Originally Posted by
Mad Honk
Andy and All,
Interesting discussion and I will add my bit to the confusion. I worked for Goodyear tires for a few years as the shop service manager. Goodyear pounded into my head that they put the maximum pressure on the tire to keep folks from over inflating them, and to run them at that pressure to get optimum performance. So I made sure all of our technicians put the tire pressure indicated on the tire sidewall on every install. I never had any problems with that. Fast forward twenty years and I get a set of Bridgestones to replace some factory tires. The service manager informs me that they only put the tire pressure at what is on the door sticker and no more or it would void the warranty. So I let them do it. My wife drives about 60-75k miles per year as a Hospice worker. Six months and 30k miles the tires were worn out due to under inflation. So the moral in my mind is put in close to the recommended pressure from the tire manufacturer. Better performance and less wear on the outsides of the tire when inflated as prescribed by the manufacturer. JMHO, Smiles, MH
This does not translate well to bicycle tires and is in most cases counter to the advise of the manufacturers. Bikes with rigid forks do not have much if any active suspension and setting tire pressure is more important for them than on a suspended car. On offroad bikes, as in cars actually ridden offroad, lower pressures provide better traction which must be balanced against handling and rolling resistance.