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Wheezybiker
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PostPosted: 16:17 - 08 Oct 2017    Post subject: Tyre pressures Reply with quote
Sorry if this has been asked before
But how critical are tyre pressures and how accurate would you expect a tyre pressure gauge to be
To give an example
My tyres are supposed to be 36 and 42 If I load bike over 90kgs
My tyre gauge reads 36 and 41 will that be enough to alter the bike handling
Regarding the tyre gauges forecourt reads 42 my digital one reads 40 and my manual pen type reads 38 which one is likely to be more accurate

Are valve caps that change colour if pressure is wrong accuratelymade or just a gimmick
Many thanks if you made it to here and also any answers you post
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Rogerborg
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PostPosted: 16:39 - 08 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
They are fairly important, but getting within a couple of PSI (indicated) will be fine given the vagaries of gauges and that the pressure will change with temperature anyway.

You'll be amazed how flat a bike tyre can get before it shows any signs, and what you can get away with riding on. It's only when you sort the pressure that you realise how badly the bike's being handling. Whistle
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Wafer_Thin_Ham
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PostPosted: 16:43 - 08 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
Rogerborg wrote:
They are fairly important, but getting within a couple of PSI (indicated) will be fine given the vagaries of gauges and that the pressure will change with temperature anyway.



That's why they ask you to set the pressures cold mostly. I personaly use a Halford digital thing. Seems fine (but I haven't checked mine since May probably).
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Courier265
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PostPosted: 17:05 - 08 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
Very Critical,

I check mine daily with a cheapo pressure gauge which gives me the same reading as my Halfords double piston footpump which has a built in gauge.

It's best to get the PSI correct for the best riding results especially the front tyre, if the front is too low you can run into problems.

Another good reason for the correct pressure is MPG, you can save money on fuel by having the correct pressure.
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NJD
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PostPosted: 17:47 - 08 Oct 2017    Post subject: Re: Tyre pressures Reply with quote
Wheezybiker wrote:
Are valve caps that change colour if pressure is wrong accuratelymade or just a gimmick


Probably a gimmick. I suspect your slightly overthinking the entire thing.

Go down to Argos and get yourself a track pump. This model looks to be the replacement for the one I have. You can buy any, of course, but either way for the return I've got out of mine whatever I paid for it was worthwhile. The longest part about the job is getting the valve's in the right place to get a secure and easy-on easy-off to pump them up. One big push should be more than enough.

I hadn't used my bike for almost two weeks and found very little variation in the reading when compared to topping them up daily. I did accidentally go for a ride the once without pumping them up and instantly noticed the difference: it could have been that the tyres under inflated and not warmed up was what I was actually noticing and would have been, theoretically, fine when warmed up but pumping them up daily keeps me happy from the get go.

Do keep in mind, though, that the U.K roads are not like a freshly tarmacked Module 1 test pad. There's certain roads I use that, from time to time, make me thing I've got a puncture or alike and then have to slap myself post-ride for remembering what route I had just taken.

Same as checking all the lights function before riding: takes moments to do so is worthwhile.

I wouldn't bother with garage tyre machines. I used to use one but found that it often left me with more problems than it did solve. I found other people like to damage the machine on a regular basis; I wouldn't trust others looking after the machine that dictates part of your safety on the road one ounce.
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SophR so good
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PostPosted: 18:15 - 08 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
Courier265 wrote:
Very Critical


Bullshit.

I rode home from work Thursday with the front on 16PSI instead of 32 due to a slow leak as I'd forgotten to top up that week. Bike just felt a bit vague on the steering and a wee bit swervy at low speed.

The colour change valve caps seem ok but I'm not convinced mine wasn't letting air slowly out, the amount of air I was losing from the slow leak seemed to increase with one of them on.
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Wheezybiker
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PostPosted: 18:26 - 08 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for the replies
I am obviously overthinking it Embarassed

I have track pumps and am quite happy to pump them up as required I was more interested in gauges and there accuracy and whether for example if I lost a 1 or 2 psi it would mean big problems in handling etc
Thanks again for the replies my mind is more at ease and I'll concentrate on riding
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M.C
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PostPosted: 18:32 - 08 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
SophR so good wrote:
Courier265 wrote:
Very Critical


Bullshit.

