Advice needed - New car had overpressurized tires

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by John, Feb 10, 2004.

  1. John

    John Guest

    After driving my new Volvo for 1500 miles, I found out that the dealer had
    left 48 psi (cold pressure) in all 4 tires instead of the recommended 30
    psi. An encounter with a moderate highway pothole produced an unusually
    heavy jolt, which prompted me to check the tire pressure. A friend of mine
    said my wife and I are lucky that we didn't have a blowout. The dealer is
    willing to address any possible damage as an indirect result of the high
    tire pressure. I want to be sure that they inspect the suspension/wheels
    completely, so exactly what parts should they be checking?
    Thanks for your help! --- Norm
     
    John, Feb 10, 2004
    #1
  2. John

    Mike F Guest

    That pressure will not hurt anything other than the tire wear. That
    pressure will cause the center of the tire to wear more quickly, but
    will improve fuel mileage slightly, protect the wheels from pothole
    damage better, and cause a rougher than normal ride. Possibly the shock
    absorbers and ball joints would have taken a little more abuse, but
    probably nothing worth worrying about.

    --
    Mike F.
    Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

    NOTE: new address!!
    Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
    (But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)
     
    Mike F, Feb 10, 2004
    #2
  3. John

    Me Guest

    They let little jonny trainee do your PDI, he inflated the tires to the max
    pressure allowed as stated on the tire wall I bet. I wonder what else he
    did?
     
    Me, Feb 10, 2004
    #3
  4. John

    Jim Carriere Guest

    What kind of tires are they? The Michelin MXV4 tires that a lot of Volvos
    come with when new say max 44psi cold on the tire sidewall. While this is a
    lot higher than what Volvo recommends, it won't damage that particular kind
    of tire.

    Even if the tire says max 35psi, the most likely damage, if any, is bulges
    in the tire sidewall. These will be easy to see or feel if you run your
    hand along the tire.

    If it were my car, I'd look closely at the tires to make sure, but I
    wouldn't worry too much.

    By the way, a fast highway drive can easily increase tire pressure by 5psi,
    and if the tires were filled up on a very cold day and the weather gets a
    lot warmer a week or two later, this could add up to another 5psi. The
    opposite can by true too. If you filling up your tires right after a long
    fast drive on a hot day, and the weather gets really cold a week later, it
    would be a smart thing to double check the pressure. Will you really see
    10psi changes in tire pressure? No, probably a lot less...
     
    Jim Carriere, Feb 10, 2004
    #4
  5. John

    Edward Hayes Guest

    Most cars are shipped from the factory with 45-50 psig in them as that the
    pressure for mounting the tire on the wheel. The dealer is suppose to
    readjust the pressure to manufactures specs as part of the pre delivery
    inspection. Obviously this was overlooked. No tire damage or other should
    have be done as many owners run tires at 10-15 pounds over pressure when
    running gymkhanas or auto-crossing. NO problem, just readjust pressure and
    enjoy you vehicle. eddie
     
    Edward Hayes, Feb 11, 2004
    #5
  6. John

    Guest Guest

    Hi John,

    What model Volvo - what wheels - what tires ?

    Over pressurized tires are of no consequence whatsoever - unless the tire
    actually blows out. In general tires themselves have a substantial built in
    safety factor to accommodate excess pressure. The tire wear for increased
    pressure will be biased toward the tread center. The lateral traction may be
    decreased because the load is not properly distributed across the tread. The
    car's suspension is not damaged in any way by excess tire pressure. Simply
    bleed the pressure down to that recommended (on inside of fuel filler flap)
    by Volvo and things will be as they should.

    Underinflated tires are quite another matter. Gross underinflation will lead
    to excessive heat at highway speeds. This will disrupt the tires structure
    and eventually blow out. Underinflation also increases the opportunity for
    the wheel rim to cut the tread or sidewall should you encounter a pothole or
    speedbump or other jolt.

