Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Hi Guys,

Been spending time absorbing the tremendous amount of technical info throughout the site, and came across STB concerning changes to tire pressure. They advised (F)22psi, (R)20 psi, and they didn't mention model applicability, was wondering if it was across the line?

What tire pressure does everyone keep it at?

Car manufacturer's tire pressure recommendations in that era were primarily aimed at nice, soft ride characteristics without any regard to tire life, etc.

I typically use a cold inflation pressure of about 3-4 psi less than the max listed on the tire sidewall for the maximum load rating. I'm sure there will be lots of varied opinion on this.

Thanks...I'd like to hear what others are typically running.

Why would they send a STB lowering it from the 26psi in the book to 22/20 then?

IMO, O_D nailed the reason. Comfort and soft ride. They might have changed something else on the car or found initial specs were a bit too much. Since Packards target group mostly wanted a nice comfortable soft cushy ride, a lower tire pressure is one way to get it back. If you look thru bulletins you will find many addressing "harshness", "roughness", "disturbances" -- you name the term -- but all essentially addressing the same thing. Quiet, smooth and comfortable was the desired result.