant. Don't believe everything you read in the papers or see on TV.Remember when Ford Explorers were blowing tires on the hwy? Firestone specifically said they needed the tire PSI higher to handle 80mph+, People complained that the Explorer road to rough, so Ford officially (on the door sticker) lowered to PSI. Tires blew out as Firestone predicted.
Very cool to hear what the real explanation for that was.... at the time I was just a lowly Dealer Tech and remember the recall fiasco and checking date codes, tire swaps, lack of inventory, available choices, etc...... too young to care what all the commotion was about as long as I had money for beer on the weekends.I have to step in and comment here. The Ford Explorer issue with Firestone tires was not the result of incorrect tire pressure. I was the Vehicle Engineering Manager for the Escape during this time period and this issue became a clash of personalities between Firestone CEO John Lampe and Ford CEO Jac Nasser. Firestone threw multiple scenarios at Ford blaming the Explorer design for the problem. Nasser had enough and pulled all Firestone tires from Ford products. I had to do a complete new tire program for the Escape with Continental. After months of hindering Ford's quality team from obtaining requested data on the Firestone tires that failed, Ford finally obtained the date codes from multiple tires. Every one was made in a two week period when there were manufacturing and labor issues at a single Firestone plant. Don't believe everything you read in the papers or see on TV.
Didn't want to highjack the thread with the old Firestone issue but there was a lot of misinformation flying around at the time. You had the right idea with beer on the weekends.Very cool to hear what the real explanation for that was.... at the time I was just a lowly Dealer Tech and remember the recall fiasco and checking date codes, tire swaps, lack of inventory, available choices, etc...... too young to care what all the commotion was about as long as I had money for beer on the weekends.
To get back on topic, I will just add that my daily driver is a Ford Focus RS and the recommended tire pressure is 46 psi. This is higher than any other tire pressure I've seen on a passenger car. But having been through a tire development program as I noted above, the simple explanation is that this tire pressure would be the level that delivers the desired performance characteristics as agreed by the tire engineers and the vehicle dynamics engineers.
You guys seem to all know your stuff and I really appreciate all of the feedback. With that said, during summer with 20" wheels what is a good tire prressure range for lots of turns and so, never going over 80 just having a lot of fun around curves and stuff like that in the summer?
I can tell you it would be a lot more fun if I would have bought 235 tires instead of 245....... but, that may not be a problem for a car that is still stock ride height.
Thank you for correcting that point. I apologize for spreading misinformation. While this anecdotal addition to my post was wrong, I feel my overall point still stands, which I think you agree with based on your Focus RS comment later on, correct?I have to step in and comment here. The Ford Explorer issue with Firestone tires was not the result of incorrect tire pressure. I was the Vehicle Engineering Manager for the Escape during this time period and this issue became a clash of personalities between Firestone CEO John Lampe and Ford CEO Jac Nasser. Firestone threw multiple scenarios at Ford blaming the Explorer design for the problem. Nasser had enough and pulled all Firestone tires from Ford products. I had to do a complete new tire program for the Escape with Continental. After months of hindering Ford's quality team from obtaining requested data on the Firestone tires that failed, Ford finally obtained the date codes from multiple tires. Every one was made in a two week period when there were manufacturing and labor issues at a single Firestone plant. Don't believe everything you read in the papers or see on TV.
Also - Super cool job at ford. Did you work with or know a Wayne Roberts? He is another retired Ford engineer I ran into awhile back. Totally random, and unlikely, I know.
You succinctly summarized the basic tenets of establishing recommended pressure for a specific tire/vehicle application in the first sentence of your original post.Thank you for correcting that point. I apologize for spreading misinformation. While this anecdotal addition to my post was wrong, I feel my overall point still stands, which I think you agree with based on your Focus RS comment later on, correct?
Also - Super cool job at ford. Did you work with or know a Wayne Roberts? He is another retired Ford engineer I ran into awhile back. Totally random, and unlikely, I know.
Unfortunately, I never met Wayne Roberts at Ford.
"The Proper tire Pressure?
