Tire pressure difference

[IndyFetch]

That tread pattern looks familiar. I think it's a Michelin. Weatherwise Sport, maybe?

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted by theholycow

That photo, embedded:
[IMG]....[/IMG]

Yikes. I've never seen that kind of failure before...only sidewalls that have been cut between the road hazard and the rim and high speed low pressure sidewall blowouts. Is that common for other people?

This photo is is from a book on tire conditions published by the Tire Industry Association - an organization for tire dealers that deals with training issues at the shop level.

The photos in the book were chosen to show examples that are clear and unarguable - and in this case, it is an extreme example. The condition can be a subtle as a bulge in the tread and once you look inside, you can see the impact damage - and there is a range of inbetweeners. Other examples will sometimes have other conditions that confuse the diagnosis - such as tread separations, run flat conditions, etc.

[benfrogg]

Fetch-
Were both fit's running the exact same tires from the same manufacturer? I wonder what other variables could have caused such an increase in wear. Maybe the difference in drivers or driving conditions? Are you both in the same area?
That's quite an incredible difference if few other variables exist.
B

[VX_Arky]

My max sidewall tire pressure is 44 psi, which is what I've got my tires at right now. Can I go any higher and get better FE results? If so, how high can I go without risking a blowout or something?

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted by Arky

My max sidewall tire pressure is 44 psi, which is what I've got my tires at right now. Can I go any higher and get better FE results? If so, how high can I go without risking a blowout or something?

Clearly, the higher the pressure, the more the risk. There isn't a clear bright line here.

But many folks report that pressures above max sidewall pressure don't gain much if anything at all - while it might be true that the risk from a blowout increases very rapidly the higher you go.

[theholycow]

I generally do not advise exceeding the maximum. This isn't because I fear tire failure or bad performance, but because of potential liability. If you have a tire failure (even the same failure you would have had at a lower pressure),a crash results, and it is found that you were running severely overinflated, you could face liability (legal or insurance) that you might not have if you were within established limits.

Apart from that issue I bet you could safely try it. I can't say for sure how it would affect a VX...the car is very light weight and on normal sized tires it would be worthless to go much higher, but the tires on a VX are pretty small too.

I'd say don't exceed the maximum, but do investigate VX gaslogs and past tire pressure threads with VX drivers in them.

[VX_Arky]

you know, holycow, you're probably right. there could be some liability issues if it were proven I were driving on over-inflated tires and got in an accident. you wouldn't be a lawyer would you? ... thanks for the tip!

[IndyFetch]

Originally Posted by benfrogg

Fetch-
Were both fit's running the exact same tires from the same manufacturer? I wonder what other variables could have caused such an increase in wear. Maybe the difference in drivers or driving conditions? Are you both in the same area?
That's quite an incredible difference if few other variables exist.
B

They are on the same tire, but different sizes. My father-in-law's fit had P195/55/15, and ours has P185/55/16. His car is always loaded down with extra crap in the seats and trunk, but I agree that is a huge difference. We only live 30 miles from each other.