Tyre pressures

[baSkey]

hmm.

i run mine at 2.5 bar per corner. i know a lot of people go higher (but i have wondered if that's part of the puncture issue (not enough 'flex'..??). anyway the missus has had the car for touring for a week and because her grandparents live in the middle of no where i the front tyres got a couple of psi knocked out of them... last night i went to pump them up again and the handling was definitely not quite as good. but it just seems wrong to have higher rear pressures than front in a fwd road car... any views...

[mikeyboy]

Well when you consider that as you say the front tyre has also got a lot more weight over it and also more to do. The front tyre would be prone to greater lateral presures from the engine weight and therefore at a higher pressure liable to break grip quicker, so at the lower pressure allows the tyre flexes sideways to compensate and it maintains grip. The rear tyre has no such problem so it can be at a higher pressure.

Wierdly I just got my car back from the service and all the tyres were at the same pressure.

also surely puting the presure up high has meant you've been getting pretty poor fuel economy and tyre wear?

[baSkey]

? 2.5bar all round is the factory recommended pressure for 17" runflats (according to the label on my door!). other people i have spoken to ohave gone higher than this.

for clarity what i meant was the front tyres had gone 'under correct pressure' but the rears were 'at' correct pressure and i prefered the handling - so i was wondering what kind of pressures other people ran - same all round etc etc...

[mini_ralf]

I tend to run 30psi all round. But then I've got rid of the run flats and have gone over to proper tyres.

[mikeyboy]

Ah sorry didn't realise that you were on run flats.
Don't think mine are though the ride is so shocking its possible and my door says 2.3 and 2.5 if I recall correcly.