Hi all,

 

I'm driving to the Alps tomorrow with a full load and need to increase the tyre pressures to cater for the load. Is anyone surprised to see that the recommendation is to go from 2.4 front / 2.4 rear to 2.5 front and 3.2 rear? (mine is a Tdi with 18" wheels).

 

That seems quite an increase!

 

Nope - because the vast majority of the extra weight will be over the rear axle.

Thanks, just wanted to get a sanity check, don't want to over inflate or anything, especially on such a long drive.

Check your tyre manufacturer data (on side of tyres). 3.2bar is about 46 or 47 PSI, so your rear tyres may be over-inflated if you follow that data plate.

Side of tyre says 51psi. I actually 'only' inflated the rear to 3.1 and not the recommended 3.2.

 

Still seems an awful lot, but that's what the data on the inside of the fuel flap says.

Just called the master tech at my dealer, he thinks those values are very high and has recommended 2.8bar MAX at the rear based on the load I'll be carrying (4 adults in total plus summer weight clothing for 14 days).

 

2.8 it is then!

Such values seem to me nothing special (besides being recommended from the very same manufacturer!).

 

I find that typically recommended pressure values lean more towards comfort rather than performance or efficiency or - in other words - are lower than the optimum.

Just for info, we were in the alps during the winter. One day we took the car to a much higher level than where we were staying after which the tyre pressure warning came on, went to a garage checked the pressures a couple of times and all was in order, we presume it was to do with pressure differences at altitude  (not proven).

Just for info, we were in the alps during the winter. One day we took the car to a much higher level than where we were staying after which the tyre pressure warning came on, went to a garage checked the pressures a couple of times and all was in order, we presume it was to do with pressure differences at altitude  (not proven).

As mentioned in earlier threads,, the Octavia's so-called tyre pressure monitoring does not monitor tyre pressure at all, merely compares wheel rotation via the ABS system so if you had any wheel spin that would cause a false alarm.

Interesting Timoctav.

 

 I have mine set at 33 psi f+r normally.

For some reason, when I went on hols, I got off the ferry and within 10 miles my TPS flashed up (no wheelspin involved !). I checked pressures at fuel station and all were showing 28 ... I did suspect the gauge on the garages inflator to be wrong though.

But I increased to a reading  of 32 psi all round and reset tpms. 20-30 miles later I got another warning, pulled into nearest fuel station and found pressure gauge was in bar, so had a look on the fuel flap to determine a sensible setting (as I don't use bar normally).

All tyres were showing 2.7 so it confirmed my thoughts the first gauge was wrong. set back to 2.5 all round and was fine ever since. now I am back to non holiday load, guess I'll reset to 33 psi all round