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So... you really run your RHG Road Hugger at 45 psi? That is pretty amazing...
45 PSI is 13% BELOW the max rating set by the maker and printed on the side of the tire, 51 PSI. Not amazing at all!
If you have ever watched a stunt man driving a car on two wheels, you are NOT seeing special tires, just high pressures. The pressures are well over 100 PSI.
Police pursuit cars run at 65 PSI because the tire wont roll off the tread in corners. Traction is preserved. Police depend on the traction so you have to give them some credibility.
I have a 2000 Honda Hybrid Insight. Seeking ever higher fuel mileage I run 60 PSI on its tires. There has never been an incident of traction loss, OR any unusual wear patterns. I had a blowout once when I ran over a board with large nails in it, and it was no more dramatic than a blowout at any other pressure.
Now I would not use high pressures on ICE, but on wet it seems to work for me.
Those fears that are always expressed when tire pressures are discussed are simply myths. They are not true.
What is further amazing to me is people that have NEVER done the testing and when presented with the evidence, still cling to PRICE as an indicator of value.
If you are not into racing, read this from the NHTSA:
'Over-inflating your tires as little as 6psi can lead to excess damage when driving over uneven sections of road and/or potholes. When the tire is overinflated, it cannot compress and spread impact over its entire surface. This will also lead to a rougher ride, as the tire cannot cushion the weight of the car as well.'
Lexus recommends 33-34 PSI
That quote says "Over Inflating", if the rating on the tire is 51 PSI it is NOT over inflated at 45 PSI. The NHTSA says NOTHING about it being dangerous. If you have a good suspension the ride will not suffer. If it does.....reduce the pressure to your liking....simple. The Lexus suspension system is excellent. If you cannot avoid pot holes and curbs, you need driving lessons. I have NEVER had a blowout caused by bad roads...NEVER.
BTW, I AM into Formula racing. My rear tires are at 12 PSI. But that is a different tire and different conditions. Front tires are also almost flat (by street car standards) and the pressure depends on many variables.
The car manufacturers specify their pressures based NOT on tire mileage or handling, but only on making the little old lady in the back seat think she is at home on her sofa. As I said before I cant see any difference because the Lexus suspension is so good, but as I said, you dont like the ride, lower the pressure till you do. Then that price difference gets worse. BTW, I never saw a Michilin tire for less than $100. Where do you get them for that price???
As to testing. I have done over 20 years of testing on many more than the 8 cars that you specify. Both racing and passenger/ In 82 years I have driven over 120 different cars from Lola to RR to Sky Redline to Bentley etc.
What an A++ my Lola was the formula car. You are obviously a child with no experience to speak of, just money to buy expensive cars and expensive tires.
I see that the discussion moved from recommending junk Febest products to delivering message of 45 psi fuel efficiency on cheap tires. Again, big no no to this, imho, 45 psi does not contribute to safety during rainy weather or prolonged interstate driving when pressure tend to increase. I do not believe Lexus dealers would inflate any tire above 40 psi for regular drivers.
Nope, I am a man with logic, when the Lexus engenieers say 34 PSI they know why
LOL I think if one goes back far enough there was a belief that the "engineers" up with a PSI that was for comfort, at the expense of mpgs and wear, so one needed to add to the number. But that was probably 50 years ago from what I can piece together. Today I think conventional wisdom says to go with the door jamb. I know I picked up a wives tale from my grandfather, and that was you cannot reverse the direction of a tire (on one that isn't directional). Here it is 2008, and I thought that. Then I googled and there was this feeling that "belts could shift." I don't even think they were referring to radial tires, that's how old the wives tale was...another one is if you don't change your oil every 3,000 miles, you'll go blind....
45 PSI is 13% BELOW the max rating set by the maker and printed on the side of the tire, 51 PSI. Not amazing at all!
If you have ever watched a stunt man driving a car on two wheels, you are NOT seeing special tires, just high pressures. The pressures are well over 100 PSI.
Police pursuit cars run at 65 PSI because the tire wont roll off the tread in corners. Traction is preserved. Police depend on the traction so you have to give them some credibility.
I have a 2000 Honda Hybrid Insight. Seeking ever higher fuel mileage I run 60 PSI on its tires. There has never been an incident of traction loss, OR any unusual wear patterns. I had a blowout once when I ran over a board with large nails in it, and it was no more dramatic than a blowout at any other pressure.
Now I would not use high pressures on ICE, but on wet it seems to work for me.
Those fears that are always expressed when tire pressures are discussed are simply myths. They are not true.
Dude..it is your car, your tires so you can do whatever.
