Tyre pressure

[Nicho]

I have the sports pack with 17" Bridgestone Potenzas. Car came with 51psi which is the max recommended on the tyre. Fuel cap suggests 230 2,3(33psi?). Do I assume is for 16" standard wheels or does it apply to the 17" as well? If not then what should be the pressure?

Thanks!

[thamwk]

erm... you might have read wrong... 50PSI is something you would put into a bicycle tyre, and not a car tyre. ~33PSi sounds just about right for 17" with people filling it to 30PSI for a balance between comfort and grip.

[logger]

...Do I assume is for 16" standard wheels or does it apply to the 17" as well? If not then what should be the pressure?

Was discussed here at Tyre Press on Golf 6 (http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum/upload/showthread.php?t=35179) thread. The way I read that label VW recommends same press for all three tyre sizes. Varies only with load.

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/

[Umai Naa!!]

Run them at 38, and enjoy the fact that you'll get decent life out of them :)

[Nicho]

Thanks for the link logger.

Checked the pressure again and it was at 50!! I have not looked that the tyres since taking delivery. Pretty average to have them delivered like that.....

I have just dropped to 38 and will see how it feels.....excuse my ignorance on the subject Umai Naa but why 38 vs 33???

[thamwk]

not sure why the exact figure of 38psi, but basically, with more pressure, you have less of the tyre in contact with the road, as compared to a tyre with less pressure. as long as the tyres are rated to take that pressure, then there's no harm there, though your ride would be pretty harsh.

p.s. not even going to ask why they delivered your car with 50PSI in the tyres :)

[Umai Naa!!]

They seem to last longer in the high 30's. Run them too low, and they chop the egdes out.

50 is waaay too high. They don't even roll off the boat with that much in them!

[logger]

...They don't even roll off the boat with that much in them! Unless someone/thing forgot to let them down after seating the beads. But unlikely for all four tyres I guess. In any case pre-delivery should have pickedthis up.

[bwen]

Checked the pressure again and it was at 50!! I have not looked that the tyres since taking delivery. Pretty average to have them delivered like that.....


Did you check your tire pressure in the day? (heat?) air expands in heat so it would give a higher reading than normal

[logger]

At around 1 psi per 10 degrees it would have to be as hot as hadies to make that big of a difference though.

BTW I just stumbled on this in the erWin VW Maintenance manual...

"The tyre pressure table is valid for standard tyres and for all tyre sizes fitted at the factory.

The pressures in the table apply to cold tyres. Do not reduce increased pressures of warm tyres"

[Nicho]

At around 1 psi per 10 degrees it would have to be as hot as hadies to make that big of a difference though.

BTW I just stumbled on this in the erWin VW Maintenance manual...

"The tyre pressure table is valid for standard tyres and for all tyre sizes fitted at the factory.

The pressures in the table apply to cold tyres. Do not reduce increased pressures of warm tyres"

Thanks logger......so I should add a couple of psi to compensate for global warming??? :P

[thamwk]

i was just doing a quick calculation and an increase of temperature from 20C to 40C will account for approximately 6% increase in pressure ;) so to get 50PSI, we would be looking at an approximate increase of 500+ degrees C :)

[GolfAtom]

Could be your pressure gauge is out of calibration. I have four different pressure gauges and they vary as much as 8 psi between them.

[geojack555]

Hi all
Just wondering what is the right /optimum tyre pressure for 16" 205/55?
I got a mk6 118tsi.
I was checking the existing tyre pressure from a gas station to see if I had to fill in, but was surprised to see when it showed 34 or 35 Psi reading! I believe the last time, it was filled by VW dealer/service centre. I then lowered it to 32 psi.

[schoona]

Hi all
Just wondering what is the right /optimum tyre pressure for 16" 205/55?
I got a mk6 118tsi.
I was checking the existing tyre pressure from a gas station to see if I had to fill in, but was surprised to see when it showed 34 or 35 Psi reading! I believe the last time, it was filled by VW dealer/service centre. I then lowered it to 32 psi.

What does the manual say?
Higher pressure you can reduce fuel consumption at the expense of "less grip" with a lower pressure.
Lower pressure you walk around on the sidewall (being high profile 205/55s) and induce increased wear.

[ben]

wouldnt the reduction in sidewall stiffness in a lower pressure tyre (and therefore negative effects on handling) cancel out any benefits in grip? (unless you are merely talking about in a straight line)...

[schoona]

Lower pressure. Higher straight line grip, poor lateral movement in cornering from sidewall movement and exessive wear, poor steering feel etc.. Not that 205/55s aree going to be great for steering feel, but relatively speaking...

