Tire Pressure Question

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I have a question on the TP subject. On bias ply tires it was a rule of thumb that "proper" TP would result in a 10% increase in TP from cool to fully warmed. Do radial tires have the same dynamic of a 10% increase from cool to warmed.
I have been unable to find this info and am curious.

Smoky
PS: I did find the old ROT to be spot on.
 
Fairly easy to measure it, I'd have thought.

What do you mean by "old ROT"? Presumably not the same old rot I'm driving.
 
Originally Posted By: Ducked
Fairly easy to measure it, I'd have thought.

What do you mean by "old ROT"? Presumably not the same old rot I'm driving.
ROT=rule of thumb? IMHO it depends on load, speed, other factors-in my heavily loaded Transit 250 it can be as much as 20% higher after an extended interstate run! In other cars it seems to only be a 5 PSI increase.
 
PSI increases in all tires as they get warm. 10% more or less. Not a concern, as manufactures allow for the increase. I own several tires rated for 80# and that's what I run.
 
That rule is overly simplistic. It also depends on if you are running the tire at the recommended pressure or higher or lower. Running it lower is resulting in extra heat than intended and pushes the psi towards the same equilibrium.

Scenario 1
Say you're recommended tire pressure is 32. running it gives you 35.

Scenario 2
Say you set it to 30. Because it's flat the tire runs hotter and you end up with 34 or even 35psi anyway, but at a hotter temp and much more tire wear then what the manufacturer recommended.

scenario 3
say you set it at 35. because it's overinflated the tire doesn't heat up nearly as much. so you end up with operating psi of 36.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: raytseng
That rule is overly simplistic....


I have simplistic for you: measure pressure cold. Done.

I used to pay attention to this, and it varies with vehicle weight and tire size and believe it or not, starting tire pressure.
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Set pressure when cold, and dont worry about pressure when warm.
THIS! Also why I don't let the idiots at Valvoline Instant Oil Change TOUCH my tires-they're always freaking out that the rears are above 90 PSI, when they're 75 cold!
 
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Set pressure when cold, and dont worry about pressure when warm.
THIS! Also why I don't let the idiots at Valvoline Instant Oil Change TOUCH my tires-they're always freaking out that the rears are above 90 PSI, when they're 75 cold!


I think the only caveat to that is they need to stay in the max inflation range of the tire.
 
Originally Posted By: Smoky14
I have a question on the TP subject. On bias ply tires it was a rule of thumb that "proper" TP would result in a 10% increase in TP from cool to fully warmed. Do radial tires have the same dynamic of a 10% increase from cool to warmed.
I have been unable to find this info and am curious.

Smoky
PS: I did find the old ROT to be spot on.


Generally, yes the ROT is the same. Usually, the tire manufacturer will also recommend the same cold tire pressure for a Radial fitment, as was used for the Bias ply tire.

There are some instances where tire manufacturers won't recommend a Radial Tire, for a bike originally designed with a Bias Ply tire. Contacting the tire manufacturer is the surest way to know if a Radial tire is recommended for your bike.

The most important thing is to check your tire pressure regularly. I check mine before every ride. With only two small contact patches between you and hitting the road, it becomes much more critical than in a car (although I check my car tire pressures regularly, too).
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Set pressure when cold, and dont worry about pressure when warm.

/thread
 
Originally Posted By: PolarisX
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Set pressure when cold, and dont worry about pressure when warm.
THIS! Also why I don't let the idiots at Valvoline Instant Oil Change TOUCH my tires-they're always freaking out that the rears are above 90 PSI, when they're 75 cold!


I think the only caveat to that is they need to stay in the max inflation range of the tire.


With my Bridgestones, this isn't given on the tyre wall, and didn't seem to be available on the website either.

Not a very big deal, but irritating enough that it would put me off buying them again.
 
OK guys: I'm speaking of motorcycle tires, thus in the M/C forum.
Example: Set TP at 40psi and hit the track and pressure goes to 46psi. You are under inflated because you got more than 10% increase. If starting is 40psi and it goes to 43psi you are over inflated.
The 10% increase requires a different starting pressure depending on use ie. racing or street riding, but the 10% rule always applied and you adjust for the riding conditions.
It was a great way to determine inflation pressure for all loads and conditions because they change. 36psi may be great for a 140 lb rider no baggage, but not for a 210 lb rider with a 50 pound pack.
M/C tires are often run at maximum load because of the weight of rider and pax. GL 1200 wings come to mind, add a few pieces of chrome and full size passenger and you have problems 10% increase still applies but starting pressure may be 44psi and you still get more than a 10% increase. I've checked Wings fully loaded which had 50+psi at operating temp which exceeds the 10% increase and yes they usually had tires about to go "bang"
Now back to radial M/C tires...does this rule apply?

Smoky
PS: I hope I didn't muddy the water.
 
Tire pressure goes up from heating the tire (usually about 1 PSI per 10 deg F rise in temperature), which will be determined by the load on the tire and operating conditions like you mentioned above (ie, race track is going to heat up tires much more than normal street riding). Biased ply vs radial may end up at a different max temperature if used under the same exact conditions based on how they flex and heat up with use, but I doubt it's going to be huge difference.

I have checked my radial tire pressure after long periods of street riding in warm weather, and they are usually up 3~4 PSI from a cold pressure starting point of 36~40 PSI, so seems the tires I had at the time were close to the 10% pressure increase from heat.

I usually run my sport bikes tires 3~4 PSI below the recommended settings anyway when riding solo; the bikes I have just seem to handle and ride a little better with slightly lower tire pressure. If I plan on having a passenger, I'll bump the tire pressure up a bit, but take it back down if riding solo later.
 
Originally Posted By: Smoky14
OK guys: I'm speaking of motorcycle tires, thus in the M/C forum.

Now back to radial M/C tires...does this rule apply?

Smoky
PS: I hope I didn't muddy the water.


I answered your M/C tire question. I'll say it again: Generally, the rule of thumb is the same. But for a bit more detail; Bias Ply tires tend to build up more heat in the carcass. But for normal riding on public roads, the difference between a properly inflated Bias Ply tire and Radial with the same load on the tire is minimal. Hence my saying that generally the ROT is the same.

I also mentioned that some bikes originally fitted with Bias Ply tires, may not react well to a radial tire construction. But most more modern bikes shouldn't have a problem.
 
On the Harley when I had new tires installed (Metzler 880s) they said I now need to run this tire at higher pressures.
I used to run in the 30s, now run them around 42 cold. They said because these tires would wear real fast if I didn't run the higher pressure.... I dunno
grin.gif
 
Many, perhaps most, new/current tires should be running more pressure that
an older cycle calls for in their owner's manual.
Better design and build quality result in a more responsive tire, meaning
you can run more pressure.
 
I got Michelin Commander II 130/90B16 front & 140/90B16 rear on my '05 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 and thinking of putting in 34F/37R cold, do you guys think my 34/37 is ok for just cruise riding?
 
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