Encore Tire Pressure

[Burttoast]

Back in a time when all cars were RWD there was another way of testing tire pressure. It wasn't for MPG or ride quality to say the least lol.
View attachment 17414

But there is no ONE answer on tire pressure as it up to the individual owner for their vehicle what is proper for their tire size, type and driving conditions along with vehicle and tire manufacturers recommendations.

I used to do that,,, hit the brakes hard and keep foot on brake and hit the gas hard and watch my 56 stude golden hawk just burn rubber lol

 

[X E Ryder]

X2 what X E Ryder says.

The only time you should deviate from the door sticker is if you put on tires that are outside of the OEM specifications, carry heavy loads, or tow heavy trailers. Every tire manufacturer, every online tire shop, and every auto manufacturer will tell you this. Age of the vehicle has nothing to do with it. If an old vehicle is riding better with higher PSI it's because the suspension needs work or the suspension has been modified or rebuilt with 3rd party parts.

Yea. It's all about the squish, right Doc? ;-)

 

[LARRY70GS]

X2 what X E Ryder says.

The only time you should deviate from the door sticker is if you put on tires that are outside of the OEM specifications, carry heavy loads, or tow heavy trailers. Every tire manufacturer, every online tire shop, and every auto manufacturer will tell you this. Age of the vehicle has nothing to do with it. If an old vehicle is riding better with higher PSI it's because the suspension needs work or the suspension has been modified or rebuilt with 3rd party parts.

I disagree. My 70 Buick came with G78-14 Bias Ply tires. Maximum inflation listed on the sidewall, 32 psi. Tire sticker said 26 psi all around (about 85% of max). Tires on there now are Cooper Cobra Radials, maximum inflation on sidewall, 44 psi. I initially tried 30 psi. Car handling was sloppy and slow. Fuel economy took a noticeable hit. Tried 40 psi, car rode a bit harsh. Settled on 37 psi. That gave me a great ride and a noticeable gain in fuel economy.

My 1998 Buick Riviera came with P225/60R-16 tires. Maximum inflation pressure on sidewall, 35 psi. Door sticker said 30 psi all around. Replaced the tires at one point with Yokohama Avid TRZ, same size, maximum inflation listed on sidewall, 51 psi. Tried 30 psi, it was pitiful. Car wallowed in the turns. After some experimentation, settled on 42 psi. Car rode and handled great. No uneven tire wear whatsoever. Just replaced those tires with Cooper CS-5 Gran Touring. Maximum inflation, 44 psi. The car rides beautiful at 40 psi. In fact, these are the best riding tires I have ever had on the car. I have passengers in my car who remark on how well the car rides. They are shocked when I tell them what the inflation pressures are.

Tire technology changes just like everything else. Higher pressure tires than what came on the car when new require another look at inflation pressures. Age of the vehicle has everything to do with this. Talk with a knowledgeable mechanic who installs tires all day long. A lot of tire retailers have this wrong IMO.

As far as Encore tire pressure, Yes, follow the sticker, but for an older car like 90's and early 2000+ cars, look at the tire you buy.

 

[DocBrown]

Replacing bias ply tires with radials is a modification. So, what you said makes sense. Your deviations on PSI aren't all that dramatic, however Yokohama Avid TRZ are great tires, but they are far different than the OEM speced tires. And that's what I said, anything outside the OEM specifications probably has to be different than the door sticker. The other thing is unless you've used all NOS parts for your older cars they are no longer the same as they were when new. Again, that all makes sense to me. And yes, you can get OEM speced tires for old cars. They aren't cheap (then what decent tire is these days) but you can get them.

I've been through this on trucks. I've tried different types of tires for towing. When you change out a "P" rated tire for an AT tire or LT, the PSI recommendations for day to day use go out the window.

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

Um, the objective was back then was to have the largest equal tire patch while "testing". While somewhat different use of tire pressure, the concept still holds true for today's ideal pressure, maximum contact.

 

[LARRY70GS]

Agreed, and yes, the Yokohamas were great tires. Had them for about 8 years. They were cracking around the side walls, still had lots of tread left, wearing evenly. Replaced them with the Cooper CS-5 Gran Touring. Best tire I have had on the car since owning it. The ride and handling is phenomenal, very impressed.

 

[Joester]

Over-inflation photo -
My dad had a 1972 Chevy Pickup that had a grapefruit sized bulge like in the photo. We found it while loading firewood in the woods.
Talk about a nervous ride waiting for the failure.... Made it home intact and it had grown to cantaloupe size.

 

[Burttoast]

Over-inflation photo -
My dad had a 1972 Chevy Pickup that had a grapefruit sized bulge like in the photo. We found it while loading firewood in the woods.
Talk about a nervous ride waiting for the failure.... Made it home intact and it had grown to cantaloupe size.

WOW ,,, Lady Luck was riding with you that day !

 

[Steveyo]

Agreed, and yes, the Yokohamas were great tires. Had them for about 8 years. They were cracking around the side walls, still had lots of tread left, wearing evenly. Replaced them with the Cooper CS-5 Gran Touring. Best tire I have had on the car since owning it. The ride and handling is phenomenal, very impressed.

Interesting, for I had a similar experience, not with my Encore, but on a Honda Fit, where my Yokohama tires provided a good ride for about 40,000 mi. but started cracking in the areas between the treads. Perhaps the orange peel oil they were constructed from wasn't durable. Anyway, I, too, replaced them with "Cooper" tires, which ride even better than the Yokohama tires and much, much better than the original OEM tires. Can't say enough good things about the Cooper tires, which had not even been on my radar until purchased.

 

[Burttoast]

Interesting, for I had a similar experience, not with my Encore, but on a Honda Fit, where my Yokohama tires provided a good ride for about 40,000 mi. but started cracking in the areas between the treads. Perhaps the orange peel oil they were constructed from wasn't durable. Anyway, I, too, replaced them with "Cooper" tires, which ride even better than the Yokohama tires and much, much better than the original OEM tires. Can't say enough good things about the Cooper tires, which had not even been on my radar until purchased.

On my TWO PREVIOUS cars I only had Pirelli's on them and they were pretty good ...the new Buick is sporting Continental's and I guess they are okay till the lease runs out lol

 

[Steveyo]

On my TWO PREVIOUS cars I only had Pirelli's on them and they were pretty good ...the new Buick is sporting Continental's and I guess they are okay till the lease runs out lol

Funny--we have similar tire tastes. I have been quite pleased with a set of Pirelli P 4s that are on a Honda Civic.

 

[Joester]

Funny--we have similar tire tastes. I have been quite pleased with a set of Pirelli P 4s that are on a Honda Civic.

We had P4's on the '12 Kia Forte we traded in for the Encore. They rode well and 4 years after buying them they were still more than half tread.

 

[G-205948]

Wow, ~50lbs? Um, no. I run mine at 35, and that's how Buick set them too, the last time I had service.

Yes for factory supplied steel not the extra rim package

 

[DocBrown]

Yes for factory supplied steel not the extra rim package

Show us where the manufacter says that. In 45 years of owning and repairing my own vehicles I have never seen anything that says that.

 

[MelsRegal]

Show us where the manufacter says that. In 45 years of owning and repairing my own vehicles I have never seen anything that says that.

8 year old post, 1st one on thread. His tires were incorrectly inflated leading to lots of misinformation.