# Winter Tire Pressure



## silverls (Nov 12, 2011)

7STW said:


> About to embark on a 300+mile trip .Chevy recommends 35 pounds for the stock LS Firestones.
> 
> My DIC and Onstar tell me I have around 30 currently from a cold start.
> 
> ...


I kept it at 40 year round. But I never took it into ant real consideration 

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## MikeW (Nov 29, 2010)

On all my cars I usually check cold and add a couple above what is stated for the vehicle. On many cars the lower pressure is for improved ride comfort. I would rather have the little bit of improved fuel economy instead. Also, on my Altima, at the recommended pressure there seems to be a bit of wandering on the highway, but it goes away with a little extra tire pressure.


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## Silver Streak (Jan 5, 2013)

The general accepted practice is to set your tire pressure when the tires are cold - first thing in the morning is what I use. The Firestone FR710, that is the 16 inch tires on our cars, have a max. pressure rating listed on the sidewall of 44 psi. You really don't want to go above that rating. Personally, I try to run them just slightly above the recommended door label pressure, which I believe is 35 psi. Most of the time I am around 37 psi.
I have found that my RR tire using the tire pressure monitor runs lower than the actual reading when checked using a digital pressure gauge. Thinking it had to do with the pressure sensor in that wheel, was incorrect. After my last rotation 2 weeks ago, that tire went from the RR to the LF position, and still my RR shows a lower reading by 1 - 2 psi. Just curious since I know that according to my pressure gage, they are all at the same reading. Anyone else experienced this with their Cruze?


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## mcg75 (Mar 5, 2012)

You have to monitor tire pressures constantly. 

For instance, if you set them at 35psi in October when it's 15c/60f outside, the same tire will read 30psi in January when it's -10c/14f outside. 

Every 5c drop in temperature will reduce tires by 1 psi.


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## Silver Streak (Jan 5, 2013)

Good point about the affect of temperature on your tire pressure. Plus, please don't forget about that spare tire (yes I do have one) buried in the trunk. Along with temperature, those type of "donut" spare tires loose air. They are supposed to be at 60 psi. Since I also have a trunk mat, I am not very good at checking the spare tire's pressure. Well, at my last tire rotation, I held up the mat, and the technician filled the spare tire. Checked it and found it at 43 psi after just over one year. So, the moral is, check the pressure of your spare tire hidden in the trunk well, or you may find that when you really need the spare, it is also way under inflated.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Check your tire pressures cold once a month. With the TPMS system I check daily, even though I know it runs 2-3 PSI low. If one or more are low at cold PSI inflate it to whatever you like your tires to be, as long as it's between the door placard and max sidewall. 

For the spare tire, take it to a place that will inflate with nitrogen and have them inflate it to 55 PSI pure nitrogen. Put it back in your trunk. Because pure nitrogen doesn't contain water vapor it doesn't expand or contract as much as regular air or risk corroding the wheel the tire's mounted on. Purchase a small tire pump that plugs into the car. Then if you need the spare you can pull it out and inflate it on the spot. You can also do your own air pressure adjustments as well.


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## MikeW (Nov 29, 2010)

obermd said:


> Purchase a small tire pump that plugs into the car. Then if you need the spare you can pull it out and inflate it on the spot. You can also do your own air pressure adjustments as well.


I have a few of the $20 inflators I picked up from Walmart and keep them in the trunk of my DD and the wife's car. They are small enough to fit under the trunk "floor" with the spare, so they are out of sight. They are slow, but still do the job if needed. And they are a lot cheaper than a tow if you have a flat and a useless spare.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

At least 40PSI for winter is my recommendation. This is because the temperatures will fluctuate significantly, causing a drop in pressure. It isn't uncommon to have 25 degrees during the day and have the temperature drop to -5 at night just a couple of days later.


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

7STW said:


> About to embark on a 300+mile trip .Chevy recommends 35 pounds for the stock LS Firestones.
> 
> My DIC and Onstar tell me I have around 30 currently from a cold start.
> 
> ...


The recommended tire pressure is safe to use year around. It gives the best combination of ride, safety, and handling in all conditions as determined and tested by the engineers. You don't want to run pressures lower than recommended. Tire pressures are always determined with the tire cold. You don't want the cold tire below the recommended pressure in hopes that it will warm up to the recommended pressure. The fact that tire pressures increase when hot is factored into the recommended settings that the engineers determine.


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

Always adjust tire pressure with cold tires. What ever pressure you want to run put that many pounds in before you drive it around. You will have to add air in the colder months because the air in the tires contracts and expands with temperature. So if you filled the tire when ti was 50 degrees out and the next day is 20 you will see a drop in air pressure.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

GoldenCruze said:


> The recommended tire pressure is safe to use year around. It gives the best combination of ride, safety, and handling in all conditions as determined and tested by the engineers. You don't want to run pressures lower than recommended. Tire pressures are always determined with the tire cold. You don't want the cold tire below the recommended pressure in hopes that it will warm up to the recommended pressure. The fact that tire pressures increase when hot is factored into the recommended settings that the engineers determine.


Although true, many suspensions will actually work better with slightly higher tire pressures. The overriding concern for most car manufacturers is the "Princess and the Pea" effect so the placard tire pressure is actually a little below the optimum handling pressure. You can see this in their commercials where they are bragging about how smooth their cars are.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

About 35 PSI for my snow tires. That gives a good blend of ride comfort, snow grip, and life.


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## Tronajc (May 5, 2016)

Running two sets of Tires and Rims - Summer are the stock Firestone's 710 at 35 psi and Winter are the BFGoodridge Winter Slalom KSI 215/60/R16 at 32 PSI. Traction and control are *OK to good *for Winter.

Question - What would the best best tire pressure for both Summer and Winter - Door Post recommends 35 PSI. Would like to keep the winter set for at least another two seasons.

Note: Previously ran my chev Cavalier on Michelin's Xi3 - 215/60/16 on 35 PSI and we had *great* traction and control.


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## BU54 (Nov 24, 2014)

> For the spare tire, take it to a place that will inflate with nitrogen and have them inflate it to 55 PSI pure nitrogen. Put it back in your trunk. Because pure nitrogen doesn't contain water vapor it doesn't expand or contract as much as regular air or risk corroding the wheel the tire's mounted on. Purchase a small tire pump that plugs into the car. Then if you need the spare you can pull it out and inflate it on the spot. You can also do your own air pressure adjustments as well.


The air we breathe is approximately 78% nitrogen 21% oxygen and 1% argon.
Paying for nitrogen filled tires is a waste of money and just a gimmick. An air compressor is just fine. One that is used a lot should have a dryer on it to keep moisture out of the lines and hoses. 
The one I have in my garage is a twin cylinder and has a 12 gallon tank. I drain moisture out of the tank 1-2x a year. 
I have a 2003 S-10 that I bought new. The spare was located under the bed behind the rear axle. The first thing I did was remove it and put it in the bed. Can you imagine how that tire would look after just 2-3 seasons of salt? It has a steel rim and I check the pressure once a year. The tire and rim still look new.
The tiny bit of moisture from an air compressor has no effect on tires/rims. Mother nature is the main concern here.

PS nitrogen is dirt cheap being so abundant in the atmosphere, hence a ripoff at dealers ect.
But they don't want you to know this.
Good day gentlemen.


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