To Those Running Mich Pilot Sports...

38 psi front and rear. 235/40/17 and 335/35/17

3-4 lbs psi below the maximum.

25 psig, front & rear.

its a good starting point.

the oem 70 series / 60 series tires were spec'd at 26 - 28 psi, why would a tire with a stiffer sidewall want more air?

George

I started at 26 when they were new and watched scuffing patterns and was getting a little scuffing on outer edges. So I started moving them up, went to 27, 28, 29, 30 and currently at 31. 31 seems to be the number for the street. I don't see any obvious scuffing anywhere at this PSI. Just put 2200 miles on them 3 weeks ago traveling from the Phoenix area to the POCA Vegas event, continued up to N Nevada, back through LA and then back to the Phoenix area. Most of those highway miles were at 80 mph and many times at 120+ for 10 to 20 mile runs. They are wearing great, even across, for what little wear their are showing at this point. I probably have about 4000 miles on them so far since putting on the new wheels.
Mine are probably a little closer to yours Mike size wise. 275x40x17 & 335x35x17.
On a side note, my Kodiak wheels have not lost any air since putting them on. Just checked them again today and they are still holding at 31 from 4 weeks ago.

quote:

Originally posted by Cyboman:
What tire pressures are you using front and rear for street driving? Thanks.

Michael

Thanks Blue, RRS, George and Coz.

It seems like personal preference as to how stiff a ride one desires. I'm going to start at 32 psi and see how it feels. When I had the tires mounted, the guy said he put 44 psi in and them. It feels nice on the road, but I swear I can feel every pebble! I'm most concerned about even tire wear.

Please keep the responses coming. I'd like to see what the most common number is.


Michael

What is the maximum psi rating of your tires?

44 ? It's too much, I think you'll be fine at 32. Must be the same idiot that told me that & caused me to wear out the centers in less than 5000 miles on my 345x40x15's. But then again, it was my fault for not checking them as I went. So much for listening to fools that have no idea what they're talking about.
Good luck.

Coz,

I knew 44 psi was too much, but I went for a quick blast anyway to see how it felt. I dropped the pressure down to 32 psi, but I haven't had a chance to take it for a ride yet as the rain rolled in and will be here all week.

I remember the post you wrote about your tires wearing in the center due to over-inflation, that's why I started this post. I want to see how others have faired with various tire pressures.

RRS,

I believe the max tire pressure on the Pilot Sport is 51 psi.

I appreciate everyones input. I definitely don't want to be buying another set of these tires anytime soon due to improper inflation!

Michael

Notice that the Max PSI rating is for Max load. If you are not carrying XXX,000 pounds, you do not need that much air pressure.

Watch the wear pattern. Too much air - the center of the tread wears. Too little - the edges wear and it rolls over on the sidewall when cornering. From the preceeding posts, I would guess that 32 - 36 would be a good place to start.

The Michelin web-site has a "Contact Us" section and, in the FAQ section of the UK site it says that they offer advice on pressures for trailers etc when you don't have any manufacturers recommendations.

Perhaps they would be willing to help - has anyone tried this?

I am waiting for delivery of my Pilot Sprots, they should be here is 3 weeks with the new rims. A trick the old timers used is to make a chalk line across the tread and spin the rear tires to see what the contact pattern is. The fronts just do figure 8's and check the pattern. I don't know how good this works but it sounds like fun.

Sounds like it's worth trying.

Michael

Autocrossers often will put Tire crayon/white shoe polish/chalk marks on the tires (from sidewall onto the tread) before each run to see how far they are rolling over on the sidewall. They increase tire pressure until they quit rolling onto the sidewall. That would probably result in a tire pressure that is a bit high for street use.

Here's a surprise. You won't find any info on correct tire pressures for a Pantera on Michelin's or any other web site.

I've tried the range of pressures on my 17 Pilots (from 26 to 40). Currently happy at 32 rears and 30 fronts. Very even wear. Higher pressure feels nice at speed but doesn't let the suspension work as well.