Where did 32 PSI come from?

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This seems to be the age old standard pressure for car tires, but it seems like every vehicle requires a different PSI, so I'm wondering where this came from. Did everyone just inflate their tires on all vehicles back in the old days?
 
Didn't they use to check your tire pressure when you got fuel-back in the day?
 
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Probably is the pressure that reflects the pressure recommended loading for the manufactures chosen tire, except the older Ford Explorer where the PR people got control. Ed
 
In the old days when people actually survived without cell phones but still had electricity and self-starting cars, they had places for you to gas up called "service stations". You drove and ran over a hose that rang a bell. I human would come to your car and you would say something like fill it up with Ethyl and that's what the attendant would do along with checking your engine oil level, fan belt(s), radiator, P/S fluid, windshield washer fluid and tire pressure. No, honest it's true.

The 32 psi bit? It's better than 10-20 psi that was noticed when Ford Exploders were having tire problems. If you can't be bothered checking tire pressures than 32 psi by someone else it better than your method.
 
I was one of those guys who, when the bell rang, ran to your vehicle and asked how much gas, wiped your windshield and checked your oil. I waited for the tip but, it very seldom happened.. WARCO STATION in Rock Island ILL ~1955. Ed
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
In the old days when people actually survived without cell phones but still had electricity and self-starting cars, they had places for you to gas up called "service stations". You drove and ran over a hose that rang a bell. I human would come to your car and you would say something like fill it up with Ethyl and that's what the attendant would do along with checking your engine oil level, fan belt(s), radiator, P/S fluid, windshield washer fluid and tire pressure. No, honest it's true.

The 32 psi bit? It's better than 10-20 psi that was noticed when Ford Exploders were having tire problems. If you can't be bothered checking tire pressures than 32 psi by someone else it better than your method.

And the gas pumps would ring for every gallon and on the side of the pump was a see thru bubble with little balls that would swirl around as the gas would flow thru, gas was 15/25 cents depending on the grade, loved when we would pull into the station and the smell of gas would greet you, mom would go to a certain station and collect stamps to redeem for silverware or dishware, you were greeted with a Yes Ma'm or Yes Sir. Those were honestly the "The Good Ole Days.
cheers3.gif
 
What does all this reminiscing about the good old days have to do with the question why was 32 psi a fairly universal inflation number back in the good old days?? Good question.

Bunch of dang geezers....

Full disclosure, I worked in an ARCO service station in the early 70s... and every once in a while destroyed a can of oil stabbing the spout in.
 
Not sure where it come from, but that was what we filled them at the full service station I was working at during the 70's oil embargo.
 
There never was anything special about 32 psig. Back in those "good ole days" that the "geezers" recall, the most common pressure recommendation by car manufacturers was 24 psi. My father thought that was too low and wanted 30 in everything.
 
Originally Posted By: grampi
This seems to be the age old standard pressure for car tires, but it seems like every vehicle requires a different PSI, so I'm wondering where this came from. Did everyone just inflate their tires on all vehicles back in the old days?


Because the tires that preceeded the current P metric radials had 32 psi as the max - and a lot of people went by what was on the tire (kind of like now!). Please note: Placards were a new thing in that era.
 
Originally Posted By: wheelman1991
32 psi? Because that was what the recommended pressure was on the sidewall off bias ply tires.


Bingo, it was all about bias ply construction and the upper working limit. When 32 was the standard, no one in the USA knew much about radials. Michelin had not made the scene, much less Sears big push ...
 
Worked my way through High School as a pump jockey. Summer job from the 9-10th grade summer break and every summer after, as a Gravel Crusher Operator, making good money, then pump gas 4 till 12 five days a week after school for about half the money per hour.

Pretty much every job I've had since, was more than 40 hours a week; sometimes 10's or 12's seven days a week, but even when I was in retail it was six days a week plus one extended shopping day (9 til 9). The career I ended up with for 27 years was 7 days a week for perhaps 100 days continuous, then a break, then back to that routine.

I think the PSI of a tire is mostly just based on the amount of weight the tire needs to support and the number of plies. My truck tires are 60 psi.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
In the old days when people actually survived without cell phones but still had electricity and self-starting cars, they had places for you to gas up called "service stations". You drove and ran over a hose that rang a bell. I human would come to your car and you would say something like fill it up with Ethyl and that's what the attendant would do along with checking your engine oil level, fan belt(s), radiator, P/S fluid, windshield washer fluid and tire pressure. No, honest it's true.

The 32 psi bit? It's better than 10-20 psi that was noticed when Ford Exploders were having tire problems. If you can't be bothered checking tire pressures than 32 psi by someone else it better than your method.
.

They also cleaned your windshield.
 
They carried a pencil tire pressure gauge in the shirt pocket to check the pressure. I have several of them although I use modern dial gauges and on occasion a digital gauge.
Does seem like 32psi was a standard for most.
I remember the stations would have a display rack outside for things like wiper blades/refills, quarts of oil, soda in glass bottles etc.
One of the stations we used had an outside ice machine. A little pocket change in the the sliding slot and a block of ice would slide out and down the chute. Tossed it in the cooler and on our way.
One of the stations we used to go to had both a friendly dog and a cat, somehow knew not to get ran over.
 
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I'm a 36 psi guy and maybe a touch more in the spare.

Found this (Note: it's from Australia so "Utility" means "Pick Up")
Quote:

Small Vehicles
Car Type : Pressure Range : Optimal Pressure
Standard : 30 - 36 Psi : 32 Psi
Sports : 32 - 38 Psi : 36 Psi
Wagon : 32 - 40 Psi : 38 Psi
Utility : 32 - 40 Psi : 36 Psi
Medium Vehicles
Car Type : Pressure Range: Optimal Pressure
Standard : 32 - 40 Psi : 36 Psi
Sports Car : 34 - 42 Psi : 40 Psi
Wagon : 34 - 40 Psi : 38 Psi
Utility : 32 - 44 Psi : 40 Psi
Large Vehicles
Car Type : Pressure Range : Optimal Pressure
Standard : 36 - 42 Psi : 38 Psi
Sports : 36 - 50 Psi : 44 Psi
Wagon : 38 - 46 Psi : 42 Psi
Utility : 40 - 50 Psi : 44 Psi


Here
http://www.ozzytyres.com.au/blog/what-is-the-ideal-tyre-pressure/
 
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