Any advantage to over-inflating tires?

[dom]

Will I get better gas mileage and handling, or longer tread life?

[dieseleverything]

Will I get better gas mileage and handling, or longer tread life?

You will get slightly better fuel mileage, but not many other benefits.

Overinflated tires will ride rougher and the vehicle will be twitchier. Plus if you get caught out in the snow or ice traction will be decreased. In the long run the center tread of your tires will wear faster.

I see no real benefit to it, especially in the winter.

[Ken]

You will get slightly better fuel mileage, but not many other benefits.

Overinflated tires will ride rougher and the vehicle will be twitchier. Plus if you get caught out in the snow or ice traction will be decreased. In the long run the center tread of your tires will wear faster.

I see no real benefit to it, especially in the winter.

Agreed, Diesel.

In an ideal world there is an optimum tire pressure for each change in weight of a vehicle. This, theoretical, pressure will optimize, the best average of grip, comfort and tyre life. The manufacturers stated pressures are usually given for two values - average load and full load as for most people the difference they would notice would be negligible and the aggravation of continually changing tyre pressures would be enormous.

I have found that, by increasing the tire pressure by a couple of pounds above the recommended I get slightly better fuel consumption (an additional 2 - 3 mpg) at the expense of a slightly rougher ride. At the same time I think I get better feedback from the tires as to what they are doing at any given time. This is my personal opinion and related to the car/tire combination I currently drive. On my minis, with much modified suspension IIRC I ran GP tires at a pound lower at the front and two higher at the rear.

Running tires underinflated leads to excessive wear on the shoulders, overheating and poor handling. Running tires grossly over-inflated, although significantly reducing rolling friction leads to twitchy handling and excessive wear to the center tread.

FWIW.

Ken.

[chiph]

I do the same as Ken does -- I run them 2psi over what the door sticker says. I get better handling, some additional reserve air pressure, and slightly better fuel economy, but at the expense of a rougher ride. Which given that I'm driving a pickup truck -- who can tell?

Chip H.