I rode home from work Thursday with the front on 16PSI instead of 32 due to a slow leak as I'd forgotten to top up that week. Bike just felt a bit vague on the steering and a wee bit swervy at low speed.

The colour change valve caps seem ok but I'm not convinced mine wasn't letting air slowly out, the amount of air I was losing from the slow leak seemed to increase with one of them on.

Dunno, running 33 psi in the front, by about 30 I'm starting to feel it. Any lower and it starts making a noticeable difference to the handling.
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NJD
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PostPosted: 18:50 - 08 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
Wheezybiker wrote:
I was more interested in gauges and there accuracy and whether for example if I lost a 1 or 2 psi it would mean big problems in handling etc


Your tyres loose that through simply existing — not that I can explain why — so the answer in my opinion is no.

I'd expect every measurement in the manual to be bog standard and user customisation is, at some point, needed: clutches, brake levers, chain adjustment etc (I'd count tyre pressures — dependant on load — in with that list).
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Last edited by NJD on 18:50 - 08 Oct 2017; edited 1 time in total
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recman
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PostPosted: 18:50 - 08 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
M.C wrote:
Dunno, running 33 psi in the front, by about 30 I'm starting to feel it. Any lower and it starts making a noticeable difference to the handling.


Tyre pressures will probably affect different bikes differently.
The better the bike handles, the more noticeable it will be if the pressures are off.
I just made all this up but it sounds good in my head.
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The Shaggy D.A.
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PostPosted: 19:12 - 08 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
You can usually feel it if they need attention. Tyres are only going stay the same or go down - if it starts feeling vague or soggy, it's time to put air in.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha
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PostPosted: 20:13 - 08 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
SophR so good wrote:
Courier265 wrote:
Very Critical


Bullshit.

I rode home from work Thursday with the front on 16PSI instead of 32 due to a slow leak as I'd forgotten to top up that week. Bike just felt a bit vague on the steering and a wee bit swervy at low speed.

The colour change valve caps seem ok but I'm not convinced mine wasn't letting air slowly out, the amount of air I was losing from the slow leak seemed to increase with one of them on.


Must depend on the bike. Every one I've ever ridden would handle like a diabolical piece of turd if I rode it at half PSI, esp. in the front. They'd track and tram-line to fuck, like the head race bearings were made of chocolate. Felt awful. Particularly under 40 mph. As in almost deadly, bastard bike is trying to kill me.

Two or three over or under can sometimes be harder to tell, esp. over. However if you ride your bike all the time, you can notice as little as two PSI under pressure - or I can, at least. Steerling just isn't as accurate.
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RhynoCZ
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PostPosted: 22:55 - 08 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
The Shaggy D.A. wrote:
You can usually feel it if they need attention. Tyres are only going stay the same or go down - if it starts feeling vague or soggy, it's time to put air in.


This +1

I pretty much only check the tyre pressure when I change the tyres and then when something doesn't feel right. Thumbs Up

If there is no leak, the air will stay there regardless of use. The pressure might vary due to outside temperature, but the difference is never that dramatic, that it would actually influence the handling.
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ThatDippyTwat
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PostPosted: 23:27 - 08 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
Depends on the bike and riding style.

On the Derbi, it was only when the front felt a bit washy, going steeply downhill on a corner, that I discovered the valve stem was wide open and the carcass was keeping the profile.

On the little YBR it was noticeable if it was more than a couple of pounds off before I got out of my street.

Cruisers are (usually) pretty twitchy about the back being low, and don't give 2 fucks about the front.

