Tyre Pressures

[7en]

I'm wondering if many of you have experimented with different tyre pressures on your A110, and if so what you have settled on for road or track?

I saw someone on Facebook mention they run 27psi for a better ride but didn't think twice until recently, after fitting 17" wheels where the pressures had dropped to 20-25psi. Along with the higher profile tyres and smaller wheels it all made a significant difference to the ride and handling. I topped the pressures up to 29psi and as expected everything firmed and sharpened up a bit. I've since been experimenting and seems the A110 is generally quite sensitive to tyre pressures.

Edited by 7en on Saturday 20th April 12:28

[Spokeyblokey]

7en said:

I'm wondering if many of you have experimented with different tyre pressures on your A110, and if so what you have settled on for road or track?

I saw someone on Facebook mention they run 27psi for a better ride but didn't think twice until recently, after fitting 17" wheels where the pressures had dropped to 20-25psi. Along with the higher profile tyres and smaller wheels it all made a significant difference to the ride and handling. I topped the pressures up to 29psi and as expected everything firmed and sharpened up a bit. I've since been experimenting and seems the A110 is generally quite sensitive to tyre pressures.

Edited by 7en on Saturday 20th April 12:28

FWIW, on the various occasions I've been to Spires Matt has said 29psi front and 31psi rear and drop the rears to 29psi for the track days. Mine are 215 fronts and 245 rear on 18" rims.

[worldwidewebs]

Matt set mine to 29psi all round but I prefer 31psi and I keep it to that on track too. Works for me

[neil-g8km6]

P.E. with Fuchs and PS4S standard 205 front and 235 rear used to run 29psi all round, I did think that they were too narrow for the rim size and are for sale on PH.
The car is now fitted with Pro track 18", shod with Goodyear eagle F1 supersports; 225 front 255 rear running 27psi all round and for track. Car feels less skittish with a more compliant ride and for me, a better esthetic profile.

[tony993]

David Pook, who knows a thing or two about this, explained on PH some time ago, he had tested a lot & for road use with PS4s on 18s, he runs 29 psi all round (cold).

I set my 17s at 27 psi F & R, & that works well for me.

[jont-]

Normal road use I run about 29f/30r (I've had 3+psi variation between gauges so that may account for a few folks different experiences too!).
Track I check the pressures hot and generally drop the car to 32ish all round over the day, partly depending on how squirmy it feels. That can often mean taking 7psi or so out of the tyres.

[7en]

tony993 said:

David Pook, who knows a thing or two about this, explained on PH some time ago, he had tested a lot & for road use with PS4s on 18s, he runs 29 psi all round (cold).

I set my 17s at 27 psi F & R, & that works well for me.

I'm currently a bit lower at 25psi with 17" wheels and enjoying it.

After driving for a good while on a warm day I think I can feel the pressures start to rise as the ride firms up a bit.

[Rob_RCF]

Spokeyblokey said:

FWIW, on the various occasions I've been to Spires Matt has said 29psi front and 31psi rear and drop the rears to 29psi for the track days. Mine are 215 fronts and 245 rear on 18" rims.

He said the same to me, 29 front and 31 rear.

He also encouraged me to invest in a proper tyre pressure gauge and not rely on the track pump I was using. I bought one from Halford for £15 which does 0.5 psi increments and has a bleed function so you can let air out with more control until it's at the right pressure. It also memorises your pressures for front and rear.

Also worth mentioning if you have the metal dust caps fitted take them off ASAP as they soon seize on and are very difficult to remove. Here's how mine looked after taking the pliers to them:

My car is only 7 months old and even with pliers they were difficult to loosen. I've put some plastic ones on now.