idk if i mentioned it earlyer, but there was about 7 cars pulled over on the side of the road as well with flats...

and it also wouldn't explain why the whole in the tire not only was in the tire, but also thru the wheel (yes the WHEEL the METAL) if the tired poped because of overinflation, it shouldn't leave a whole going thru the metal as well.


but man this thread is old now... it needs LOCK because I already have it replaced about a week ago

 

Its ok if you want to over-inflate your tires, I just want to illustrate all the negative aspects for the other people who click in here, and might do something that is ill-advised because they saw someone else doing it. Its a trend on here, to follow others, not read every post in threads, and see only the information one wants to see. Over-inflating your tires is bad, will lead to irregular and increased tread wear, uncomfortable ride, decreased size of tread contact patch with the road, increased wear on other components (every part of the suspension) and can lead to more damage from road conditions.

Recommended pressures for a GE8 2009-2010 Fit Sport with the OEM 185/55/16" tires is 33 PSI front and rear. If you want to go against Honda's recommendation, you do so at your own risk for all the negative implications listed above.

 

Real men race in parking lots and on race tracks where they compare their ability against others.
The engineeruing is very similar for both.
.
Ah. again: tire tread contact area is NOT directly proportional to air pressure. It would be if tires were birthday balloons, but because the tread section is very stiff the change in area is nowhere near proportional. A 5 psig change may not ANY measurable change in contact area. If for example your tire was a wooden tread rim and the spokes were balloons there would be no change because there is no deformation of the wooden rim. Almost the same for steel belted tread sections. Proven it many times with trials setting wet treads down on paper towels. Even a 10 psi change doesn't show measureable area change. Which is why NASCAR racers change tire pressures not for contact area changes but for spring rate changes, far more critical.
As for overinflation being more damaging to a sidewall it is far more easily damaged by underinflation because deformation of the sidewall is so much more and can even crack the tire bead or sidewall by contact with the wheel rim. Overinflation isn't nearly as disaterous unless of course the contact velocity is so great the tire structure is overcome and then it won't matter much. Yes it rides harder but that is the penalty for increased control and cornering power, same as 17" vs 15" for the same tire diameter.
We've got drivers here who get even tire wear at 50 psig, including me but yes 25,000 miles per tire is average tire life on good tires although treadwear is rated 250 to 300. Its the price paid for not slowing for corners.

 

agreed not to mention how hard the ride would be. I currently run my tires at 36 but they're aftermarket Yokohama's.

 

Recommended pressures for a GE8 2009-2010 Fit Sport with the OEM 185/55/16" tires is 33 PSI front and rear. If you want to go against Honda's recommendation, you do so at your own risk for all the negative implications listed above.[/quote]


You may find it interesting that many Honda engineers inflate their tires to pressures more than 36 psig. Its recommended as a starting point, not a specification. Lower pressures are cushy, higher pressures corner and control better. Once you decide that you can hone your pressures accordingly.
A recommendation is not a specification.

 

What??? where does this happen? Less contact patch and you think they will corner better. That's a pretty broad statement there are a lot of variables to consider. I have no idea what you mean by "control" better.

 

I've found that raising PSI adversely effect the handling of my FIT. Above 40 and it gets real squirrelly. Research on PSI and vehicle response will confirm this.

Why sacrifice handling stability for a minimal gain in MPG?? Drive it properly and you'll see high MPG's.

Hyper-miller's tend to be hyper in regards to the objective. Safety goes out the window to reduce a bit going out the tail pipe.

Phew - this thread is way off the topic!!!

 

this has gone soooooo off topic.. i dont care how low or high your tire pressure is.. if your going at a speed with the force high enough so an object can go thru a wheel..... you can have the tire pressure as low or as high as you want... that rubber is going to have no protection on going thru that wheel.

no matter how low or high your tire pressure is theres no way all the tire pressure could leave fast enough to have the tire that skinny for an object to go thru the wheel as well.... i don't care if the hole in the tire is half the diameter of the tire... theres still not enough time for the tire to go flat fast enough for the object to also go thru the wheel.

