Hi NAM members,

Just wanting to know what tire pressures you are using on a Gen 1 MCS
without the run flat tires.

I have tried various settings and can't seem to find one that will help reduce tire wear both front and back.

Please let me hear your thoughts. Also, if you know your UTOG rating on your tires and your pressures that would be most helpful.

Thanks, MiniKar

 

if you are running the same size and speed rating tire as the sticker says, the fact that the tires are not RF's does not matter ....

Most car tires today will be around 30 psi ....

Speed rated tires tend to wear fast and the 'standard size' tires for MINI tend to have a high(er) speed rating

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...160713204538:s

What tires are you running?

On my 02S and my 07S getting 30,000 out of a set of tires was difficult even tho I'm a 'nanny driver' in the opinion of most. I ran the 'stock' sizes but varied brands and had Pirelli, Yoko, Continental, Goodyear (eagle) and Kumho over the years (I remember these) .... and even within a brand, the wear across models varies WIDELY . . .

p.s. as data points: we routinely get over 40,000 on our Hondas .... I've got 20,000 on a set of Eagles on my Focus ST and they have plenty of life in 'em.

 

Although I have zero facts to back it up I can't agree with the thought that RF tires should be inflated to the same pressure as non RF. If you are tracking your car then you should seek out someone with a quality pyrometer.

 

I'm currently running Hankook with a UTOG of 280 so they wear out on the edges way too fast

Looking at a A/S tire with a UTOG of 560 so this and more rotations may be the answer if I keep the pressures at 30 to 35.

 

Although I have zero facts to back it up I can't agree ... If you are tracking your car ...

tracking is a different issue so let's skip that and focus on routine road use ...

I've checked dozens of sites and can find NO reference that makes a difference in recommended pressure for RF vs non.

EVERY reference says start with what's on the car / in the owner's manual as it is based on LOAD vs tire size. Now if you dig deeper they do mention that changing SIZE changes recommended pressure and there IS a table for this.

Another valuable resource is tire load/inflation tables. Your local Discount Tire should have a copy. Not only will this document tell you the correct tire pressure for stock sizes, but it will provide the information on optional plus sizes as well. A good example would be the findings on a Honda Civic with the stock size 185/65R-14. The recommended air pressure is 28 psi. Plus one size is 195/55R-15 with a recommended air pressure of 32 psi. Plus two size is 205/45R-16 with a recommended air pressure of 36 psi. Note how the air pressure increases with plus sizing to meet the load carrying capacity for the car.

{note plus size is plus wheel diameter which typically means sidewall gets shorter to stay in the wheel well. Look at the full size #s}

wrt to the edges wearing .... I'm no expert but could this be caused by 'rollover' of the sidewall under cornering? Which would be MORE on a tire with a softer sidewall? RF's have SUPER STRONG sidewalls, able to carry the weight of the car with no tire pressure .....

you are looking at an all season?

Remember ... sport tires are soft and sticky and do NOT last as long as an all season high mile tire which is gonna have a different formulation . . . if you are just looking for long life and will not miss 'performance' (which is subjective) that's perfectly fine. Been there and got the t-shirt .... but if you have been on performance tires EXPECT to feel a ride change.

 

I'd go with 34-36 psi.

 

So your suggestion is 34 rear and 36 front ?

More weight in front so more air in the tires ??

 

I go for 35 all around, so I suggested a narrow range around that.
I'm running 205/50/16 Conti DW tires on 16x7 rims summer,
and 185/75/15 Michelin winters (X-ice xi3) on stock holies in winter.
I run the winter tires a couple pounds lower than the summer ones.

 

if you go back to the basics

telltale sign of over inflation is wear in the center of the tread while underinflation causes wear on the edges ....




however if only one edge is wearing, then the issue is possibly alignment / suspension

 

my experience radial tires do not show that "classic" center/outside wear from being a few psi off ideal pressure. you'd need to be way high (60+) see noticeable wear in the center.

 

I have made the addition of 6 PSI higher than stock pressures on my car, with Pirelli P7 AS Plus tires. After 3k miles I can already measure a difference in center rib wear, 1/32" difference to be exact. Tires do wear the fastest when they are brand new. To be considered my car is AWD and hard on tires.

 

Alex,

any comment on the original question .... if I put non RF's on my MINI, same size as the RF tires it came with, same speed rating .... should I adjust the pressure I run?

you are perceived as the tire expert by some . . .

 

I would stick to stock pressure as a baseline. I personally watch tread depth diligently for signs of wear - just as your chart suggested. I personally adjust pressure accordingly to compensate for wear.

My current circumstance would be an attempt to firm up cornering response. Balancing the pressure to mitigate center rib tire wear is difficult.

 

thanks for the reply . . .

I would stick to stock pressure as a baseline

if you are running the same size and speed rating tire as the sticker says, the fact that the tires are not RF's does not matter ....

 

Agreed.

 

So now I have a new set of Continental DWS 06, 205x45x17.

I set the pressures on the front at 36 and the rear at 35.

+ 1 to the front for the additional weight.

The plan is to rotate at 3000 miles front to back only.