My '03 CVT runs great . . . even cools great. Had it in the So. Ca. desert yesterday. After four hours in it . . .I felt that the ride was really rough if not punishing. The owner's manual calls for 30 psi in front and 35 psi in the rear. Is that what most owners are following? Much too bouncy for me. . .so today I took 5 psi out of the rear tires. Down to 30 psi on all four tires. My MC is much smoother now. Usually, in front engined, front wheel drive cars, the pressure is kept higher in the front - not in the rear as called for with this car. Does anyone know if I'm doing something wrong by equally balancing the tire pressure on all four tires. All help is appreciated. Peter

 

supposed to be a label on the drivers door panel for
correct tire pressure. also on the tire itself. Mine came from
the dealer with 32psi on all 4. Seemed fine to me. I think i'll
do some checking on that to see if I can improve mileage or
handling with a slight adjuctment

 

I have an MCS and my label on the driver's door frame doesn't list the 15" wheel option so
check your own door frame on the MC.
The smallest wheel I list is 16" and it says that for 2 people you can inflate it at 30 all around or as much as about 35 all around. Making the front or rear higher or lower than the opposite end might affect understeer so you can try it out and see how it does.
For daily use I would think that you could run 30 to 32 all around and do well.
Also note that your tire pressure can affect your MPG.
Higher pressure would increase ride roughness especially with run flats (which you are not using).

 

I have the same setup you have (15 inch 7th hole rims). The sticker on the passenger door calls for 30 psi on all four with only driver and passenger, and for 32 psi with 4 passengers.

If you keep the 4 wheels at 30 the ride should be as smooth as it can get without affecting gas mileage.

 

I keep all 4 tires at 35 PSI (Cold) regardless of load at all times. I have the standard 15" Continental tires with the 8-spoke silver rims.

 

>>My '03 CVT runs great . . . even cools great. Had it in the So. Ca. desert yesterday. After four hours in it . . .I felt that the ride was really rough if not punishing. The owner's manual calls for 30 psi in front and 35 psi in the rear. Is that what most owners are following? Much too bouncy for me. . .so today I took 5 psi out of the rear tires. Down to 30 psi on all four tires. My MC is much smoother now. Usually, in front engined, front wheel drive cars, the pressure is kept higher in the front - not in the rear as called for with this car. Does anyone know if I'm doing something wrong by equally balancing the tire pressure on all four tires. All help is appreciated. Peter


Do you have Sport Suspension Plus by any chance? (SS+)

 

Nope, no Sport Suspension Plus. Since this is my third Mini . . (others I sold) I knew exactly what I wanted and did not want. First off . . .NO RUN FLATS. Second NO SPORT SUSPENSION and third: NO SUNROOF. Space cloth was a priority as well. The latter two matters were air conditioning/cooling related. My Mini cools like a GM car now. And I certainly do not stick to the seats.

I took the PSI down to 30 on all four tires. . . much better, for sure. IMO, this car has no need for larger tires, run flats, or a suspension that's the slightest bit tighter. Boxster guy is speaking, BTW. Peter :smile:

 

I don´t have the sport suspension, and my car is manual. I don´t know if the CVT is supposed to be kept at 35 psi on the back but it doesn´t make sense.

Mine says (Mexico version) 30 psi on all four, with two passengers (No SS+)

The weight distribution on the Mini is very even (almost 50/50) so it wouldn´t make sense. Keeping the rear tires with more pressure is going to make your car bounce.

30 psi on all fours makes the ride as good as it can get

 

 

 

I don´t have the sport suspension, and my car is manual. I don´t know if the CVT is supposed to be kept at 35 psi on the back but it doesn´t make sense.

Mine says (Mexico version) 30 psi on all four, with two passengers (No SS+)

The weight distribution on the Mini is very even (almost 50/50) so it wouldn´t make sense. Keeping the rear tires with more pressure is going to make your car bounce.

30 psi on all fours makes the ride as good as it can get

 

I don´t have the sport suspension, and my car is manual. I don´t know if the CVT is supposed to be kept at 35 psi on the back but it doesn´t make sense.

Mine says (Mexico version) 30 psi on all four, with two passengers (No SS+)

The weight distribution on the Mini is very even (almost 50/50) so it wouldn´t make sense. Keeping the rear tires with more pressure is going to make your car bounce.

30 psi on all fours makes the ride as good as it can get

 

Multiple copies or not, the above message is incorrect. The MINI is 63:37 weight front to back, not even close to 50:50.

For some reason, tire pressure suggestions seem to vary slightly from locale to locale. In some it suggests higher rear pressure in the 15" non-runflats for some loads.

30 all around seems a bit too soft for me. I prefer 33 or so, even with just me in the car (though I have 16" runflats).

Harry

 

I keep all 4 of my 15" tires (stock) at 40 PSi cold ( I am sure someone is going to say how wrong that is..LOL)... though I would not recomend it to eveyone... I find the ride to still be fine on my SS+ Cooper... but most of the roads here in Georgia are decent.... Why so high you ask... 1 is turn in response, 2 better MPG and 3 I have always liked using higher pressures for both street and race setups... All those years of driving a fully race preped VW on the street warped my perception of a good street ride...LOL!!!!

for most I would say 35 all round is a good place to start... I would not go below 30 PSi

 

Sorry for those multiple copies, I don´t know what happened.

I remember reading somewhere on the Mini ads that the car had almost a 50/50 weight distribution (These are Mexican ads) so now I am entitled to demand my money back! I´ve been cheated!



If I were you I´d try different tire pressures (for a week or so), you could start with 35 on all fours and go all the way down to 30, then you can decide which pressure fits your driving comfort needs.