He has a brand new car, he has a manual. Should just read that, every car is different, hence applying say 28psi from a mazda 3 (a small hatchback) to a 118tsi (a small hatchback) may not work, it may be 32psi.

[MIRSAD]

Hi all
Just wondering what is the right /optimum tyre pressure for 16" 205/55?
I got a mk6 118tsi.
I was checking the existing tyre pressure from a gas station to see if I had to fill in, but was surprised to see when it showed 34 or 35 Psi reading! I believe the last time, it was filled by VW dealer/service centre. I then lowered it to 32 psi.

Just open 118TSI Fuel tank cap ... and it is there ... tyre pressure for 2 people (low load)... and for 4 people with luggage.

[flappa]

I wouldn't trust a service station gauge, even the fancy digital ones. Seen substantial differences when compared to a race gauge.

[GTi Crow]

Buy your own gauge and a hand/foot pump. Tyres should only be checked when the car has not been driven for a while and the tyres are cold - preferrably first thing in the morning before you drive anywhere. That way you will have consistent readings.

[number 2]

Depends what your doing i recon. On my car i like about 38psi, the max for the tyre is 44. So that allows a bit for heat-expansion etc. I like the higher pressure for better fuel econ becuase im mainly highway.

On a side note, how many km do most get from their tyres?
I have stock tyres bridgestone they are. I am at 71,000km and still have 1.5-2mm tread before their illegal.

[hooba]

On a side note, how many km do most get from their tyres?
I have stock tyres bridgestone they are. I am at 71,000km and still have 1.5-2mm tread before their illegal.

What brand and size of tyres are you running? Even for non-performance rubber, 71,000kms is impressive.

I agree with you, I prefer to have my tyre pressure slightly higher than recommended.

[Corey_R]

He did say he was mostly highway milage though - so 71k could be what you'd expect from a tyre that you'd normally get around 40k around the suburbs?!

[number 2]

I thought they were bridgestone but their Goodyear. 195/65R15 91V, Eagle NCT 5. Cars allways tracked well and had a wheel alignment 11,000km ago and balance. I wanted at least 80,000km from the tires looks like im gunna get it. I do mostly highway driving. Wheels get rotated every service, but i guess thats pretty standard ?

Is this a lot of km compared to urban vehicles? 40,000 isnt very many id be looking into that. These are the tyres that came with the car new so... Id like to try a bigger tyre next to see if that helps. Would be nice to bring the revs down a little on the higher speeds.

Ha ha. Just checked the specs of the tyre, the V stands for a max speed of 240km/h lol.

[Rocket36]

Just remember when you find out the right tyre pressure, to make the left tyre pressure the same... :D

[schoona]

Just remember when you find out the right tyre pressure, to make the left tyre pressure the same... :D

Terrible but i'll pay it lol

[Rocket36]

Yeah my scary fart comment was the funniest! I didn't even remember posting it until I saw it the next day cause I was that drunk after a night at the Belgian Beer Cafe! LOL

[schoona]

It's up there mate! :) Pissa haha

[cube_3]

I run my tyres at 30 or 31 PSI since its just one person in the car 90% of the time. I do about 60% Highway and 40% Suburbs on the way to work and cover 100Kms a day. I got just over 80,000Kms on my first set of tyres and could have got an extra few thousand before hitting the wear indicator. Guess what, I had the exact same tyres: Goodyear. 195/65R15 91V, Eagle NCT 5. Awesome tyre for longevity, so much so I bought them again!

[moniker]

I hope you mean 30 / 31 PSI as 30 or so KPA would be very flat :)

Personally I have always run around 34 PSI or higher, in fact running about 36 at the moment (17" 'sports pack' wheels on a 103 TDI - Bridgestones)
Actually the ride / handling seems pretty good at that pressure

[entice]

I've always had my tyre presurs adjusted to suit by my trusted wheel alligner. I get them to set up the car (alignment and tyre pressures) for me each time (ie, each time I change cars). Some cars I've run 41PSI (STi with re050) some with 32 psi. Most around teh 36 psi range though
You dont want it too low as under emergency bracking the contact patch will change/deform and will actually reduce in the centre. A little higher than standard so that the contact patch will deform and allow maximum contact. Very vague terms, I know, but that's the info I got when I did an Advanced driver training/performance driver training course. As a guide, they recommended 36psi all round in GENERAL

[cube_3]

[QUOTE=moniker;495633]I hope you mean 30 / 31 PSI as 30 or so KPA would be very flat :)

Fixed :)

[geojack555]

Just open 118TSI Fuel tank cap ... and it is there ... tyre pressure for 2 people (low load)... and for 4 people with luggage.

