I have an inflation quesiton.

I have winter tires, I keep them to stock pressure when in the city and what not. I just did a 300mi highway trip in above freezing temperatures on a dry highway. I am worried about heat and excessive wear. Will running at a higher pressure on the highway help reduce heat/wear. I am not too concerned with traction/performance as it is just mind numbing straight driving at 120kph/75mph and nothing ever happens....other than me running over a little mouse. (which I feel bad for but i didn't want to swerve and hit a truck, and I am not to sure if i did smoke it, poor little guy, I hate needless death [/guilt])

Ken maybe you know?

Thanks everyone!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by old man neri &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Will running at a higher pressure on the highway help reduce heat/wear.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't think so; I've never heard that before. The big thing with adjusting pressures is not the amount of wear; it's the evenness of the wear. When tires are overinflated, they tend to wear more in the center of the tread than the edges, and do the opposite when underinflated.

My suggestion would be just to use your car's recommended pressures, even for a highway trip. Remember to measure them when cold (car has been sitting for a while, not in the sun, at the outside temperatures at which you will be driving). For a long trip, you may need to adjust your pressure if the outside temperatures are going to be significantly different from when you checked it (i.e. tire pressure goes up if it's warmer outside, even without putting any air in the car).

 

Thanks.