Author Topic: Bad ride and tyre pressures  (Read 1203 times)

Ed the Jazz

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  • My Honda: 2016 Jazz S 1.3 CVT
Bad ride and tyre pressures
« on: April 23, 2018, 10:42:00 PM »
An old problem - 2004 sport CVT ride is mega uncomfortable. Changed front tyres to Dunlop Blue response which are better at dampening road noise but at 32psi seem soft. At 33psi-35psi smooth ride and steering but over rough roads (most roads now) thuds through the front suspension. I have 4 tyre gauges and 3 give different readings - an 'accurate' quality dial gauge which I trust as being accurate, a Michelin foot pump which reads approx 3-4psi lower than the dial, 2 Dunlop style stick gauges which both read the identical pressures but approx 2-3 psi lower than the dial. Ride is reasonable (for a Jazz) at 32F/30R psi set with the dial gauge but I worry that pressure is too low! Last forecourt gauge I tried read 4-5psi higher than the dial gauge even when tyres are cold. Is a range of pressures 4psi acceptable?

culzean

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Re: Bad ride and tyre pressures
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2018, 12:05:45 PM »
What size are your tyres ?  The 16" Honda wheels with 185/55R16 tyres are not made for comfort  :-X,  I have just fitted 175/65R15 tyres and wheels to her indoors Mk2 (the ride was so much better with 175/65R15 winter tyres and steel wheels that she wanted 15" wheels on all year round). 

If tyres are under-inflated  the edges will wear before centre of tyre and MPG will be worse, and if over-inflated centre will wear before edges.  My TPMS squawked at me the other day because one of my front tyres was about 3 psi over-inflated.

The stick gauges are normally reasonably accurate in my experience (if they have been looked after and are not full of dirt from rolling around in a car boot) so I would trust them over a inexpensive dial gauge, and digital gauges can give 'an illusion of accuracy' because there is a nice number to look at, my Michelin footpump dial gauge is also pretty accurate - I would trust the reading of 3 out of 4 devices as they seem to match up fairly well as they are all reading lower than the one dial gauge. Garage forecourt gauges  are a bit hit and miss - if I ever use one I always check pressure afterwards with a stick gauge.  Radial tyres always look  a bit bulgy and soft due to supple sidewalls.

General advice is fill your tyre at a service station and then check it with all your gauges,  if any of your gauges agrees with the service station pressure then you should bin it.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2018, 03:58:47 PM by culzean »
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

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