Thanks all. I did check the fuel cap info and found that it could be btw 32-36psi according to no of people travelling. I then ended up topping all to 36psi. Rides comfy and seems to have a better steering control feel. Thanks once again.

[POW]

Hi guys just like to know what everyone does to their stock 16" tyres pressure. What psi are you using and what you think about it?
Thanks

[Corey_R]

Hey mate, I merged your thread into this existing one.

If you open your fuel door, you'll find a sticker which looks something like this:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/
This particular fuel door belongs to logger who has added the capacity and the PSI conversions. But basically it gives you the optimum pressure for the tyre types that come with your model of car.

You can run your pressures a few PSI lower and may find you get improved comfort, additional grip, but more fuel consumption and higher tyre wear.
You can run you pressures a few PSI higher and may find you get a harsher ride, but improved steering feel, lower fuel consumption and lower tyre wear.

[Coaster]

Here is a quote from a VW fuel efficiency publication, some interesting info:


Imagine a patch of rubber about the size of a postcard – that's how much of each of your tyres is transferring power to the road at any one time. Despite that, the rolling resistance of this »contact patch« or »footprint« accounts for approximately 10% to 15% of your total fuel consumption. At 20 km/h, rolling resistance accounts for almost all the external resistance acting on the car, and it still accounts for 60% of total resistance at 50 km/h. A big factor in rolling resistance is tyre pressures: if you're just 0.2 bars off the ideal pressure, you're already adding 1% to your fuel bill, due to increased rolling resistance.

Tips:
• Check your tyre pressures, when the tyres are cold, at least once every three to four weeks.
• Even when your car is not fully loaded, keep your tyres inflated to the recommended full load
pressures (for the price of a slight drop in comfort). In your Volkswagen, you'll find the
recommended pressures inside the fuel filler flap.

I keep my tyres about 0.2 bars above the recommended fully-loaded pressures, 2.7 front and 3.2 rear. This allows for any loss in pressure over the next few weeks until the next check, and grip still feels good.

[Diesel_vert]

I would run the front full load pressures all round for normal loads or everyday use (i.e. 2.5 bar cold for front and rear).

Save the rear full load pressure for when you actually plan to run the car fully laden.

[teodeh]

When I was there, Ian Luff's guys recommended all cars run at at least 36PSI all the time (coincidently the recommended PSI for my pug)

[prise]

I run 250kPa in the fronts and 230kPa in the rears in the 16's on my 118TSI. The front carries more weight than the back and loads up even more under braking so running a bit more in the front makes sense to me. I only run more than 230kPa in the rears if I've got adult passengers or luggage for a decent length drive (not worth adjusting for a 5k trip).

I like the bit of extra 'bite' in the steering with the higher front pressures, it doen't seem to hurt the ride noticeably and in theory should increase tyre life and fuel economy.

[BezzyR]

I got a screw in my rear left tyre.. it went through... so they have patched it until a new tyre comes in on order, (19" Dunlop Sprt Maxx)
I was therewhen they fixed it, saw it dumped in the water after they patched it, no bubbles.. so all good, but now the check tyre pressure lights coming on!?! I did even know they had tyre pressure sensors in the R? dont know how to turn it off or why its coming on.. I checked the pressure again today and it was on 40 which the tyre bloke put in it yesterday.. so hasnt gone down.. hmmm any ideas?

[Corey_R]

It's discussed in the manual.
All Golfs (and Polos? basically all VW's sold now?) have pressure monitoring done via the ABS sensors. There is a button in your glove box. You may need to put your head down low and look up to see it. Hold it down until your car beeps (I think that's the procedure), and then drive off. It'll recalibrate itself. You need to do that any time that you adjust the pressures, rotate the wheels, or change a tyre or tyres.

[Brendan_A]

I got a screw in my rear left tyre.. it went through... so they have patched it until a new tyre comes in on order, (19" Dunlop Sprt Maxx)
I was therewhen they fixed it, saw it dumped in the water after they patched it, no bubbles.. so all good, but now the check tyre pressure lights coming on!?! I did even know they had tyre pressure sensors in the R? dont know how to turn it off or why its coming on.. I checked the pressure again today and it was on 40 which the tyre bloke put in it yesterday.. so hasnt gone down.. hmmm any ideas?

I find when a wheel is pulled off the low tyre presure system needs too be reset. You'll find the reset button in the glove box on the right side of the roof of it. Turn the ignition on and hold the button in till it beeps.

