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Hi, the last time I changed out my 4 tires was after almost 40 000km. Now, I noticed the outer and most likely the inner tire thread are wearing out faster than the middle section once again. Is it time to change tire again (another 37 000km)? Understand one reason for the inbalance wear is that my tires may be under deflated such that the outer tire threads which are in contact most of the time are wearing out quicker. But also noticed the rear tires are wearing out slower than the front tires. I have also switched these tires (rear and front). I am also attempting to pump up these tires more so that I get more overdeflation( to wear out middle section) than undeflection. My car manual says 32 psig is the norm but I have pumped up to 36 psig. Can I go any higher to achieve better tire wear? Or is this time to replace my tires altogether. Can I only replace the front tires only since the wear due to braking and cornering is more? I also wish to change my current tire 175 70R13 to wider tire thread. I do not have sport rims. Can it still upgrade to 185 width? What is the impact to the rim diameter and profile?

Hi, I am using 175/70 R13 tires. Saw 175/60 R14 specs. Suppose this is a wider tire width. What is the difference other than it is costier?

although my last shopping for tire is only 12 months ago, I believe there's alot of new tires launched in the market in the last few months? which tires give a good balance of comfort/quietness and performance? Tried Yoko avsdb, find it so so only. Any other choices?

whenever we park the car, realised that there's a slight burning smell coming from the tires... smell goes away after a while. is that normal? just got our new car over the weekend. please advise...

I just shod my car with new shoes but upon checking the tire pressure. Was shocked to see it in excess of 38psi cold! Dunno if pxx xxxg had done the right thing. The recommended tire pressures for the Aveo from up to 14" rims and tires are 30psi for both front and back. Should I reduce the pressure to the recommended. I'm using 195/50/15 Falken Azenis ST115.

After changing my stock tire to the above size for more than a month, past few days find that the car pick up was a bit slow, especially when moving off in front of the traffic light. This morning b4 coming to work, I went to the petrol station & pump in 225kpa for both the front & rear tire & find that the pick up is much better now. As the car manual only indicated the recommended tire pressure for the stock size 175/65R14 as 210kpa for both the front & rear, so am wondering whether did I pump in the correct pressure or not

I'm currently running on 15" OZ Superleggra offset 37 with 195/50 tires in my Jazz. Any problem if I change to 195/55? Going over bumps, u-turn, etc? Tires experts please kindly advise. Thanks!

I had my shocks/springs changed a week ago. I was recommended to go for alignment but I delayed for 1 week. The tires squealed at every turn at any speed. I didn't give a damn. My driving was pretty spirited too. Now my car is is covered all over with specks and bits of rubber thrown up from the front tires. They are now worn down like I've been using them for 1.5yrs. These tires are Sumitomos. Well known for hard tire compounds! So I suggest you all not to delay tire alignments after a rim or suspension job.

Hi Guys, Wonder what the normal pressure u guys pump for the new FL sunny? quite confused whether should it be the same for all 4 tyres or different pressure for front and back? Owned a previous model Ex 1999, and found that different pressure for front and back gave me bad fuel consumption. Is pumping extra 10-20% over recommeded range more normal? Bottmom line is to get the optimal fuel consumption. kindly enlighten me.

hi everyone i guess u all quite expert in this but i'd just like to know how often should one do tire rotation for even wearing? and how should it be done? criss-crossed or front-back exchange? i'm using dunlop SP70e tires,so wat do u think? good anot? soft/hard tires? lastly how often should one replace tires? on normal spore driving.

Whats the tire pressure for 235/40/18? Thanks for help!

What is the correct air pressure for 195/55R15 tyres? I'm driving a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer. Thinking of using bigger rims. What is the max size rims a Lancer can use? Any side effects in using bigger rims?

Hi Been to some wheels shops today and came back confused. Anyway, I am looking at the 16" Enkei RP02 model and was told to match a 205/46/r16 tire to it. Is there such a size? My original tire size is a 195/60/r15. I go through the online tire calculator but no such size. Also, not sure if it is my eyes... The Enkei picture of the rims on web looks different from the one I see in the shop. Imitation?

