Pressure

Any tips for the tyre pressure riding a CT 195/45/17 on a meanstreak?

Start with the recommended pressure and it should be around 38 to 40! Then ride it for a couple hundred miles and then vary by 5 psi going lower until you decide it is getting worse or better. All of tend to ride a different kind of pressure and then one day, you ride another different kind of pressure because it has proven itself and that funny feeling is NOT a loss of grip! I hope this make sense but the long timers will mostly give you this data also.

Good luck and let us know.................bobby

I put 47psi in a 205/60R16 Bridgestone G019 Grid Potenza and never added or subtracted. The reason? To keep the V-rated sidewalls stiff to incur less flex and it gives the tire a motorcycle tire feel with the longevity of a the car tires ample tread life. 50 psi. is the max pressure on the sidewall. My opinion is this...whatever is printed on the sidewall, use the pressure near maximum on the sidewall, the manufacurer knows more about his tire than you. I don't think 30 lbs. in a tire rated at 36 or 38 maximum is enough to keep the sidewalls from overflex and that is what makes the tire feel squirrely. Not enough air. Just my opinion and yet another......buy a V-rated tire, they are made with stiffer sidewalls....so is the motorcycle tire or else you couldn't get the circle to stand up....my opinion only.

I see/hear of you guys buying the Wal-mart tires that have thin sidewalls, I won't buy them. Major manufacturer's only (not any of their trade label/brands for WM, Sears, RK either), V-rated only, near max air pressure only.

I mostly agree with Mark about the air pressure. I've never gone for the most comfort on a bike, but tend towards the best performance and safety from my equipment. I've considered going with less pressure, but will live with feeling the edge of the flat CT at 5 MPH, to be more safe at cornering at 90% and having the tires not flex as much.

I've also found where the CT is less effective than a bike tire and had the wheels slid from under the bike in a patch of very loose gravel. I'll never know for sure, but have been in the exact same conditions with a bike tire and not had the bike slid from under me. Still, overall, I'll take the better performance of the CT over the bike tire in almost every circumstance.

So, consider his post carefully, when considering what pressure to run your tires, and consider erring on the side of safety over comfort.

The pressure listed on the sidewall of your tire is only a maximum safe pressure, and has nothing to do with the pressure the tire should be operated at. There is no way that the tire manufacturer can tell you how much pressure to put in your tire, because they don't know what car (or bike) it will be installed on. If you put 32 pounds of pressure in a tire, on a 3500 pound car, then turn around and put that same pressure, in that same tire, on a 5300 pound car: the tire is going to be underinflated. The weight of the vehicle is the real key to proper tire pressure, and since our bikes are putting even less weight on their tires than a car would, the max pressure will be grossly overinflated.

I usually run anywhere from 32-36 psi in my rear tire, because that's what my bike calls for.

But since a bike manufacturer sets their suggested tire pressure as a compromise between comfort and safety, mostly on the comfort side, this is an arbitrary number. Different bike and car tires calls for different max air pressures, and agreed, this is where their max load carrying capabilities are.

However, the stresses put on by a bike is different than on a car, not as severe in some areas and more severe in others. So, I really don't see comparing cars and bikes as the best ways, but like all of us, this is just my opinions. Opinions, as there really aren't any facts about these things. My opinion is that carrying more air pressures does make the tire more safe for harsh road conditions like pushing it in the corners, potholes, etc., but does make the ride a bit more harsh.

I just know whats working for me and why. Good luck.