I just never seen anyone would run that high psi on tires luxury cars AND still get the comfy ride as expected from driving an LS ( I am not talking about performing stunt or doing police chase on an LS - obviously there is always exception to the rule, unless you really doing that, it is irrelevant to this discussion imo). There is always give and take here when you increase/decrease the pressure. It maybe comfort, traction, rolling resistance, wear etc. You can argue that it may not be noticeable, but when you change pressure, something else is changed. Also, just because the max rating is 51 psi, does not means it is the best to run at 51 psi or 45 psi. Can you do it? Absolutely, again your car your tires. No one else probably (want to) do this, but you can absolutely do it yourself.
Sounds like you really know what you doing in your 82 years of driving over 120 cars
It looks like Kumho made Road Hugger tires, but someone can correct me if I am wrong here. Here is discussion for tire testing by AAA, comparing Michelin, Pirelli, Kumho, and a few others. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...remier-as.html
Most of us use factory-spec tires, and the following information is for the normal, regular, daily driver. Not for racing, track, off-road, or otherwise off-spec tires and suspension.
MAX psi tire rating tells you the maximum cold pressure needed for that tire to carry its maximum load. This additional range of inflation pressure (between optimum and max) is provided to accommodate any unique handling, high speed and/or rolling resistance requirements determined by the tire and vehicle manufacturers. The OPTIMUM pressure is between 30 and 35 PSI for many passenger vehicles, and the exact numbers are indicated in the door jamb sticker, glovebox sticker, owner's manual, service manual, etc. This optimum pressure is based on the dimensions of the tires that the car was engineered for (2001-2003 LS430 come with Type A, B, and C tires, all having their own psi ratings).
The optimum pressure indicates the minimum amount of air pressure needed to support your vehicle's load-carrying capacity at the intended speed range, at the intended weight loading (# of passengers and use of trailer towing). When your tires are inflated to the optimum psi, you achieve optimum tire life and performance. This optimum psi is determined by the manufacturer's engineers and balances many factors including weight distribution, tread contact, tire life, suspension stiffness, suspension component life, fuel economy, and others.
If you’re going to be hauling some heavy gear, people, pulling a trailer, etc, then you’re going to be putting more weight on your tires than normal. Therefore, the tires will need to be inflated to a higher pressure to accommodate that extra load and to maintain a proper tread and sidewall profile. The Lexus engineers already provide information for this, broken down by speed ranges, number of passengers, and geographic market (EU, Australia, GCC, NA). See pictures below.
If you inflate more than optimum:
1) The tires can’t give as much on the sidewall, so while you might see superior cornering, but it could be at the risk of your braking threshold. One quick corner and your back end could slide out.
2) The rubber will round out at the top of the tire when you’re driving, and the center will quickly wear out. You’ll also reduce your traction and could even cause a blowout.
3) Suspension will be stiffened beyond the engineered specifications, causing the car to bounce and chatter over bumps, and risking losing contact with the road. This will lead to a harsh ride, poor handling, and accelerate the wearing out of your suspension components (bushings, links, shocks, springs, etc).
Many tire experts say that under no circumstances should you inflate your tires to maximum pressure. No one in the industry recommends this, tire manufacturers don't recommend this, and the car's manufacturer definitely doesn't recommend this. Most max pressures are 50-100% of the optimum inflation pressure. Not only will you risk a blowout, but you'll diminish your ability to control the car because your handling and braking will be much, much worse.
+/- 5psi from optimum is no big deal and is mostly splitting hairs - you can use the +/- 5psi to fine-tune your tire wear, compensate for regular losses, and to achieve shock absorption control suitable for your regular driving. However, +10-20psi is a totally different story.
If you are using tires of different dimensions than OE spec, or wildly different rubber compositions, coefficients of friction, and/or contact patches, then disregard all of the above and do whatever suits your different ways. 2001-2002 Owner's Manual Spec
Hi there,
I had a vibration of the steering wheel at 55-65 mph on my 05 LS and could not figure it out. Got the tires balanced but to no avail. Read on here that the tire slips on the chrome rims throwing off the balancing etc etc. Car also vibrated on braking and I was thinking the rotors are done. Decided to get new tires as I do a lot of highway driving and saw the beginnings of tire rot on my Michelin Primacy MXM4. What a difference! All the vibration disappeared! Car is now super smooth. The Continental DWS06 I got for a bargain have excellent grip. I cannot make the rear wheels spin even on slightly wet roads unless I turn off traction control now.
Very quiet and have superior snow traction. Got them for $618 for all 4 on tirebuyer.com and it cost me $80 to have them mounted and balanced at Firestone through Tirebuyer's website. Also got 2 years free roadside hazard warranty included.
I have used General Altimax RT43's on other cars and they have been really great tires. Ride nice with very good snow traction and last a long time. LOL...
10-28-18, 04:38 PM
Continental DWS06 245/45/18XL installed for $700