    At this point your Volvo has not been damaged by overinflated tires.

    Bill
     
    Guest, Feb 12, 2004
    #6
  7. John

    R.C.Booth Guest

    I seriously doubt that inflating your tires to 48 psi makes them at risk for
    a blow out or would cause any suspension damage. What will result however
    is uneven tread wear and significanly less traction due to a narrower tire
    contact patch with the road.

    You may notice slightly reduced fuel mileage now that the pressures are
    correct, though.

    RCB
     
    R.C.Booth, Feb 12, 2004
    #7
  8. John

    John Horner Guest

    I would not be very worried about it.

    John
     
    John Horner, Feb 14, 2004
    #8
  9. John

    nds Guest

    Norm,
    Don't sweat the small stuff if you have alloys they are good to 55 pounds of
    pressure and the tires were not stressed at the slight over pressure best
    guess your tires can safely be run at 44 pounds all the time with out a
    problem.

    NDS
     
    nds, Feb 14, 2004
    #9
  10. John

    Jim Kelly Guest

    I witnessed a test at a defensive driving school that proved that
    adding 10psi to the 'car maker's recommendation' was a wise safety
    decision. The school maintained that the car maker was anxious to
    see that you had a soft quiet ride so recommended at the low end. A
    harsh swerve took a chalk line right off the side wall at this
    pressure!

    Adding 10psi keeps the wall shape more accurate ensuring safer
    steering, better mpg and longer tire life. I have followed this for
    years and noted that the wear is even across the tyre (a sign of
    correct pressure). it also makes a big difference (improvement) to
    trailer sway when towing.

    Cheers,

    Jim Kelly.


    | After driving my new Volvo for 1500 miles, I found out that the
    dealer had
    | left 48 psi (cold pressure) in all 4 tires instead of the
    recommended 30
    | psi. An encounter with a moderate highway pothole produced an
    unusually
    | heavy jolt, which prompted me to check the tire pressure. A friend
    of mine
    | said my wife and I are lucky that we didn't have a blowout. The
    dealer is
    | willing to address any possible damage as an indirect result of
    the high
    | tire pressure. I want to be sure that they inspect the
    suspension/wheels
    | completely, so exactly what parts should they be checking?
    | Thanks for your help! --- Norm
    |
    |
     
    Jim Kelly, Feb 23, 2004
    #10
  11. John

    Stuart Gray Guest

    Thats an interesting point, especially in a car as heavy as the 240/740. I
    might just try that, if nothing it would improve my fuel consumption and
    tighten up the front going round roundabouts. I tend to scrub the outer side
    of the fronts after a while, and I know it's not the tracking.
     
    Stuart Gray, Feb 24, 2004
    #11
  12. John

    James Sweet Guest

    What pressure do they recommend? I run all my tires at the rated maximum
    printed on the tire, which is usually 35 psi, provides the best handling and
    fuel economy.
     
    James Sweet, Feb 24, 2004
    #12
  13. John

    Jim Kelly Guest

    Hell NO! Please don't add 10psi to the max rating moulded into the
    tyres . . sorry if I implied that!!

    Use the car manufacturer's recommendations, you know the ones,
    usually a plate somewhere that has a table of pressures for
    light/heavy loads, normal/fast speeds, front/rear, etc. Simply add
    10psi to *those* numbers! It's the car manufacturers that want you
    to have a cushy ride and don't care so much about the wear rate,
    etc.

