Are My Tires Overinflated?

[shiny]

I live across the street no more than 200 yards from a Discount Tire store. I like to go there at the beginning of every month to get the pressure checked. I always go when my tires are cool. My tires are 235/55R17 Cooper CS5 Grand Touring tires on 17" steel wheels. The sticker on the door says 35 pounds pressure. They guys have always filled them to 35 pounds.

Yesterday when I went there a new guy filled them to 38 pounds. I asked him why he overfilled them. He said that they are trained to overfill them because people drive in off the street with the tires hot, so when they cool off they'll be at the right pressure.

I told him that:

A) the tires were already cool, so now when they heat up they'll be at least 41 pounds which is too high, and

B) no one there had ever overfilled them before.

He just repeated that he was doing what they were trained to do.

It sounds like bull twinkie to me. Should I go back and have them deflated to 35 pounds?

TIA

 

[BrocLuno]

Get a tire gauge and do it yourself

Carry it in the console and you can check anytime

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: shiny
Should I go back and have them deflated to 35 pounds?


No, you don't want to be "that" customer. Of course after that exchange maybe you already are.

 

[Dyusik]

My sticker says something similar, and the tires were at about 38 ish. I had to go to 47 and 50 lb to stop the tires from wearing funny. I don't see how the sticker can be accurate for all tires. I would not even think about it if my tire pressure is +/- 3lb.

 

[old1]

Personally I always run my tires at least 2 or 3 lbs over sticker.

 

[shiny]

Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Originally Posted By: shiny
Should I go back and have them deflated to 35 pounds?


No, you don't want to be "that" customer. Of course after that exchange maybe you already are.


It's hard to hear the tone of written words. I hope you aren't being snotty.

I'm a disabled widow with no mechanical experience. My late husband used to service the cars but now I must rely on mechanics, many of whom are idiots like the ones who tell me that Pennzoil Ultra Platinum needs to be changed at 3000 miles or I'll destroy my engine. When the tires have always been filled to 35 and suddenly someone fills them to 38 on the false assumption that they were hot, how am I supposed to know if that's OK or not unless I ask?

 

[SatinSilver]

Sorry, I meant to put a smiley face after my post. It's good to check their work especially on oil changes. You just don't want to go over board with it was my point. In fact with oil changes I'd check the level before leaving, which gives you a chance to make sure all the caps are in place(oil, radiator, etc.)

 

[nwjones18]

I think you'll be just fine at 38 myself.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: shiny

It's hard to hear the tone of written words. I hope you aren't being snotty.

I'm a disabled widow with no mechanical experience. My late husband used to service the cars but now I must rely on mechanics, many of whom are idiots like the ones who tell me that Pennzoil Ultra Platinum needs to be changed at 3000 miles or I'll destroy my engine. When the tires have always been filled to 35 and suddenly someone fills them to 38 on the false assumption that they were hot, how am I supposed to know if that's OK or not unless I ask?


If we were getting into fall and the temps were going to start going down, I might just leave the tires at 38 (cold)...given that we are still in the midst of summer, I would probably deflate them a bit.
Given that I don't know the extent of your disability, I'm not sure if it is feasible for you to pick up a $10 electronic pressure gauge and use it to adjust the pressures down yourself. It's easy to lose some air, of course, I just "miss" a little with the gauge off angle a bit and bleed off slowly in little bursts between re-measurements until I am where I want to be. If you can't or don't want to do this, I don't think it's unreasonable to stop by the tire shop again and ask them to adjust the pressure for your peace of mind (I am assuming you are a regular customer of theirs).

I think your posts are also a good reminder for everybody that not all forum members are grease monkeys in their spare time and we should not assume too much when replying!

 

[eljefino]

When I worked at a tire shop I overinflated by a few pounds on this principle. Also it was winter and the shop air was warmer than outside air. Finally with TPMS customers complain when the light comes on, and the odds are better that they'll stay quiet if we err on the side of overinflation.

You're a square peg in a round hole world. "They" say driving 1-2 miles is enough to heat tires up so they don't expect anyone to live closer than that.

The fix is to be polite.

BTW their training isn't likely that consistent from employee to employee.

 

[dlayman]

Not over inflated enough to be an issue. 35 vs. 38 isn't significant. You won't experience any problems or notice any difference. It's probably better to be a little over than a little under.

 

[Eddie]

38 is just fine as others have said. I'd be thankful that the guys are nice enough to really even check the tires. Ed

 

[Bud]

Originally Posted By: old1
Personally I always run my tires at least 2 or 3 lbs over sticker.


Same here.

 

[shiny]

Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
Originally Posted By: shiny

It's hard to hear the tone of written words. I hope you aren't being snotty.

I'm a disabled widow with no mechanical experience. My late husband used to service the cars but now I must rely on mechanics, many of whom are idiots like the ones who tell me that Pennzoil Ultra Platinum needs to be changed at 3000 miles or I'll destroy my engine. When the tires have always been filled to 35 and suddenly someone fills them to 38 on the false assumption that they were hot, how am I supposed to know if that's OK or not unless I ask?


If we were getting into fall and the temps were going to start going down, I might just leave the tires at 38 (cold)...given that we are still in the midst of summer, I would probably deflate them a bit.
Given that I don't know the extent of your disability, I'm not sure if it is feasible for you to pick up a $10 electronic pressure gauge and use it to adjust the pressures down yourself. It's easy to lose some air, of course, I just "miss" a little with the gauge off angle a bit and bleed off slowly in little bursts between re-measurements until I am where I want to be. If you can't or don't want to do this, I don't think it's unreasonable to stop by the tire shop again and ask them to adjust the pressure for your peace of mind (I am assuming you are a regular customer of theirs).

