Re: Tire Pressure

Posted by Rusty O\'Toole On 2013/3/25 22:04:23

"I was looking at some old articles by Tom McCahill and in none of them does he talk about going to the local gas station and cranking up tire pressures because he is about to drive from Chicago to Las Vegas as fast as the car will go. "

I'm a McCahill fan from way back. Over the years, have found his advice and opinions on old cars (new when he tested them) to be valuable and instructive.

He had some strong words to say about the new low pressure tires that came out in about 1951. They were made of synthetic rubber and were supposed to be inflated to 24PSI. He considered them inferior to prewar tires made of natural rubber, and the low inflation pressure, while it gave a soft ride, made the car dangerous in an emergency. A fast maneuver at speed could cause the car to roll, skid, and in extreme cases the tire could roll right off the rim and deflate. He ran his own tires at 32PSI which was safer, gave firmer handling, better gas mileage and longer tire life. He also commented that if you could feel a difference in ride quality you must have been sitting on cold rocks too long lol.

He also suggested owner's manuals should contain 2 tire pressures, one for low speed around town use, and another 4 to 6 PSI higher for high speed, highway trips. He felt underinflated tires not only contributed to dangerous handling, but could overheat and blow out after prolonged driving at speed.

All tire and auto manufacturers later took up this suggestion