    Cheers,

    Jim Kelly.



    |
    in message
    | | >
    message
    | > | > > I witnessed a test at a defensive driving school that proved
    that
    | > > adding 10psi to the 'car maker's recommendation' was a wise
    safety
    | > > decision. The school maintained that the car maker was anxious
    to
    | > > see that you had a soft quiet ride so recommended at the low
    end. A
    | > > harsh swerve took a chalk line right off the side wall at this
    | > > pressure!
    | > >
    | > > Adding 10psi keeps the wall shape more accurate ensuring safer
    | > > steering, better mpg and longer tire life. I have followed
    this for
    | > > years and noted that the wear is even across the tyre (a sign
    of
    | > > correct pressure). it also makes a big difference
    (improvement) to
    | > > trailer sway when towing.
    | > >
    | > > Cheers,
    | > >
    | > > Jim Kelly.
    | > >
    | > Thats an interesting point, especially in a car as heavy as the
    240/740.
    | I
    | > might just try that, if nothing it would improve my fuel
    consumption and
    | > tighten up the front going round roundabouts. I tend to scrub
    the outer
    | side
    | > of the fronts after a while, and I know it's not the tracking.
    | >
    | >
    |
    | What pressure do they recommend? I run all my tires at the rated
    maximum
    | printed on the tire, which is usually 35 psi, provides the best
    handling and
    | fuel economy.
    |
    |
     
    Jim Kelly, Feb 25, 2004
    #13
  14. John

    Stuart Gray Guest

    Right, I've pumped my tyres to 10 psi over. That takes them to 65 psi, I'll
    see what its like on my way to work in the morning.
    LOL, just joking, I've taken them 10 psi up on Volvo recommended pressure
    as per sticker on door, so fronts are 38 psi and rears are 40 psi. I took a
    quick test drive this evening and rolling resistance feels less. Haven't
    been able to test cornering on account of the icy conditions, but I don't
    feel any grip loss. Only negative could be slightly higher road noise on
    some surfaces. I'll find out more in the long high speed commute to work.
     
    Stuart Gray, Feb 25, 2004
    #14
  15. John

    Peter Milnes Guest

    Don't bother with overpressurising your current tyres. Change them for a lower
    profile set and get a harsh ride with little or no grip in inclement weather
    conditions.

    Cheers, Peter.

    : Hell NO! Please don't add 10psi to the max rating moulded into the
    : tyres . . sorry if I implied that!!
    :
    : Use the car manufacturer's recommendations, you know the ones,
    : usually a plate somewhere that has a table of pressures for
    : light/heavy loads, normal/fast speeds, front/rear, etc. Simply add
    : 10psi to *those* numbers! It's the car manufacturers that want you
    : to have a cushy ride and don't care so much about the wear rate,
    : etc.
    :
    : Cheers,
    :
    : Jim Kelly.
    :
    :
    :
    : : |
    : in message
    : | : | >
    : message
    : | > : | > > I witnessed a test at a defensive driving school that proved
    : that
    : | > > adding 10psi to the 'car maker's recommendation' was a wise
    : safety
    : | > > decision. The school maintained that the car maker was anxious
    : to
    : | > > see that you had a soft quiet ride so recommended at the low
    : end. A
    : | > > harsh swerve took a chalk line right off the side wall at this
    : | > > pressure!
    : | > >
    : | > > Adding 10psi keeps the wall shape more accurate ensuring safer
    : | > > steering, better mpg and longer tire life. I have followed
    : this for
    : | > > years and noted that the wear is even across the tyre (a sign
    : of
    : | > > correct pressure). it also makes a big difference
    : (improvement) to
    : | > > trailer sway when towing.
    : | > >
    : | > > Cheers,
    : | > >
    : | > > Jim Kelly.
    : | > >
    : | > Thats an interesting point, especially in a car as heavy as the
    : 240/740.
    : | I
    : | > might just try that, if nothing it would improve my fuel
    : consumption and
    : | > tighten up the front going round roundabouts. I tend to scrub
    : the outer
    : | side
    : | > of the fronts after a while, and I know it's not the tracking.
    : | >
    : | >
    : |
    : | What pressure do they recommend? I run all my tires at the rated
    : maximum
    : | printed on the tire, which is usually 35 psi, provides the best
    : handling and
    : | fuel economy.
    : |
    : |
    :
     
    Peter Milnes, Feb 25, 2004
    #15
Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments (here). After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.