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Tire pressure is a compromise between traction, fuel economy, comfort, and tread life.
Manufacturer recommendations are made for a number of reasons.
Higher pressure increases tread life
Lower pressure improves ride quality; excessively high pressure can make the ride uncomfortable.
Too low of a pressure can result in tire degradation and blowout; higher pressures provide less sidewall rolling flex and therefore less sidewall heat.
Lower pressure generates more heat and changes tire pressure more as it heats and cool; higher pressures maintain tire temperatures better.
Higher pressure improves cornering stability, lower pressure improves cornering traction.
Low pressures produce more friction and reduce fuel economy; higher pressures maximize fuel economy.
When I first got my Cruze, I set all tires to max sidewall 51 psi and rotated them every 3500 miles, recording tread depth each time. Tread wear was perfectly even and I actually got phenomenal wear performance on them. I erroneously measured tread depth when I lost my initial tread depth gauge in mm instead of inches but could easily have gone well over the rated mileage life at those pressures.
I argued with people that those pressures did not compromise traction but learned otherwise once I understood that the smaller contact patch heats up more quickly and breaks loose.
While my tread did last longer, tire degradation still occurred due to exposure to the elements, and after approximately 40k miles, I replaced them due to very poor wet traction even at OEM tire pressure.
I now run the replacement tires, which are two sizes wider but the same diameter as stock, at 38-40psi.
Sent from my STV100-1 using Tapatalk
Manufacturer recommendations are made for a number of reasons.
Higher pressure increases tread life
Lower pressure improves ride quality; excessively high pressure can make the ride uncomfortable.
Too low of a pressure can result in tire degradation and blowout; higher pressures provide less sidewall rolling flex and therefore less sidewall heat.
Lower pressure generates more heat and changes tire pressure more as it heats and cool; higher pressures maintain tire temperatures better.
Higher pressure improves cornering stability, lower pressure improves cornering traction.
Low pressures produce more friction and reduce fuel economy; higher pressures maximize fuel economy.
When I first got my Cruze, I set all tires to max sidewall 51 psi and rotated them every 3500 miles, recording tread depth each time. Tread wear was perfectly even and I actually got phenomenal wear performance on them. I erroneously measured tread depth when I lost my initial tread depth gauge in mm instead of inches but could easily have gone well over the rated mileage life at those pressures.
I argued with people that those pressures did not compromise traction but learned otherwise once I understood that the smaller contact patch heats up more quickly and breaks loose.
While my tread did last longer, tire degradation still occurred due to exposure to the elements, and after approximately 40k miles, I replaced them due to very poor wet traction even at OEM tire pressure.
I now run the replacement tires, which are two sizes wider but the same diameter as stock, at 38-40psi.
Sent from my STV100-1 using Tapatalk
