I joined this site just to set the records straight on tire pressure. As a tire designer of 42 plus years. The statement "set your pressure to the max on the tire" is wrong!!!. The max pressure on the tire sidewall is exactly that. It is the maximum pressure the tire can be safely inflated. The inflation pressure of a tire is dependent on load. For cars this inflation pressure is usually on the driver’s side door jam. Bikes on a frame sticker. This is the cold inflation pressure which means the tire has not been run to generate any additional heat from flexing. If you must add air in a hot tire situation it is recommended to add 4 PSI to the sticker pressure and recheck/adjust after a cooling period like overnight. Pressure recommendations also need to be adjusted for signigantly elevations above sea level and that data is on the net. This is THE answer as it follows the laws of physics and last time I checked gravity was pretty much the same and fairly stable. Now as a designer/test driver/and racer I do reduce pressures to increase contact patch size as desired. This does increase sidewall flexing and heat generation which increases wear and tire life. (FYI cupping is usually balance and sometimes suspension issues. Poor dynamic balancing accentuates harmonics which increases bounce. I always Road Force / match mount balance my cars. )
I never go lower than 4 psi but again I am taking my own liberties and risk doing so. As a designer I cannot recommend anything different from manufactures specifications as that is what the vehicle passed DOT safety requirements with for highway approval... and my legal staff would have heart failure. I will say that modern vehicles air pressures and getting higher and this is related to noise and rolling resistance goals. Harder tires have smaller contact patches resulting in less fictional loses, less noise and increased gas mileage from lower rolling resistance.
For me the ride on the bike is far more important than the tire mileage so I play with lower air pressures and only use high performance top end tires that are VERY durable. Have fun, be safe and enjoy!
So as a tire designer, I am going to open a "Can O'Worms" and ask some questions that will probably get me placed in time out again, or maybe even banished.
I own both a CVO Ultra and a New Generation Gold Wing. Both vehicles have a strong following, and within that following is the subset of "DarkSiders",....guys who put car tires on bikes.
The DarkSider arguments FOR putting a car tire on a motorcycle usually fall into one of the below catagories.
They want maximum mileage at all costs.
It's a profit conspiracy by Motorcycle tire manufactures who "Rigged" the market with low mileage tires to FORCE riders to buy more tires.
The DarkSiders are "Free Thinkers" and not "Sheep" who follow the manufacturers guideline for tires and service.
The combined weight of rider and passanger is over 550 pounds and exceeds the rear tire load specifications.
As one who has been a motorcycle tire designer for 42 years, what is your position on running car tires on motorcycles?
I now submit myself to whatever punitive actions the moderators wish to take.
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Topic: Metzeler 888 Pressures (Read 6038 times)