Track pumps cure most evil's.
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Freddyfruitba...
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PostPosted: 23:49 - 08 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
SophR so good wrote:
The colour change valve caps seem ok but I'm not convinced mine wasn't letting air slowly out

They seem like a great idea in principle, but presumably they must operate by effectively overriding the tyre valve, to allow the air within the tyre out and into the environment within the new valve cap. So the integrity of the tyre then relies on this gadget rather than the tyre valve. Which doesn't sound great to me.
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Tracer1234
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PostPosted: 23:58 - 08 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
Possibly, / highly likley a stupid question. Does one go by the recommenced pressure on the type itself, or the bike manufactures?
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RhynoCZ
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PostPosted: 00:09 - 09 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
Tracer1234 wrote:
Possibly, / highly likley a stupid question. Does one go by the recommenced pressure on the type itself, or the bike manufactures?


Always go by what the manufacturer of your vehicle suggests. The tyre manufacturers only give you the maximum tyre pressure possible (still safe to use). The vehicle manufacturers actually calculate the handling performance with given tyre pressure.
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andym
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PostPosted: 03:35 - 09 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
Tracer1234 wrote:
Possibly, / highly likley a stupid question. Does one go by the recommenced pressure on the type itself, or the bike manufactures?


I've only ever done 32 front, 36 rear.... and again I only check the pressure when the tyre is changed, lowest I ever got was 19psi in the rear and the it was only because the back tyre felt a little squared I checked it Embarassed
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha
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PostPosted: 05:45 - 09 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
Tracer1234 wrote:
Possibly, / highly likley a stupid question. Does one go by the recommenced pressure on the type itself, or the bike manufactures?


Depends on the bike, the tyre and the terrain imo. I usually go by the handbook - but e.g. my cb500 with Avon Ditch Finders oops sorry Road Riders would probably be "perfectly" "fine" at 29 front 33 rear. However, put some vaguely acceptable tyres on them, like Michelin Pilot Activs and Leeds Tyres will fit them with 36 psi front and back. I prefer 34 front and back. Run them at 29/33 and they will feel garbage.

On my KLX 24 psi front and back will be okay for a roughly speaking road orientated tyre, but then a bit soft for something like, say, a Michelin AC10. However, once you get into mud, that feels too hard so you might want to let a fair bit out.
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The Shaggy D.A.
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PostPosted: 12:30 - 09 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
RhynoCZ wrote:
Tracer1234 wrote:
Possibly, / highly likley a stupid question. Does one go by the recommenced pressure on the type itself, or the bike manufactures?


Always go by what the manufacturer of your vehicle suggests. The tyre manufacturers only give you the maximum tyre pressure possible (still safe to use). The vehicle manufacturers actually calculate the handling performance with given tyre pressure.


If a tyre manufacturer specifies a particular pressure on a given bike for a given tyre, I'd go with that. Honda reported 29/33 for BT45s on a CB500, but Bridgestone changed their recommendation to 36/40.
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johnsmith222
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PostPosted: 12:43 - 09 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
Tyre pressures definitely make more of a difference than you realise, until you pump them up again.

I check roughly every 1 to 2 weeks, doing it cold. I use a venhill pressure gauge, but would only say it's better in durability, rather than being much more accurate than other choices.

I know that for some reason I thought 30psi, rather than 35psi was correct for my car, and I ended up with badly worn shoulders on the front tyres. I did rag the car quite hard, but I'm certain a higher psi would have helped have more even wear.
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TbirdX
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PostPosted: 14:05 - 09 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
I checked the DT after a few weeks recently. I'd been riding around on 17 rear and 15 front. Didn't notice any difference at all other than noise tbh.
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Polarbear
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PostPosted: 16:38 - 09 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have remote reading tyre pressure senders on my Trophy which is nice (posh cunt me) Cool

What I do find interesting is how much the tyre pressures rise when the tyre gets warm. I've seen an increase of 5 psi when hammering it and loading the tyres up.

Even just pootling around increases it a couple of psi from cold.
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Tracer1234
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PostPosted: 16:50 - 09 Oct 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote
Polarbear wrote:
I have remote reading tyre pressure senders on my Trophy which is nice (posh cunt me) Cool

What I do find interesting is how much the tyre pressures rise when the tyre gets warm. I've seen an increase of 5 psi when hammering it and loading the tyres up.

Even just pootling around increases it a couple of psi from cold.


does the reading come through to your phone, or something else.
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