Recently aquired 1.8 petrol superb estate.

Bit confused by the info inside the filler flap.

tyres are 225/40 R18

For a lightly loaded car my interpetation is 2.2 front and rear

for a heavily loaded car my interpretation is 2.7 front 3.2 rear

Is that correct?

That's quite a jump for the heavy load senario.

for the vast majority of the time I'll be in the light load situation.

Does anyone routinely increase the pressure for the occasional heavy load senario?

When i go away with SWMBO and the 2 kids, and full boot of luggage, I just make sure the back tyres are .2 fuller than the fronts.

I usually opt for 2.8 rear and 2.6 front. Never the 3.2 they suggest, but then those figures are for two adults in the rear, not a 2- and 6-year-old. It seems madness, plus, what do you do when you've reached your destination and unloaded?

Unloaded for my diesel is 2.4 front, 2.2 rear due to the heavier diesel lump.

Hope this helps

When i go away with SWMBO and the 2 kids, and full boot of luggage, I just make sure the back tyres are .2 fuller than the fronts.

I usually opt for 2.8 rear and 2.6 front. Never the 3.2 they suggest, but then those figures are for two adults in the rear, not a 2- and 6-year-old. It seems madness, plus, what do you do when you've reached your destination and unloaded?

Unloaded for my diesel is 2.4 front, 2.2 rear due to the heavier diesel lump.

Hope this helps

If you under inflate your tyres the way you say...you'll pay, both at the pumps and at the tyre supplier!

thanks for contributing

There's a post somewhere on this site, entitled, I think, Too Many Punctures. A number of us have had problems with the 225 40 18 wheels on pot holed roads as a result I'm running my fronts at 35 psi and the rears at the same for every day use. It doesn't seem too hard & I'm hoping any loss in wear will be compensated because I won't be replacing tyres damaged by potholes.

It doesn't seem too hard & I'm hoping any loss in wear will be compensated because I won't be replacing tyres damaged by potholes.

That's one of the reasons I'm driving my Elegance with 16" wheels. I agree, the 17 and 18" wheels look better, but apart from that, the 16" wheels have only advantages.

I swapped to 18" last weekend after driving on my winters (205/55R16) for last 6 monts. And I have very mixed feelings...

It's noisier (dull rubber sound); it's less economical (~3mpg less on the same trip). But strangelly comfort is better, car better sticks to the road. I'm waiting for more windy conditions to see if it will behave "less boaty" on 18-teens.

Probably 17" are the golden middle but to much hassle to find decent set of wheels/tires - so I'll stick with what I got

I have 225/40 R18s on my Superb.  I was getting them replaced today (the Superb is a tyre muncher according to my guy!) and I was told to keep all 4 tyres at 40 psi.

 

Is this good advice?

Depends on the tyre make/model, and how many people and luggage you've got in the car.

What about pressures when towing ?

 

 

Chris

I would like to think that VAG have a lot of highly qualified engineers beavering away designing their products and establishing the optimum tolerances for all parts of the car including tyre pressures for loading. Sounds pious I know and having said that I have increased by tyre pressures by approximately 10 % for normal loading I.e. two adults occasionally 4. For me that car seems to handle well and more importantly a smoother ride less trauamtic on our poor roads. Going on a longest journey in a couple of weeks so will inflate according to manual and see how it feels. I do keep a gauge and inflator in my car so not about 10 minutes deflating and inflating.

on the subject of tyre pressures, i have the tyre pressure monitoring system on my superb, is there any way to get a readout of the pressures rather than just a light sppearing when one is low???

 

cheers

There's a post somewhere on this site, entitled, I think, Too Many Punctures. A number of us have had problems with the 225 40 18 wheels on pot holed roads as a result I'm running my fronts at 35 psi and the rears at the same for every day use. It doesn't seem too hard & I'm hoping any loss in wear will be compensated because I won't be replacing tyres damaged by potholes.

 

Ditto

 

35 psi all round and achieving 22K Front and 35k Rear on my 3,6 4x4 - just had my first puncture.  Previous Superb running on recommended had 5 punctures in a year before I changed based upon advice in these threads.

on the subject of tyre pressures, i have the tyre pressure monitoring system on my superb, is there any way to get a readout of the pressures rather than just a light sppearing when one is low???

No, the pressure monitoring works in a similar way to the braking system in that it detects whether a wheel is revolving faster than the others, implying that its diameter is smaller and so must be under-inflated. Remember to set it again if you inflate adjust the tyre pressures! 

No, the pressure monitoring works in a similar way to the braking system in that it detects whether a wheel is revolving faster than the others, implying that its diameter is smaller and so must be under-inflated. Remember to set it again if you inflate adjust the tyre pressures! 

There are two types of VAG system, One version uses ABS sensors and wheel speed, another uses actual sensors in the tyres to detect a deflation. I guess i must have sensors as i couldnt reset system when i had winter tyres fitted. Yet able to reset straight away when the original 18"s refitted.

If you want pressure readouts in the Maxidot, you can retrofit them! These use a control unit + 4 sensors in the wheels. 380,00 EUR + shipping and it's yours! :-)

 

http://www.cars-equipment.com/www/en/shop/other-8/tpms-3aa907273d-vw-skoda-tire-pressure/

 

Regarding tyre pressures, I check mine at least once a month. Always when the car has been in the shade. I think the most important thing to remember is to always use the same method of measuring - all devices vary. I always use my small portable 12V compressor that I keep in the car. I fitted 4 brand new Goodyear Efficientgrip Performances after winter, and they are great for noise and consumption. 2.5 all round, I never vary.

Edited 2 April, 201412 yr by Too Tall

I have Michelin Primacy 3's fitted on 17"  alloys, and have then all set at 35 psi, and have found the ride to be fine, with no problems regarding tyre wear.