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#1
08-18-2011, 01:50 PM
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tire pressure
I just put a new set of tires on the car. My question is my tires are rated to 42 psi but my car says to go 28 in front and 32 in the back. Which one should I go by? I want to get the most life from my tires and the best fuel mileage but I also want the car to ride and handle like it's supposed to...
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1981 240d (The Diplomat Car), 1988 Dodge W250 (The Bruiser), Volvo 262 (The Never Ending Project), 1972 Duece and a Half (Will Winch Over Anything) 
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#2
08-18-2011, 02:02 PM
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Every vehicle I've owned does better with the vehicles ratings. They handle better and tire wear is very even. (I put 40-50K miles/year on work vehicles.)
The sidewall rating is for maximums for that tire, regardless of what vehicle you install it on. I know, there are many tire dealers that will tell you different but take note of the fact they want to sell you new tires.
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Sam 84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )
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#3
08-18-2011, 02:03 PM
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I've found this is related to the tires you have installed. I have Nokian WR's 195x13's installed on my 300SD and I have found around 33psi to be the ideal front tire pressure. less than that and I find steering precision suffers.
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#4
08-18-2011, 02:17 PM
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the maximum pressure rated is for heavy loads or high speeds.
note on the gas door, there are adjustments to the posted tire pressures, for loads in the trunk, towing, and high speeds... (not that a 240 is capable of 100+mph... without tail winds/cliffs...)
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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread "as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do! My drivers: 1987 190D 2.5Turbo 1987 560SL convertible 1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!  1987 300TD 2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB 1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!
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#5
08-18-2011, 02:36 PM
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Quote:
They got back to me with recommended tire pressures, which I use. Apparently they look at the maximum weight that the original tire type is designed to support at the car manufacturer's recommended air pressure and determine what PSI the new tire has to be inflated to in order to support that same amount of weight.
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#6
08-18-2011, 04:53 PM
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Mess around with different pressures until you find what you like in terms of ride, handling, and fuel economy. I wouldn't go lower than 28/32, but I would try some higher pressures. If you want to get fancy you can also use an IR thermometer to measure the temperatures at the inside, middle, and outside of the tread and try to get them as close to even as possible. I used to run my 240D at about 36 psi all around.
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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar. 83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles 08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles 88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress. 99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.
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#7
08-18-2011, 05:11 PM
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Ok, thanks for the input. Right now I have them set at 28/32 and the car rides very nicely. I might go up to 30/34 to get the car to tighten up a little bit in corners. On my last tires I went to 40 all the way around and that was definitely too much! These new ones are 205/70/14 Khumo's, so far I'm very happy with them.
__________________
1981 240d (The Diplomat Car), 1988 Dodge W250 (The Bruiser), Volvo 262 (The Never Ending Project), 1972 Duece and a Half (Will Winch Over Anything)
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#9
08-18-2011, 06:11 PM
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The fronts are always at a lower psi than the back. So I usually run my tires up near the max but keep the difference between the front and rear. It's something like 6psi difference.
Low pressure will cause your mileage to suffer. If you run the pressure above what the door plate says you'll get better mileage, but the ride may not be as soft.
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Andrew '04 Jetta TDI Wagon  '82 300TD ~ Winnie ~ Sold '77 300D ~ Sold
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#10
08-18-2011, 07:15 PM
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I run 32 all around. Makes no sence to have them at 28-29 it just feels better
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#11
08-18-2011, 08:34 PM
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When I was running the pressure on the 240D with 195-70-14 at 28 - 30lbs, my milage on the Hwy was 28-28.8mpg.
Then noticed the side wall mentioned, max pressure 44lbs. so raised it to 40-42lbs, and the milage shot up to 31+mpg. This last trip to Oregon and back was. 32.83, 31.80 hwy in town mix, 34.10 and 33.42. this according to the GPS. we just got back home tues the 16th. Charlie
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there were three HP ratings on the OM616... 1) Not much power 2) Even less power 3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast. 80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works
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