How can you determine the proper tire pressure? In a simple phrase “ It’s not easy.” Go by what the tire manufacturer recommends. The tire type, the load on the tire, and environmental conditions determine the proper tire pressure. As mentioned above the condition that is literally deadly is low tire pressure combined with a heavy load on the tire.
The amount of weight you can support with a tire depends on the air in the tire. The more air in the tire the more weight the tire can support. The less air in the tire the less weight the tire can support. The max load is stamped on the side of the tire. The stamping will give a tire pressure number at a particular weight. As an example, “45 psi at 1450 Lbs”. The Tire Company is telling you that if you have 1450 Lbs on that tire, you must have 44 psi in the tire. You can measure the tire pressure with a tire pressure gauge, but how do we determine the weight on the tire?
If you are not mathematically challenged, I suggest a simple procedure that can compute the weight on each tire.
Go to the owner’s manual and find the maximum weight the vehicle can accept. Also from the owners manual determine the weight distribution front to rear.
From that, you can compute the weight on each tire. Let’s take a hypothetical car that weights 4000 lbs. It has a weight distribution of 60/40. 60 % of that 4000 lbs. is on the front tires and 40 % of that weight is on the rear tires.
A quick calculation tells us that 2400 Lbs is on the front tires (4000 Lbs x 60%) and there are 1600 Lbs (4000 Lbs. X 40%) on the rear tires.
Another quick calculation will tell us that 1200 lbs. on each front tire (2400 / 2) and 800 lbs on each back tire (1600 / 2). Through the magic of math, we have determined that your car, loaded, has 1200 lbs on each front wheel, and 800 lbs on each back wheel. Now go back to what is stamped on the side of the tire. If the stamping indicates 38 psi at 1200 lbs, you need to have 38 psi in those tires.
We recommend that you check tire pressure at a minimum of once a month. Once a week would be better. If you are responsible for company vehicles, supply the drivers with a tire pressure gauge. Don’t overload the vehicles. Know the load-carrying capacity of the vehicle, especially SUV’s and pick up trucks."
Tire Pressure Basics - International Security Driver Association (isdacenter.org)
How can you determine the proper tire pressure? In a simple phrase “ It’s not easy.” Go by what the tire manufacturer recommends. The tire type, the load on the tire, and environmental conditions determine the proper tire pressure. As mentioned above the condition that is literally deadly is low tire pressure combined with a heavy load on the tire.
The amount of weight you can support with a tire depends on the air in the tire. The more air in the tire the more weight the tire can support. The less air in the tire the less weight the tire can support. The max load is stamped on the side of the tire. The stamping will give a tire pressure number at a particular weight. As an example, “45 psi at 1450 Lbs”. The Tire Company is telling you that if you have 1450 Lbs on that tire, you must have 44 psi in the tire. You can measure the tire pressure with a tire pressure gauge, but how do we determine the weight on the tire?
If you are not mathematically challenged, I suggest a simple procedure that can compute the weight on each tire.
Go to the owner’s manual and find the maximum weight the vehicle can accept. Also from the owners manual determine the weight distribution front to rear.
From that, you can compute the weight on each tire. Let’s take a hypothetical car that weights 4000 lbs. It has a weight distribution of 60/40. 60 % of that 4000 lbs. is on the front tires and 40 % of that weight is on the rear tires.
A quick calculation tells us that 2400 Lbs is on the front tires (4000 Lbs x 60%) and there are 1600 Lbs (4000 Lbs. X 40%) on the rear tires.
Another quick calculation will tell us that 1200 lbs. on each front tire (2400 / 2) and 800 lbs on each back tire (1600 / 2). Through the magic of math, we have determined that your car, loaded, has 1200 lbs on each front wheel, and 800 lbs on each back wheel. Now go back to what is stamped on the side of the tire. If the stamping indicates 38 psi at 1200 lbs, you need to have 38 psi in those tires.
We recommend that you check tire pressure at a minimum of once a month. Once a week would be better. If you are responsible for company vehicles, supply the drivers with a tire pressure gauge. Don’t overload the vehicles. Know the load-carrying capacity of the vehicle, especially SUV’s and pick up trucks."
Tire Pressure Basics - International Security Driver Association (isdacenter.org)
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
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