Need to know what plus sizing U need for the new tire/wheel combo? Check it out here: http://www.mindspring.com/~toy4two/tire.html

I've checked the owner's manual but they only have the guides for stock tyres. I'm using 175/65 14" tyres on a 1.0L Suzuki Swift. The petrol station attendants usually pump 220kpa (about 32psi) for me but when I looked at the tyres, they seems a little under-inflated to me. I hope to reduce fuel consumption a little as my car is heavily utilised (average 70-80km a day). Should I up it to 230kpa? Any idea what is the recommended pressure?

Why inert tire gas filling? Formula 1, aviation and hazardous transport trucks use already for a long time inert fillings of tires. Most of civil drivers do not take care on their tire pressure. Because the pressure loss is reduced and the fire risk is avoided this filling of tires contributes substantially to security, comfort and economy . What is an inert filling of tires with nitrogen? The compressed air normally existing in the tire is replaced by an inert filling with tire gas. This gas is cleaned from particles, oil vapour and humidity. Above all especially this air is oxygen-poor, i.e. inert (= low reactive). What causes inert filling of tires? Inert tire gas avoids oxidation at the rim and valve seat. Also the tire rubber is protected inside against oxidation by the low oxygen share. Inflammations in the tire inside are not possible any longer, since without oxygen in air no process of combustion can take place. The loss of the molecules by the rubber wall of the tire (pressure loss by diffusion) is reduced. What are the advantages of a more constant tire pressure ? More driving safety by better handling characteristics Higher durability of tire caused by optimized rolling resistance More comfort by better taking up of impacts Less fuel consumption caused by lower rolling resistance Better handling & road holding Reduces tread wear and increases tyre life by up to 25% Correct inflation pressures reduce puncture risk by up to 33% Reduced rolling resistance improves miles per gallon by 2% Improved pressure retention

Hi, I was told by the Honda SE not to buy from Honda the original sport rim and tire. As it is much cheaper to buy from the after market. I am looking for a 16" or 17" sport rim and a set of tire size of 215/60 with good wet grips for the Honda Odyssey. And roughly how much does it cost for the 4 sport rims and tires. Any recommendation. This is the first time I am buying a set of sport rim. Most of the times I just use the factory fitted rim and tire. Thank you for any suggestion.

