Hi Guys,  I've been running my 103TSi wagon for about a year now.Nice enough car,but it never felt like steered well or settled down on the road properly.Been fiddling around with pressures.Starting with placard pressures I went up to 36psi (bit better) then to 40psi all round (ran this pressure on my VW Caddy to great effect),but neither hit the spot.Then I tried 45psi all round.Problem solved.Car feels sooo much better.And the ride feels better too,in the way it doesn't wobble around after hitting a bump.Tyres are 205/55 R16 Dunlop Bluresponce Sport.

 

Blimey, that's a fair old increase!  Surely lateral handling is terrible now?

To the OP, are you sure the pressure gauge you are using is accurate?

That's a high pressure for a car tyre

Edited 26 February, 201610 yr by HeBeGeeBee

I think you have to be a "bit" careful here...the max inflation on many car tyres isnt much higher than that (I dont think) and if you vary greatly from OEM recommended pressures without permission from your insurer and you have a bad prang it could land you in it.

Not saying im necessarily 100% correct but caution is advised.

Not just insurance...if your tyres are over inflated, you've got a much greater chance of having a blow-out - if that happens at motorway speeds then who knows what might happen! Bear in mind that air expands and contracts, so when your tyres get warm at higher speeds the pressure increases in the tyre. Absolutely not worth the risk to make the car feel a bit better! Stay safe not sorry!

Edited 26 February, 201610 yr by vtec to vrs!

Where did you get the Dunlop  Blue Response tyres from?

When I looked through the interwebby thing a couple of weeks ago I could find no evidence they were imported into the Australia by Dunlop

 

I find it hard to believe that anything such as the ride, handling, steering or stability could possibly be improved at 45 psi.

Some 'traditional' petrol stations still have the old fashioned tyre inflation system where the gauge is at the end of the line you attach to the tyre. These are notorious for being inaccurate because of the abuse they receive, being run over, thrown to the ground etc.

The modernised petrol stations have a tyre pressure displays and controls in the service pod and are much better. I still check the pressure after with my own good quality pressure gauge.

I have 17 inch tyres (Dunlop Sport Maxx) on mine and usually run them at 36 psi all round, or more in the back tyres if I have it loaded up.

The car came from the dealer set at 40 psi and it was not real good.

The op have the same handling problems with my octy 3 hatch also with 205/55 r16 tires

But i think 45psi is very much am afraid to try this

205/55R16 is for comfort. Increasing tyre pressure will stiffen up the feel, but it also creates some negative side effects. For racinglike driving, 18 or 19 inch wheels and sport suspension is more suitable. Why not try that instead?

Your tyres may wear a bit unevenly at that pressure (the middle) but it will improve fuel economy 

Car came with said Dunlops.I think the sidewalls are too soft,and like I said,the car feels transformed.

Well Dunlops do get more than their fair share of complaints, so I suppose if it works for you and it is under the maximum permitted then you are not going to change the practice.

They should wear out fairly quick in the middle as suggested by SuperbTWM and then you will be able to put some decent tyres on.

My thinking exactly

Keep an eye on the wear of center of the tyres with such a high PSI. I learned the hard way on a set of Eagle F1's...about half the normal life   

Go to 55psi then tell us what that's like ...If you don't get back to us we will assume that with the heat generated by rolling friction you had a blow out and died.

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Edited 8 March, 201610 yr by FLAPPERJACK7

Hi Guys,  I've been running my 103TSi wagon for about a year now.Nice enough car,but it never felt like steered well or settled down on the road properly.Been fiddling around with pressures.Starting with placard pressures I went up to 36psi (bit better) then to 40psi all round (ran this pressure on my VW Caddy to great effect),but neither hit the spot.Then I tried 45psi all round.Problem solved.Car feels sooo much better.And the ride feels better too,in the way it doesn't wobble around after hitting a bump.Tyres are 205/55 R16 Dunlop Bluresponce Sport.

I know this is going to sound old fart, but I think softer tyres are better for UK roads (at least where I live)I think of all the ball joints and track rod ends I have went through on previous cars I like to think if I run the tyres a bit softer there won't be replaced as often, also I find the ride is better but I do take your point it as a bit squidgy.

Going low pressure is just as risky as too high.

Going low pressure is just as risky as too high.

For my car it's 2.2 to 2.5 bar, I run mine at 2.3 which is within the recommended range.

Going low pressure is just as risky as too high.

I would imagine running a tyre too low will generate a lot more heat aswell, not to mention ruin your MPG

I would imagine running a tyre too low will generate a lot more heat aswell, not to mention ruin your MPG

Along with potential tyre and rim damage

Go to 55psi then tell us what that's like ...If you don't get back to us we will assume that with the heat generated by rolling friction you had a blow out and died.

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I know you are being sarcastic but it does raise a couple of interesting points.

 

No way do I claim to be an expert, but I always assumed it was the flexing of the side walls that was the main cause of tyre heat.

If you have a heavy load in the rear then the placard recommends rear tyre pressures above 40 psi to avoid flexing.

Normal driving, even on a very hot temperature Australian highway roads there should be no heat problems at 45 psi all round as there is minimal heat generated and most is dispersed by the passing air. On a hot day I have found my tyres to be warm but a lot cooler than the road surface after a reasonable run.

Conversely I was interested to read a 'road test' on the Nurbergring of a fast car where the tyre pressures were reduced from normal road pressures because the enthusiastic driving round the track heated the tyres so much that the pressure increased enough to adversely affect handling. Needless to say I don't have any track experience.

 

It is (very) odd that the OP requires such high pressures, which makes you wonder about tyre quality but he should not experience problems unless he drives like he is on a track.

The OP is unlikely to do track work with 16 inch wheels

I ran 15 inch wheels on my Mk2 (at about 35 psi) and I thought that was one of the best handling/riding/steering cars I had owned. Perhaps even better than my current Mk3 with 17inch wheels

I recently had a recall on my VRS TDI where they changed the tyre pressure data on the fuel flap.

basically they have downgraded the tyre pressures to 31 psi for 1-2 passengers

Seems a bit counter-intuitive to me, reducing the pressure will aid comfort but not safety.

I have put this up before but I have done a couple of defensive driving courses (business sponsored) in Adelaide, and the common message was that the manufacturers recommendations were biased toward comfort not safety.

They recommended around 4 psi more than the placard especially on the front tyres.

The reasoning was that under heavy braking the tyre walls flex and the middle of tyre is no longer in contact with the road.

Apparently prior to ABS when people left skid marks in uncontrolled braking before crashing you would see dual parallel 'skid trails' from only the outside contact points of the tyres.

Higher pressure reduces flexing and keeps more tyre in contact with the road and improves braking performance. Made sense to me.

I would imagine running a tyre too low will generate a lot more heat aswell, not to mention ruin your MPG

Going lower in presure will reduce the mpg as the contact patch is increased resulting in a higher rolling resistance, however if you run the tyre within the recommended range you can't go wrong. It's obvious lower pressures increase mpg but at what cost, increased wear and poor ride, this holds true if you drive normally, if you want to screw you car it's preferably to run them at the higher end of the presure range as these nothing worse than side wall deflection.

A garage once did my Mk II's tyres and didn't know what to set them to, they gave them 31 all round.  I reset them to the pressures on the sticker inside the filler cap (NB. brilliant idea to put them there I thought) and was surprised to note how much lower they were.  It made me wonder if the Octys pressure setttings were on the low side if an experienced mechanic looked a the car and thought 31 all round sounded a good idea.