Tire pressure

[Martin]

Right now I am running 32 psi on my tires and they are 40 series in the front and 45's in the back, both on 17 inch rims. I haven't consistently run on much higher or much lower but the tires are wearing evenly.


I wanted to hear some opinions on tire pressure.

[Al B]

Martin,

Not to sound silly but, on what car? Esprit, Elise?

Al

[Martin]

91 Esprit SE.

[Martin]

With the S4 wheels.

[WheelSpin]

I run exactly what the specs on the car say. Why, should I be running something else?

[Tony K]

The S1 and S2 are very sensitive to tire pressures. Changes of just a couple of psi affect the car's handling; more than a few psi, and the ride can get squishy or bouncy. :eek:

[Martin]

What size tires do the S1's run? Do you run the same on all three?

[Tony K]

What size tires do the S1's run? Do you run the same on all three?

Stock sizes:
Front - 205/60/14 -- 18psi (yes, eighteen)
Rear - 205/70/14 -- 27psi

A lot of people (myself included) have been running 225/60/14 on the rears, and 28psi seems to have worked the best with a few different tires.

Yes, I run the same sizes on all three cars (205/60 F and 225/60 R)

A few people put 235/60/14 on the rear, but all of those I have ever seen have been S or T rated, and they don't feel so good (and the left side rubs the heat shield).
A few people also use 195 or 215 60-series fron tires, but with the exception of the guys in the UK who can get V-rated 195 Fuldas, I don't think those tend to be thoughtful decisions.

S1/S2 owners have been extremely limited in tire choice for some time. It has probably been more than ten years since the last V-rated tire was offered in the U.S., and we have rarely had more than one H-rated choice available in the past ten years or more. Right now, there are some H-rated Kumhos, but they aren't very good. I have H-rated Falken ZE-502s on mine. They have been out of production for several years now, but they still handle and grip better than the new Kumhos. I am hoping the Falkens last until these cars get old enough that people start spending good money on them rather than cheaping out, and demand appropriately good tires, not just some that will fit.

Right now, you can buy these lousy, skinny, cheap Kumhos for around $42 per tire. I'd happily pay $150-$200 per tire for a deserving V-rated performance tire that the car should have. Between Ferrari 308s, Lotus Esprits, Toyota Supras, and a few other cars, there is enough of a base for high end performance tires in the 14" sizes 205/60, 205/70, and 225/60; the problem is that the majority of people who own these cars right now will always opt for the $40 tire, regardless of how much better the high performance tire is. I am hoping that in the next ten years, the overall ownership of these kinds of cars will change or the owners will change their thinking. :)