[BezzyR]

It's discussed in the manual.
All Golfs (and Polos? basically all VW's sold now?) have pressure monitoring done via the ABS sensors. There is a button in your glove box. You may need to put your head down low and look up to see it. Hold it down until your car beeps (I think that's the procedure), and then drive off. It'll recalibrate itself. You need to do that any time that you adjust the pressures, rotate the wheels, or change a tyre or tyres.


I find when a wheel is pulled off the low tyre presure system needs too be reset. You'll find the reset button in the glove box on the right side of the roof of it. Turn the ignition on and hold the button in till it beeps.

Awesome thanks guys :cool:

[vdubber1212]

Ok so I've driven up to Hunter Valley today and I got lost while looking for a vineyard. It's a MY11 GTI with DSG and I had to drive it on a non-paved road for about 5 minutes max at around 20-30km/h. There were three people in the car and as soon as I got back onto the normal road which was still rough but paved, the warning light with the alarm sound came on. I stopped the car and looked in the manual to find it to be tyre pressure monitoring system fault. I've checked all the tyres with my foot but all looked fine. I called VW Assist to enquire and was told a NRMA Roadside assistance will be availble in an hour. The guy called and told me there is nothing he could do if the tyres are all ok as it needs to be taken into the dealership to get it reset. He just asked me to get to a service station to check my tyre pressure. I read in the manual that when tyres are warm the pressure tends to read a bit higher than normal. I have checked all my tyres pressure to be all around 34-36 psi and I thought that was ok. I didn't check inside the fuel cap for normal figures but did try pushing the button in the glovebox to reset it but as I held it down the warning light only disappears for a second and comes back on and it's still there regardless of how long the engine was turned off for. I'm taking it to dealer but thought I'd ask here if anyone could offer some tips. Did I have to hold the button down longer until I hear something? Tyres look and feel fine although I'm only now starting to feel the ride is bumpy on 18" wheels - still no regrets with my choice but wish I had a choice for ACC if that makes any difference. It's just in this kind of road condition that I feel ride becomes harsh.

[Diesel_vert]

So I've driven up to the Hunter Valley in a MY11 GTI with DSG...

A warning light with the alarm sound came on - found it to be a tyre pressure monitoring system fault...

I got to a service station and have checked all my tyres pressure to be all around 34-36 psi...

A tyre's inflation pressure slowly rises by 0.3 bar (approx. 4 psi) when driving normally.

Hence, 2.5 bar (36 psi) when measured hot suggests that the tyre pressures were low, for a GTI.

What does it say in the fuel flap?

[vdubber1212]

A tyre's inflation pressure slowly rises by 0.3 bar (approx. 4 psi) when driving normally.

Hence, 2.5 bar (36 psi) when measured hot suggests that the tyre pressures were low, for a GTI.

What does it say in the fuel flap?

thanks for the advice. I haven't checked it yet but holding down the reset button until a sound is heard made the warning light disappear. That's what I thought too that it might be a bit low as the car was driven for about 2.5 hrs. Ill have a look in there n put more air in if required.

[jrgti]

Mine are always 40 psi front and 41psi back (fully loaded 43psi) for the 17inch sotck potenzas. Basically whatever is recommended on the fuel flap.
Really does reduce rolling resistance I have noticed.

[TDI DSG]

It's discussed in the manual.
All Golfs (and Polos? basically all VW's sold now?) have pressure monitoring done via the ABS sensors. There is a button in your glove box. You may need to put your head down low and look up to see it. Hold it down until your car beeps (I think that's the procedure), and then drive off. It'll recalibrate itself. You need to do that any time that you adjust the pressures, rotate the wheels, or change a tyre or tyres.

Our Jan 2011 built Golf Wagon does not have this tyre pressue monitoring - should it have ?
It's a Comfortline 103 TDI.

[Corey_R]

Sorry. It appears I was incorrect. It's just the Golf GTI/GTD and R that have this as standard. The Comfortline optionally via the Sports Package. The Trendline models miss out altogether.

[dArK5HaD0w]

presuming its the same tyre pressure monitoring system fitted across the range by VwAG, the manual for mine states:-

 Press button "SET (_|_)" for more than 2 seconds. While pressing the button, the warning light (_!_) lights up. At the same time the memory of the system is erased and the new calibration is started, which is confirmed with an audible signal and then the warning light (_!_) goes out.
 If the warning light (_!_) does not go out after the basic setting, there is a fault in the system. Have the vehicle inspected by your nearest specialist garage.