Ninja edit:
yes we posted right at the same time... please someone lock this thread... its becoming miss leading to opinions that i frankly don't give a d*** about

i have always ran maximum spec tire pressure on all the cars i ever owned.. my household does it as well and we don't have a problem at all... i do see alot of points i like here... 33PSI is listed as the recommended, but whats the range on their recommendation? what is too low and what is too high? we don't really know... they put the max tire pressure on the actual tire for a REASON, don't go above 51PSI... going over is considered over-inflation.. thats why in my first post, i said i "filled it up to specs" because i wasn't over inflating.. i was filling it to specification.

 

As I explained before, the contact area is not proportional to pressure because the tire is not a party balloon; the rigidity of the tread section prevents much change in area with changes in pressure. Mostly the sidewall gets more rigid and thus the tire is less distortable. Less distorsion more constant the contact patch. More constant the contact area the more cornering force and control.
There is a point where naturally you will affect the 'bow' of the tread, that is how round the tread section width is, and then you will indeed lose considerable cornering force and increase center tread wear. But 50 psig isn't it unless you're running some pretty poor tires. In that case not much of anything helps except switching tires.

control relates to the ability of positioning a tire at speed on precisely the track where you want it. The tire construction and components have a lot to do with that and of course the ability of a tire to hold its configuration is the ens ingredient. The more the tire 'wiggles' the less controllable when you get to extending the limits of adhesion. Good setups let good drivers tell not just that they'll have a tire run over a dime in the corner but which tread groove will do it. At at the limit of adhesion.

 

Thread will never close... 65psi work best in all driving conditions!!!

If anyone get's it... then good

LOL

 

There are many variations in sidewall size and construction as well as optimum temperature operation....but as Vash has said this is going way off topic. I just think you previous statement is to broad.

 

yeah but space-saver spares look dorky, especially when on only one corner. Maybe if you had four of them.

On a PSA note, I checked mine a week ago and it was down to 40lbs. Don't remember ever checking it since I got the car. Nothing worse than riding on an under-inflated space-saver and the nearest exit is 50 miles away.

Aren't we talking about OE low roll resistant tires here? They behave much like a balloon, especially under the weight of a car. Performance tires at the track are another matter.

But even using performance tires it's highly unlikely that the sweet spot is anywhere near 50lbs (unless you're talking motocross). Filling tires to the maximum pressure printed on the side is plain silly; that has more to do with the load rating of the tire and nothing to do with best handling on a specific vehicle.

For the best handling/wear, go by Honda's spec printed on the door jam label. If you've changed tire sizes/construction and are taking it to the track you might want to lower the cold pressure, especially in the front so when it comes up to temp it'll be at the best pressure (no where near 50lbs).

And if you think you're saving money by overfilling the tires, think again. All you're doing is wearing out your car by pounding it to death. Fuel mileage doesn't improve with rock hard tires at normal speeds. Maybe if you go so slow all the time that air resistance isn't an issue it'll help.

Sources:

Turn Fast

Popular Mechanics

NHTSA

Vash: you might've saved your wheel if you'd allowed the tire to absorb the impact of the object by inflating it to the correct pressure.

 

Perhaps you should visit a local autocross and check the tire pressures of leading drivers in the strictly stock classes. These troops don't give a hoot what anyone recommends - and Honda doesn't recommend for performance, mostly soft riding - they use what works. And most of them run the same tires on the street as on course. You may have noted that tires often increase pressures by 10 psi when pushed at comp speeds. That would be 42-43 psig on Fit tires from recommended pressures. But for short runs like A/X's that initial increase keeps the pressure rise down to a couple of psi thanks to much less tread distorsion on rapidly rotating tires. And it maintains a more constant contact surface for more control and higher cornering. We've measured these on literally thousands of laps.
If that doesn't work try a driver's school at one of the racing organizations, IMSa, NASA, or SCCA, and prove to yourself just what happens when you 'open it up' over gentle street driving.

 

I didn't mean to imply racers did give a hoot what Honda recommends. But 50lbs for street use (or track) because it's embossed on the sidewall is silly.

When was the last time you inflated one more than 40lbs outside of setting the beads?

 

All the time with performance oriented Fit drivers. Typically 42 to 45 psig. Three today. Silliness is only when it doesn't work.