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Civic Winter Tire Query

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Monroe:
I have a set of Nokian RSI's on a 2001 Civic Sedan. Interested in the optimum tire pressure. Honda indicates 30 psi. Nokian max is 45 psi(or so, from memory right now). Dealer installed at about 38. Ride/fuel was good at 38, but I've heard that was too high. At 30, tires seem too soft; ride very soft and car does not respond well. Tried (and currently at) 35 psi. Better ride, fuel consumption, but soft just the same. But I sense that the answer isn't in increasing the tire pressure to what it was from the tire dealer. Help.

footlong58:
You should run the pressure that the manfacture indicates for the car.  

A tire is just like a big air tank, that holds air pressure.  The number on the tire is the max pressure the tire can hold safely.  No matter what size tire you go with, or brand, etc, the car's weight and dynamics are not changing, so why run a higher or lower pressure than what the vehicle is rated to have.

Stick with the pressure on the placard...

Oversteer:
I have Hakka 1's and I run them 2-3 psi higher than recommended. I do this for 2 reasons: 1. Like you, I didn't like the soft ride at the spec psi, and 2. because in winter, I like a little buffer zone so if it drops 15 degrees, my tire pressure is still ok.

I think 38 is a bit high, but 33-35 should be fine.  RSI is 'R' rated, so it's going to be softer.  If you had an 'H' rated tire you would probably go with 32-33.  Everything factors in.  One downside of going slightly higher is you might get excess wear down the centre of the tire, so with that in mind I would not go as high as 38.

Morty:
You dont want the pressure too high, but you can set it higher than spec. Just find a place where you feel they perform best for your driving habits. Also, keep in mind that they are winter tires, so they will definitely be squisher. The higher the pressure the poorer the tires will perform in the cold weather. Trick is to find the happy medium.




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