Tire Pressure At nearly every event, there is endless discussion about tire pressures. Everyone seems to know it's important, but few people really understand what to do, when, and why. This article will focus on the practical aspects of adjusting tire pressure to achieve maximum grip and handling balance. The goal of adjusting tire pressures, as with all other adjustable suspension components, is to maximize the overall handling grip of the car. Generally, adjustable shocks, anti-roll bars, replaceable springs, wheel alignment, and other adjustable suspension features are used to provide the majority of adjustment to the car's handling balance and grip. Tire pressure is typically used as a fine tuning adjustment. However, the vast majority of weekend racers have stock cars, and only their tire pressures to adjust. Whether it's your only tuning method, or the last refining step, you need to understand what is happening to the tire during racing, and what the variables are to be effective in adjusting tire pressure. We're going to present this in the form of two phases in determining the correct tire pressures to race at. First is the large scale setting of what the tire operates best at. Considering the wide variety of tires and cars used at any weekend hobby event, we can expect a wide range of optimum tire pressures to be used at fully heated racing temperatures. Somewhere within the 30-40 psig range is likely for most cars, but that's still a very broad range. If 40 psig is the max, then 30-40 psig represents a 25% window, and nothing in racing is as vague as a 25% window. So first, you have to determine where in this 10 psig band your tires perform best. The second phase is the fine tuning realm of within 2 psig of the optimum setting. This small adjustable range can be played with based on track conditions to tweak for the best performance at any given time on the track. We want to first step you through a practical approach to your first few race day's tire pressure settings, then step you through a system to determine the general range of pressure the car handles best at, then finally through some tips for fine tuning. First, however, there's some basic background stuff to cover. There's a lot to cover, so this article is broken into several sections as listed below: tools, taking tire temperature measurements, starting "somewhere," fine tuning, adjusting for ambient temperature, optimizing tire performance, optimizing tire temperature, optimizing contact patch, road racing vs. auto-crossing, and stock front-drive cars. The Tools First and foremost, you cannot possibly tune and optimize your tire settings without having the proper tools. At the very minimum you need an accurate and repeatable tire gauge. Don't cheat yourself with a $3 pencil style gauge. Get a dial gauge, preferably an oil-filled one, with a maximum reading of 50 to 60 psig. It should also have a bleeder valve so you can bleed air from the tire while the gauge is still connected. It's also worth getting the protective rubber case or shell. Dropping a gauge can ruin its calibration, and the rubber shell can prevent that. To be most effective, you also need a tire pyrometer. You can do a lot with just a pressure gauge, but you'll never be able to quickly and consistently tune the tire pressures without temperature data. Many decent pyrometers are available for a little more than $100. The probe types that penetrate the tires are the preferred ones. Taking Tire Temperature Measurements The first rule in taking tire temperatures is that they must be taken when the car comes in from a full race-speed lap. Taking temperatures after a cool down lap is useless. If necessary, the driver should come in a lap early (before the checkered flag) to ensure the tires are race hot. If the driver waits for the checkered flag, chances are he'll get stuck behind slower traffic. The track will be under a no passing rule during cool down, and the tires will cool too much. Tire temperatures are taken in three places on the tire. First, on an outer tread block on a street tire, or about 1" in from the outside edge of a racing slick. Second in the middle of the tire. Third, on an inner tread block or 1" in from the inside edge of the tire. Often on high performance treaded tires, you'll need to measure the second tread block in from the edge. The outer shoulder block will not retain enough heat for a meaningful reading. The temperature probe should be inserted all the way in. Whenever taking temps of a treaded tire, be sure to center the probe in the tread block. The edges will cool faster, so it is important to have as much rubber surrounding the probe as possible. Wiggle the probe a little when first pressing it in to ensure it is well seated. The temperature reading will fluctuate for several seconds. Do not wait for it to be perfectly stable. As soon as it settles to within a couple of degrees F, take the reading and move on. You shouldn't have to wait more than 5 seconds for each reading. Always measure each tire in the same pattern. Whether it's inside, center, outside, or the other way around doesn't matter. Just do it the same way every time. Be consistent in the tire sequence also. Generally, you'll want to measure the hottest side first to be sure they're not overly heated. For example, if the entry to the pits is after a series of long right turns, measure the left tires first. Whatever the sequence, be sure to repeat it with every reading. Starting "Somewhere" For your first racing experience, or your first experiences with a new tire, you'll need to first determine the realm of the gross tire pressure setting. Assuming there's no one to tell you how your tire and car combination are best set up, you'll need to experiment to know whether the car handles better in the 30-34 psig range, the 33-36 psig range, or the 36-40 psig range. Once you have a feel for this, you can fine tune to within 1/2 to 1 psig for optimum handling balance and performance. There are two points from which to set tire pressures. First, you have to adjust the cold (ambient) pressures before the car takes to the track for the first time, or after it has completely cooled off between sessions. After the tire has reached full racing temperature, it is possible to fine tune from the fully heated point, but it will also be important to know when the tire has cooled back down to cold temperature. We know the tires are going to heat up when they're driven on. The friction between the rubber and the road will generate heat. A lot of heat. This heat is going to transfer to the gaseous air in the tire, and cause it to expand which leads to an increase in the tire pressure. It happens to work out that an increase of about 10 degrees F causes about 1 psig increased tire pressure. On the track, you're going to work the tires much more than possible on the street. Repetitive, high cornering forces and aggressive braking are going to generate much more heat and therefore higher tire pressures. Because of this, the typical pressures you run on the street are going to be too high for the race track. During normal street driving, tire pressures will increase over the recommended factory "cold" settings about 2-4 psig. During racing, a cold tire pressure setting will increase anywhere from 6 to 10 psig. Tire pressures must be lowered from their usual street settings before going onto the track. As with just about everything, the "correct" starting pressure "depends." There's a lot of variables. Still, you have to start somewhere, then you can test various pressure settings to find the best balance in performance. Remember, even the pros have to test several settings every race weekend to find the best performing point. There is no formula, no "right" answer that you can use every time. So, if you're using street tires on the track, the generic, "start somewhere" point is 5 psig lower than the car manufacturer's recommended tire pressures. (Note: use the car manufacturer's recommended tire pressure as the baseline. Many service and oil change stations with poorly trained techs will pump tires up to pressure stated on the tire side wall. Hello! That's the maximum setting, not the recommended setting. Watch out for those