Tire Pressure Max

[BailOut]

Originally Posted by SailDesign

... but other things like braking and cornering will be adversely affected, and should you have an accident through a blow-out, and it is found all your other tires are over-inflated, you will have a hell of a fight with your insurers...

Actually, the inverse is true about braking and cornering since there is no tire sag to deal with. The higher pressure offers much better handling, not worse. Try it for yourself.

You have a valid point about insurance companies because they are generally uneducated about such matters. I do not bow to a lack of education... I educate the uneducated.

[SailDesign]

Originally Posted by BailOut

Actually, the inverse is true about braking and cornering since there is no tire sag to deal with. The higher pressure offers much better handling, not worse. Try it for yourself.

You have a valid point about insurance companies because they are generally uneducated about such matters. I do not bow to a lack of education... I educate the uneducated.

Up to a point, higher pressure helps. I'm at 43psi right now on 205/45-16s, and it works well even in rain. But, too high a pressure reduces the contact patch with no increase in coefficient of friction, since the tyre/tire becomes more brittle at a certain load level and fractures (at an almost microscopic level) rather than grips. The trick is in finding the "sweet spot" for your tyres and car. There was a good article on tyre physics in... someone help me out, here - one of the Sports Compact/GrassRoots Motorsport/Modified mags recently. Well worth reading.
"Inverse"? Is that the same as "opposite", but for edjimacated folks?