[Baz]

I am running Goodyear 185*70 tires on my 2000GTV and wonder what pressure would be best, the owners manual says something like 24 front and 26 rear (or 26/28 depending on the brand you have fitted), but this seems a bit low for modern tires.

I have currently got them set at front 28 and 30 rear and that seems OK for daily use. Has anyone got some suggestions about what worked for them?

Cheers,
Baz

 

[67GTV]

Baz,

Don't the tires themselves tell you what PSI to maintain them at? (Hello tire? How much air do you want today?)

I don't think that 185/70 was the stock tire size. So going with the owner's manual may not be accurate.

 

[Sniady]

I don't have a recommended tire pressure for you, but I personally would run 30 in the front, and 28 in the rear. This helps to reduce a little oversteer.

 

[djone101]

Sounds about right Baz. I'd suggest 30 all round as a start point. That's what I run most of the time, drop them a little if competing in the wet though. I run 195 50 15 (Yoko A539) tyres in competition though and 195 60 15 (Pirelli P6000) on the road.

 

[67GTV]

I am now running 195/60 15's on my GTV. Are you guys saying that 30 PSI is sufficient for street driving? Or for track days only? I have mine set at my tire's recommended pressure of 44.

 

[papajam]

Yes. 30psi COLD is a good place to start for street use. Your particular tires may vary. If a pyrometer isn't available, it's pretty much just seat-of-the-pants on how the car feels and the wear pattern on the tires. I ran 30 front, 32 rear in the 185/70 14 A008Rs for the street and bumped them to 36-38 all around for the track/autox.
I believe that the 44psi marked on your tires is the manufacturers maximum inflation pressure.

 

[djone101]

Agree with Jim. 44 PSI would be deadly in the wet.....

 

[67GTV]

Well I guess I'll be letting some air out of my tires tomorrow. Thanks!

(or should I say, Duh?)

 

[Paradiso]

Kai, your ride's about to get a whole lot comfier!!!

 

[JoeCab]

It's really hard to make generalizations across tire sizes and makes/models. Baz did a good job of posting his original question by including the fact that these are Goodyear tires in 185/70-14. The specific model would be even more helpful.

When I had Goodyear Eagle GT+4 tires in this size on my GTV, I ran them at 35 psi front, 33 psi rear. I found this gave a good compromise between handling and a tolerable ride. They wore evenly at this pressure.

On my Milano, I have Bridgestone Potenza S-03s - now there is a tire that likes a lot of pressure to turn in crisply. I run them at 42 psi front, 39 psi rear, cold. They are not harsh at that pressure and are amazing in the wet. My point in mentioning the Bridgstones at all is that some tires react to pressure much differently than others, so you really can't make statements like "44 psi would be deadly in the wet".

 

[djone101]

Fair point - but I don't know of any 195 60 15 that would work at 44PSI on a GTV.

 

[Baz]

Track vs Road use

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies, looks like there are a lot of opinions out there, but then it is a personal thing I guess.

I asked the same question to a guy who prepares 2000GTV's for racing and he recommended 28/30 for road use as a bit of understeer is quite nice on the road and 30/30 for the track. I have stuck with the 28/30 for the last 200 miles and it is definitely the best setting I have had so far for me. ('72 2000GTV on Goodyear 185*70)

PS Kai, trust that you are finding the ride a bit more comfortable now!

 

[Alfa]

High

I run my 1750 Mk1 at 22.5 front/24.5 rear, feels great!
185/70 R14 NCT5s
I tried higher pressure but to me it ruined the car, took away the feeling of the steering made the ride horrible!

It had to be said!

I strongly recommend that steering geometry is sorted before any new tyres are fitted, oherwise you will never get it right!

 

[2000gtv-sng]

Tire Pressures

I have to agree with the majority here. 28psi front and 30 rear (cold) is absolutely perfect. I've tried with different tire sizes and strangely enough it seems to apply to all.

I have to say I am intrigued as to why some people prefer to run higher pressures at the front than the back. Doesn't that just increase understeer and other undesirable handlng traits?

 

[JoeCab]

I have to say I am intrigued as to why some people prefer to run higher pressures at the front than the back. Doesn't that just increase understeer and other undesirable handlng traits?

No, usually it's the other way around - lowering the pressure in the front will cause the vehicle to understeer more, as well as have sloppy turn in characteristics.

With lower tire pressure on a given end, the sidewalls can deflect to the point where it causes weight transfer and a loss of traction on that end.

Also, remember there is greater weight over the front wheels, and they are tasked with turning the vehicle - this is why most people will tell you to run a few pounds higher. Conversely people with Porsche 911s generally run a few pounds higher in the rear for the same reason, as those vehicles are much heavier in back.

*Of course, this entire discussion assumes we never inflate to the point where the tire is over inflated and losing contact patch.

Joe

 

[scooter]

Try running 35 in the front and 35 in the rear and then running the car into the corners as deep as you can or perhaps get another newer car. In other words, get a new hobby, quit asking dumb *** questions about tire pressures,etc. Before you reply, think back to your question. My friend mike says "run her in deep and see what hapens........Harvey Mushmann....................

 

[2000gtv-sng]

Tire Pressures

Actually you're quite right. I got it the wrong way round. However, I have always thought that most people ran their GTVs with more pressure at the rear, in line with the original recommendations. Certainly my car feels better that way. I suppose the reason for running more at the front is to reduce understeer, particularly on a track?