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In Reply to: Here's what happens at low pressures (stock) posted by guysimpson on June 18, 2001 at 23:00:03:
There is considerable difference for those that run their cars at the track, and those of us that do not, of course.
BMWs figures regarding the best tire pressures are for general street driving, I'm sure. What those that drive their cars in a more spirited fashion quickly discover is that those relatively low figures are not sufficient indeed.
DHG
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You are correct with the physics of pressure vs pressure but when the car goes into a hard turn, a weight transfer from the rear to the front occurs and a low profile tire cannot absorb the lateral forces like a high profile tire can due to the stiffness and limited area of the sidewall. All the force is then transferred to the contact patch and sidewall edge which slides on the pavement as you notice this as accentuated wear on the outside edges. By increasing the interior tire pressure causes the edge on the contact patch and sidewall to be stiffer than with a lower pressure thereby increasing the edge life by forcing more of the contact patch toward the center of the tire into play.
For this reason staggered fitments in low aspect ratio application shouldn't be more than 1/2" difference. I have 10" Rear and 9" front. I have to order new outer lips and increase my front tires 20mm to help distribute the load better. But the tire pressure will have to remain high to get maximum service life out of them. Something to consider at 300/tire, not much albiet to some but with my budget it helps. You don't have to increase your tire pressure, it's up to the pilot. But you'll have to swap tires more often. But each operator must experiment on his own to achieve what works for him. Just because I say 50psi works for me won't necessarily work for you.
Guy
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