Advice needed - New car had overpressurized tires

  • Thread starter Thread starter John
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John

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 said:
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
Click to expand...

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 said:
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.
Click to expand...

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?
 
John said:
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
Click to expand...

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...
 
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
 
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
 
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
 
John said:
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.
Click to expand...

I would not be very worried about it.

John
 
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
 
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 said:
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.
Click to expand...
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 said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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 said:
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.
|
|
Click to expand...
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.
 
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.
: |
: |
:
 
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