guys!) From a cold starting point of 5 psig less than street pressures, you can begin the trial and error cycle of making small adjustments and determining the effect. To do this, you will need to run several laps to get the tires hot to start with. Take it easy the first 3 laps or so until the tires come up to temperature. The car will be quite sloppy with the initial low pressures. After 3 or 4 laps, the tires should feel consistent. Run several more laps to get a feel of the overall grip level and the handling balance. If you're held up by traffic, stay out until you get at least three maximum-effort laps. Then come in to take the pressures and temperatures, and report on the handling. Do not make a cool down lap before coming in as the tires will cool down significantly making the tire temperature data useless (When you park, be sure to not use the parking brake, or rest on the brake pedal as you can easily warp the brake rotors). If you have a temperature probe, you can use the tire profile reading as the primary guide to tell you if the pressure should be increased, decreased, or left as is. if the centers of tires are 5 or more degrees hotter than the edges, then the tire pressure should be lowered. Try about 1 psi for each 4 to 5 degrees the center is higher than the lowest edge temperature. if the center temperature is more than a few degrees lower than the edge temperatures, then the tire pressure is too low. Try increasing it by 1 psi for each 4 to 5 degrees the center is lower than the highest edge temperature. If you do not have a temperature probe (get one!), then use this as general guide. Generally the tire pressures should be close to equal on a car with neutral handling. If the front or rear tire pressures are significantly different, you can adjust them to a mid point between the two readings. (If the fronts are 38 psig, and the rears are 32 psig, then try adjusting them while they're still hot to all be 35 psig). Try this setting for the next session. If the tires felt very slippery, especially if they got worse on every lap, then the tire pressure is too high. Take each tire pressure and write it down. If only the front or rear tires felt slippery (the front was slippery if the car understeered and wouldn't respond to more steering input, the back was slippery if the car wanted to oversteer and spin), then lower the pressure of just that pair by 4 psig while they're still hot. Try this setting for the next session. If the tires felt spongy, then the tire pressures are too low. When the pressures are too low, they will have low grip and still tend to slide like a tire that is too hard, but the feeling will be different. Instead of a smooth slippery slide, the tire will scrub and have more vibration in the slide. The difference is subtle, but you'll have feel for it in the steering wheel, and from the seat in your legs and back. In this case, increase the pressure while the tires are hot by 2 psig. Try this setting for the next session. For the first few sessions you'll want to make large pressure adjustments of 2 to 4 psig. This way in about three sessions you can note whether the car felt better in the low 30's, mid 30's, or high 30's psig range, Once you feel the car behaves better in one of these ranges, you can move on to 1 psig incremental changes to close in on the optimum setting. If after 5 or 6 laps you know the car is just not right, don't force it. Come in and make an adjustment. There's no point to driving a really poor handling car and risking an off track excursion over it. Once you have some experience with your car, you may find that the best starting point is only 2 psig less, or as much as 6 or 8 psig less than the street pressures you run at. There is a large difference in cars, tires, and driving style that affect this. However, starting at 5 psig lower than street pressures should prevent most tires from becoming excessively hard and slippery, and from exceeding their maximum safe pressure. Fine Tuning Once you know the general tire pressure range you're aiming for, you can make smaller increments to target the optimum setting. If you're racing on a particular brand and model of tire for the first time, or you've never taken tire data before, you have some trial and error work to get through, and this will take some time. Depending on the track time available to you, it may take more than your first event to close in on the optimum pressure settings. If you're running on a race track for the first time ever, this will lengthen how long it takes to determine the best tire pressures as your own inconsistent and incorrect driving will cloud the data you collect. However, take the right data, (use the charts we've provided, and the information in many of the recommended books), and you'll be able to quickly narrow in on the best performing pressures. Based on the car's handling and tire temperature readings, make adjustments in small increments of 1/2 to 1 psig as needed, then run several more laps to feel the difference. Repeat this cycle as many times as needed until the best balance and maximum grip is achieved (as shown by your lap times). Use the charts we've provided (above and the Tunding Guide) to help interpret the feel and the tire temperature data into how to adjust the pressures. Each time the car comes in, use your log sheet (see the Practice Sessions section for a downloadable log sheet) and immediately write down the tire pressures and temperatures. Make notes as to the specific handling responses in each corner of the track. Also, write down exactly the changes made on each tire. After several sessions, you'll get to know the range within a pound or so for the tires that they perform best when hot. When they cool down, you can make note of the cold pressures, and use those pressures the next time as a starting point. Once you have a feel for the target pressure when the tires are hot, there is some math you can use to calculate a starting point that should be within a pound or two of the best settings. How that works, requires some further understanding of the ambient air temperature and it's effects on the tire's pressure. Adjusting For Ambient Temperature We mentioned earlier that 10 degrees F changes the tire pressure about 1 psig. If a tire starts with a certain cold pressure in the morning, the warming of the day is effectively adding pressure to the tire over the course of that day. The temperature the tire runs at will be affected by the combination of the ambient air temperature, the track surface temperature, and the amount of friction introduced (how hard you drive). If for your first session of the day, it's overcast, the air temp is 65 and the track temp is 70, then in the afternoon the sky is clear, the air temp is 85, and the track temp is 105, there is considerably more heat to influence the temperature of the tire surface. If you drive just as hard, the tire will be hotter, and the pressure will be higher. This change from morning to afternoon is going to be much more pronounced in some climates than others. The southwestern U.S. can see days with a 45 degree morning and a 90 degree afternoon. This will increase the starting tire pressure by 4 psig by the end of the day. This will make a world of difference in the handling of the car during each session. To maintain the same racing pressure settings in the afternoon as achieved in the morning, you'll have to compensate for the increased pressure due to ambient temperature. While there is probably a formula to understand the effect of the relationship of the ambient temperature and the track temperature, it will be complicated by the aerodynamics around the tires, and the heat generated by the brakes. You can generally use the ambient air temperature and the 10 degrees per 1 psig relationship as a guide for adjusting tire pressures throughout the day. Take ambient air temperature readings at the start of each session, and use this to determine how to adjust the tire pressures. As the day warms, you'll have to drop tire pressures accordingly before each session. One more item related to ambient temperature--you’ll find that if the car is parked with one side of the car facing the sun, those two tires might be 10 to 20

