Originally Posted by geeman789
Originally Posted by Mr_Luke
So you think my 195/50 R16s on my little Ford Fiesta would run well with 40 PSI?
Your little Fiesta will run STIFF at 40 psi ... the tires are the first level of bump absorption in your suspension. You will feel every little crack ... and possibly wear the tires in the centre of the tread a little more.
For comparison purposes, my Mazda 2, which is basically a Mazda version of a Ford Fiesta hatch, specifies 32 Front / 29 rear tire pressure. Not sure why the Fiesta specs such a high pressure.
The ST version of his car runs 39 front/36 rear by the door jamb sticker (with a 205/40-17 on a 17x7), even though I run my aftermarket 215/40-17s on 17x8s at 42F/39R, and my winter/rally working setup (195/60-15s on 15x7s) at 48F/45R, and they are STILL
really 'cushy' to me at those pressures, and that with a MUCH more firm/over-damped factory suspension than Mr_Luke's base car.
(I'd much rather wear the centers a bit more on the winters, especially when I have to drive them on the roads/highways in the summer getting to the rallies, than kill/'chunk' the edges, and shoulder blocks, which are what actually helps the car turn and bite into gravel on stage road bends/twists.
)