I think your posts are also a good reminder for everybody that not all forum members are grease monkeys in their spare time and we should not assume too much when replying!


Thank you for your understanding. Unfortunately my back is so bad, bending down over the tires would cost more pain than it's worth. Although I did manage to replace the front headlight assemblies myself!

I try to educate myself at BITOG and CrownVic.net so that greedy or just plain bad mechanics won't take advantage of me. There's a mechanic across town that lets me bring my own oil, filter and other parts and just charges me for labor. Super nice guy, but even with him I have to watch out. He wanted to sell me Lucas oil treatment; his assistant was the one who told me that no matter what oil and filter I use, 3000 mile OCIs are a must.

 

[CharlieBauer]

Kudos to you for checking tire pressure monthly. It may be a bit of overkill in Arizona but it's a good way to remember to do it.

There is going to be little difference between 35psi and 38psi. Both are safe and DT are probably doing the right thing to over inflate since 99.99% of tires will be hot when they are inflated.

If you prefer the way the vehicle rides with 35psi cold, then get into the habit of visiting DT on your way home, when the tires are hot. 38psi hot will be 35psi cold.

If you find you like the ride at 38psi cold / after 200 yards, then keep doing what you're doing.

 

[shiny]

Originally Posted By: CharlieBauer
Kudos to you for checking tire pressure monthly. It may be a bit of overkill in Arizona but it's a good way to remember to do it.

There is going to be little difference between 35psi and 38psi. Both are safe and DT are probably doing the right thing to over inflate since 99.99% of tires will be hot when they are inflated.

If you prefer the way the vehicle rides with 35psi cold, then get into the habit of visiting DT on your way home, when the tires are hot. 38psi hot will be 35psi cold.

If you find you like the ride at 38psi cold / after 200 yards, then keep doing what you're doing.


Since the consensus here is that 38psi isn't dangerous I'll see how it feels this month then do as you suggest.

Thanks, everyone!

 

[bbhero]

Hey shiny... I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. I have some idea where you are coming from. While I'm not disabled there are times where I certainly am just that. I have multiple sclerosis. I have very good days, good days, all right days, bad days, and very rough days too. It's hard to know at times. I have been rather fortunate the last 9 months having felt fairly decent on average. But I have had some rough days in there for sure.

I couldn't get my oil filter off for a bit there due to me putting it on too tight. Go figure. Eventually I managed to get it without any extra tools being needed. I just got my regular strength back in my right arm. It's hard for people to comprehend what like going from pretty much normal to having lost 30-50% of your ability in no time flat. One way I try to articulate what it's like is that your neurological system is like your cars electrical system. If something goes hay wire it happens very quickly and with no warning practically. And until the system is repaired it will continue not to function properly.

I think it's great that you are on here to learn aspects of car care. That's one of the reasons why I'm here as well. I think it also helps with keeping our minds sharp by reading, learning and understanding sometimes complex concepts. The learning process of how things work together and or how the relationships between different operating systems effect each other is a vigorous mental exercise. Which is what we need to do to help keep our minds strong.

I have to tell you this story about tire pressures... took my car to a local shop. For some unknown reason the world champion there added air to my tires.... I had 48 psi and 44 in another tire. I usually run my tires at 34.5 to 35 psi the normal is suggested at 33. I noticed my car was riding very harshly... well the increase in tire pressure sure explained that.

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: shiny
Originally Posted By: CharlieBauer
Kudos to you for checking tire pressure monthly. It may be a bit of overkill in Arizona but it's a good way to remember to do it.

There is going to be little difference between 35psi and 38psi. Both are safe and DT are probably doing the right thing to over inflate since 99.99% of tires will be hot when they are inflated.

If you prefer the way the vehicle rides with 35psi cold, then get into the habit of visiting DT on your way home, when the tires are hot. 38psi hot will be 35psi cold.

If you find you like the ride at 38psi cold / after 200 yards, then keep doing what you're doing.


Since the consensus here is that 38psi isn't dangerous I'll see how it feels this month then do as you suggest.

Thanks, everyone!


I completely agree with his advice. This saves you the trouble of checking yourself.

I feel compelled to add: this tire shop is very courteous to check your tires every month. They're good folks. So, if they're off a few PSI, I would let it slide, or adopt CharlieBauer's advice, or perhaps, get a digital gauge that's easy to use.

Please read my PM on the latter.

Cheers,
Astro

 

[DuckRyder]

This is part of discount tires policy (free air checks) as far as I know they all do it for any one (flat repair too).

FWIW I've had mixed results with the actual work, but I've never been to one that was anything but courteous and cheerful, which is surprising since they are almost always fixing a flat for free when I darken their door...

I seem to recall that they have some sort of automatic system, where they just hook all 4 tires up, press a button and it beeps when it is finished, But I don't know if they tell it what pressure or it is preprogrammed... At least that is how the five or six I was in in Texas worked....

At any rate, I concur - I wouldn't worry about 38psi, though it might be worth checking what the maximum inflation pressure is for the particular tire.

 

[DeafBrad]

Hi Shiny, your tires are fine. I run my tires to max psi as labeled on the tire sidewall. I have my van aired up to around 50 psi for better mpgs. Following the recommendation on the door will give you a more comfortable ride.

So you can relax. A few psi's will not hurt anything.