Originally Posted by Evil-Twin

In the north east here temps can vary 50 degrees in the same 24 hour period..
My tire pressure is based on actual conditions... If I were to set my tire pressure cold in the morning when it was 50 F and then run in on a black top road later that day when it was 90 F the blacktop road could see temps close to 140 F... my cold tires set at 30 psi in the morning would easily see 35/36 psi.. This is the reason many people who drive their car in the summer were temps can vary 40 to 50 degrees in 24 hours see pre mature center wear.. because they are driving with excessive pressure..
This is not difficult... around here from Sept. to May I run about 29 psi cold which keeps me below 30/31 psi....

But from late May June July and August, I run 25/26 psi cold . my tires see no more than 31 psi on a 90 + day on a black top road... I have the proper footprint, the right ride pressure and the right handling pressure. It allows for optimum gas mileage and tire longevity.
The sticker on the door is just a product liability sticker... it is there as a waver for those who think Max pressure on the sidewall of the tire is correct...WE build cars for -27 degrees in Bismark North Dakota winters, and for 110F degrees in the Arizona desert. 30 degrees cold will not work the same with the 137 degrees difference in these two places. You want to be conscious of what the tires are actually seeing as you roll down the highway, not when they are sitting still in your garage. AS Ive said thousands of times... Racing crews monitor track temps all the time...in a 3 hour race tire pressure can be adjusted several times.. proper tire pressure does win races...gives extra laps of tire life and adds traction in corners and improves gas mileage.

Originally Posted by racebum

30 in the winter

27-28 in the summer.

both give me around 31-32psi operating

Originally Posted by evil-twin

This is the best answer given so far. If the manufacturer does not ask what the ambient temperature is then he is just some Yahoo answering phones.

As I've posted at least 50 times in the last 13 years on this forum. tires require the right pressure to give the right foot print, for maximum traction, and handling, longevity and fuel economy. Its not a one pressure works for all answer. The variant in the formula is the road temperature. In George in the summer there could be as much as 50 degrees difference between night and day. Summer temps can vary enough to cause extreme center tire wear reduced foot print, poor performance and poor fuel economy. If the manufacturer didn't ask what the road temperature is then you wasted your dime calling him.

What good is checking your tires cold?
they don't perform at a cold temperature.
what you want to do is set them for the operating temperature because that's the temperature they will see when rolling along.

NASCAR crews monitor track temperatures constantly. In a 3 hours Winston cup race they have the opportunity to adjust tire pressure for each pit stop. they do this to get a few extra laps, out of the times, a few extra laps because of fuel savings, and keeping the drivers foot in it in the corner because of a proper foot print.

If you set your tire cold in a Georgia morning when its 55 F degrees then go out on a black top surface when in the afternoon the road surface temp of a black top road can reach 140 F a concrete road surface yields 20 degrees cooler ,.. Ive personally did testing in Georgia and on this specific subject. Your 30 morning psi setting will quickly reach 38 psi by 1 PM. 38 psi will yield a center high condition, loose 30 % of the footprint , and poor handling performance.. because of this squirrely condition you will loose fuel economy too. Most people in warmer state who follow this 30 psi cold thinking are the ones that see poor tire longevity with the center of their tires wearing out prematurely.

If you are in a warm state where temps see 90+ temps in the summer and, this is where its effective to use tire tuning. if your day see warm temps check your tire pressure via DIC then adjust your cold temp to allow your tires to heat up to 30/31 psi when hot.,

Same thing NASCAR does, its the same thing that I have been preaching for 30 years. I get 40,000 miles out of a set of tires because my tires are tuned for the conditions.

Logic. You cant set the tire pressure to 30 for a Corvette in North Dakota in September when temps can be in the 30's. and set the same car same weigh same tires in Florida at 30 cold when the afternoon temps can reach 85.

every area of the country has specific conditions. while 30 psi will work, you can do better.
winter temps for most people where temps only vary 20 degrees 30 psi cold will be fine. what you don't want to do is have your winter tires set for 30 PSI and have them drop down to 27 because of cold temps.

in the summer , I set my cold tire pressure to 26/27 psi so that when I'm actually using the tires they will heat up to 30/31 and not 38 psi like many other people . they think 30 psi is the answer. Simple is simple. a little science is more than most want to invest.

If you have a corvette and you want the most from the tires and your car in performance and fuel economy, and tire life. consider the temps and check the psi when they are at operating conditions. You never want to see 37/38 psi.
The end
Bill aka ET

Originally Posted by Yello95

Post a tip that has been most helpful to you over the years...
Heres the tip I have used most...its an old one but my favorite...


Originally Posted by MrLeadFoot

What is your COLD tire pressure, ET? Is it like 27, or so?

Originally Posted by Pintoblades

Great tip! Have to save that one also.
Thanks for re-posting.

Originally Posted by oldschoolvette

Google is the best way to search the forum. Saw that years ago and its true. Saves much time when you need to find something.

Originally Posted by Yello95

FYI...here is the original post...
"...Post a tip that has been most helpful to you over the years..."

I meant a tip that would be helpful to members with/about their Corvettes

Originally Posted by Tact

Originally Posted by Tact

Originally Posted by bobeast

I must have missed the forum rule where humor was disallowed.

Originally Posted by Yello95

I think you missed the point...How is hijacking someones thread humorous?

Originally Posted by bobeast

My apologies. No hijacking was intended.

Originally Posted by no vet yet

I'll try to keep this as humorless as possible.

Originally Posted by Yello95

......So my friend...
"Post a tip that has been most helpful to you over the years"