Dear all Would like to share with a sales enquiry I made some time back from Nokian/ GT Radial. Dear Mr. Lester Yeong, [/size] Many thanks for your interest shown on our product. We do have this size, but only for Nokian Tyres, which is made in Finland. But, all my Nokian Tyres does not comes with White Lettering. Only my GT Radial tyres comes with white lettering, but only restrict to 225/75 R16, not 225/70 R16. As for prices, we are retailing this at S$ 180.00 per piece. This tyre will only be in approximately January 2003. This would suits your Hyundai Santa Fe perfectly. I have attached a picture of the tyre for your kind perusal. Once again, many thanks for your enquiry, and we look forward for your reply. Warmest regards, Dennis Yeo Marketing Executive Globaltraco International Pte Ltd 10, Joo Koon Crescent Singapore 629012 DID : 6-4188992 Main Line : 6-2653088 Fax : 6-2621335 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lester Yeong" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, November 24, 2002 3:03 AM Subject: 225/70/16 > > > Hi there > > I'm looking for a passenger vehicle tire for road use. > > Information as follows: > > > > 225/70/16 or thereabout > > 101S or thereabout > > A/T, M/T > > Outside RaisedWhite Lettering (if without is fine) > > > > I'm driving a Hyundai Santa Fe and I appreciate if you can forward me a copy > of tires available according to the specs above inclusive of pricing per pc. > I'm using a 16"x8" rim set now. Thank you. > > Regards > > Lester

Yah hey managed to pump your tyres yet?

Why does the F1 cars have such small wheels and fat profile tires? I tot low profile tires with large wheels are essential for max cornering stability? Could it be such that to slow those rocket cars down????

Dun forget that U have 5 tyres & rims on the car , if one set of wheel save 4kg, U can do maths hoh...

I recommend 3M tire dressing and Eagle One Concours Tire Dressing for a Luxurious Satin Tire shine. Apply the dressing with Eagle One Tire swipes for a mess free application Gives me weekly perfect lasting tire shine

Interesting tip (See pic)