Ideal tire pressure to reduce chances of bending wheels

[HUYTURBO]

I've bent to many wheels forged and cast. I'm trying to determine if the tire pressure has something to do with it. I've search the forum but wasn't able to find anything. My scenio is:

Is low, normal, or high tire pressure ideal for driving through a harsh part of the city, say driving through NYC should I keep my tire pressure at 44lbs?

Does high tire pressure make the wheels absorb the impact or does high pressure allow the tire to absort most of the impact?

 

[EdinKali]

Higher tire pressure will be your best bet to prevent bent rims.

Back when I worked at a BMW motorcycle shop the manufacturer recommended at least 32 psi to prevent bent rims on the later models. Motorcycles that came into the shop with bent rims usually had about 26-28psi in the tires(or less).

44 psi might be a bit extreme. I am running 35 psi all around per Billy's recommendation(OEM 16"/17" tire/wheel combo).

 

[nsxtasy]

driving through NYC should I keep my tire pressure at 44lbs?

No. Tire pressure won't make a significant difference, and it will only raise the possibility of other problems due to the added stress and heat.

The main cause of bending wheels is a combination of potholes or other road debris/irregularities, compounded by tire sizes with short sidewalls, typically due to large diameter wheels. If bending wheels is a concern, the best way to avoid it is to use wheels whose diameter is not excessively large. On an NSX, 18"/19" (or larger) is particularly susceptible to such damage. It's still a significant possibility, although not as bad, with 17"/18", and 16"/17" is less likely still.

 

[HUYTURBO]

My car does stress more with higher tire pressure. Guess i'll stick with 32-38lbs depending on how I want to drive it.

 

[Jett]

Low tire pressure will cause your wheels to take a pounding, and the rear wheels are particularly susceptible to damage due to the low sidewall height of the rear tires. I would urge you to run the full 40psi recommended for the rears.

 

[nsxtasy]

Low tire pressure will cause your wheels to take a pounding
.
.
.
I would urge you to run the full 40psi recommended for the rears.

I agree. While I wouldn't go up to 44 psi, I'd stick with the 33F/40R recommendation.

the rear wheels are particularly susceptible to damage due to the low sidewall height of the rear tires.

Actually, the front tires are more susceptible to damage than the rears, because they usually sustain the initial shock from bad potholes. And the sidewall height is virtually identical with the stock 16"/17" sizes (96.75 mm front vs 98 mm rear).

 

[BTL3.0]

sorry for jacking the thread but i have a similar question..
i just bought a set of 17/18 combo wheels..tire pressure after 15mins drive is 40psi front and back..

i don't drive the car that much..roads are fair here in Indiana..

what psi would be good for the Front and Rear?

if i go with Jett then the rear at 40psi is ok..but is it ok for the front to be 33psi?

thanks

 

[nsxtasy]

The tire pressure for everyday use should be measured "cold". That means, with the tires at the same temperature as it is outside where they will be used; the car should sit for several hours in the shade or garaged before measuring. The measured pressure will be higher right after a drive, so let the car sit for a while first.

I would start with 33F/40R, the recommended pressures for the NSX, and see how it works out. I've found that those work very well, regardless of wheel size.

 

[Jett]

After having experimented with lower tire pressures, my advice would be to go with no less than 33 psi in front and 40 psi in the rear. These are the stock recommendations and my personal minimums now.

 

[snake11eyes]

can someone recommend the proper tire pressure for a 18F/19R setup?


for the record, i have michelin PS2's. 225/35/18 in the front and 265/30/19 in the back.

 

[nsxtasy]

can someone recommend the proper tire pressure for a 18F/19R setup?

I would start with 33F/40R, the recommended pressures for the NSX, and see how it works out. I've found that those work very well, regardless of wheel size.

...

 

[HUYTURBO]

snake11eyes he said 33front / 40 rear min. more its up to you but don't go much more then that.

 

[sidwac]

Just got my Bridgestone Potenza RE760's today and the tire shop set them at 34F 36R. Thinking of upping the rears to 38 lbs but intentionally leaving short of the 40 lbs. I had always thought the manufacturers recommendation was best on ultimate performance for the car irrespective of tire wear?? Like my rears may last a bit longer at a slightly lower pressure!! What you experts think??

 

[docjohn]

the differences (on the street) in performance between 36-40 psi will be about as noticable as removing the front spare tire.:tongue:

 

[sidwac]

.........the doc has spoken!!:wink::wink::wink:

 

[YellowHaze]

I have an interesting comment to add to this thread. Recently, I brought my BMW 330i in to Tire Pros for new tires. I have 18" M3 wheels on my 2003 I use as my DD. To make a long story short, I ended-up having to have one wheel fixed by Tire Pros due to a slight bend in one wheel. I run 35 lbs. on all tires.

The Tire Pro manager told me that running higher psi will make the wheel more susceptible to damage vs. running a lower psi. He said higher psi will transmit more force to the wheel if you hit a pothole. This was the opposite of what I believed to be the truth. So, what do the Prime experts have to say about the Tire Pro manager's position?

 

[Jett]

The manager is wrong - higher pressure affords more wheel
protection. After some experimentation, I have become a strong
advocate for 33 psi in the front and 40psi in the rear.

 

[YellowHaze]

The manager is wrong - higher pressure affords more wheel
protection. After some experimentation, I have become a strong
advocate for 33 psi in the front and 40psi in the rear.

Well, that supports what I always believed to be the case. BTW, the reason the wheel needed to be fixed was due to it being bent by the Tire Pros shop. The manager also said damaging the wheel the way it got bent was impossible to have been done by them. I KNOW they did it. So, seems the Tire Pro "expert" was wrong on both counts. In their defense, they did fix my wheel at no charge. Still, they were the ones who bent it trying to get the tire mounted. Seems the Dunlop Star Specs are hard to mount on 18" wheels or something like that.