Nismo Tire Pressure
 

Hey Guys,

I happened to check my tire pressure this morning and the guage said my fronts were at 30 psi. I know the max. for these is 50 psi. Was curious if everyone fills them up to 50 or under?

The tire max is 50, but the manufacturer recommended cold pressure is 35. If you filled them to 50 you would be very unhappy with ride and handling.

i concur 35 cold...

I get beat up as it is in my Nismo... I couldn't imagine having the tire pressure at 50.

I would also venture that a psi of 50 would create a less than flat tire surface, thus removing traction from the Z and causing inconsistant wear. You'd certainly burn your tires up at the line with over inflated tire pressure.

I agree :tiphat:

Yea thanks guys. Found the manufacturer's recommendation on the door jam. 35 it is... I also think the tire pressure guage I just bought is crappy because the gas stations showed about 36, which is fine...

The gas station pressure gauges are almost always wrong, nice cheap digital gauge is the way to go.

This can be found on a sticker in the driver's door sill area

ALSO NEVER GET AIR AT A GAS STATION!!!! there is water mixed in with that line. just spray air and you will see water come out too!

If they have a large air tank you are fine, the water separates from the air when highly compressed. If they use a small noisy compressor stay away.

Also, by the time you get to the gas station your tires will probably warm up enough to gain a couple of lbs of air..

So....just add 2 or 3 pounds extra....go home let cool off for 4 to 5 hours.....drain the water out......and let out air to the desired pressure...

Your question has been answered already but to elaborate, if your interested. As long as your running OEM sized/ load rating tires (or close to it) you will want to stay with the recommended pressure on the door (or close to it) as that should provide optimal tire wear and gas mileage. If you were to make a drastic size change that pressure would no long apply, but you never want to use the Maximum pressure, unless you are at the maximum load for the tire in question. Which you would also probably want to avoid.

Lower Tire pressure, within reason, can give you better traction. Obviously there is a limit though, Probably a few PSI. If the pressure is to low it can cause the tires to over heat and fail, as well as uneven tire wear. The outsides would wear out faster becuase the center is not firmly on the ground.

Higher pressures will decrease rolling resistance and can actually help gas mileage (allot of OEMs spec their pressure a little high these days for that reason) but at the cost of traction. If the pressure is to high less of the tire is contacting the road which makes it roll more easily but since only the center is in contact you have less traction and obviously uneven tire wear.

As mentioned the tire pressure will also affect the ride characteristics of the car since the pressure in the tire determines it's stiffness and in turn how much impact it absorbs. I do not recommend adjsuting tire pressure to compensate for ride quality, that's what the suspension is for, but it does make a noticable difference.

If you're not sure what your tire pressure should be, or curious if you really have it just right an easy way to determine what it should be is to draw a line across the tread with chalk. Drive a short distance until the chalk starts to wear off and see if it's even. Again if just the center wears off your pressure is a little high try letting a pound out, or vise-verse. It's easiest to knowingly overfill them a bit for this test so you can just let the air out until you get where you want to be rather then trying to fill them in tiny increments.
If you really want to get crazy/ exact you can use an infrared thermometer and adjust the pressure until the tires temperature is consistent across the tread surface.

To much information yet? :rofl2:

good post +1

Thanks :tup:

So where does everyone get their tires filled up at? Would this mean that a home air compresser, which are small, also has the same problem?

not if it has a humidity/water catcher built in. usually a small tank off to the side.

define small compressor?

Small compressor would be one that doesn't have a storage tank, i.e. portable tire inflater. A home compressor you would use with air tools has a storage tank and due to compression most of the water goes to the bottom of the tank (and rusts it out but that's a different issue), additionally it is very simple to add an inline water filter.

I normally use a compressor at home (18 gallon tank, got it Home Depot during a killer sale and this is about all I use it for).

My Z came with some BS nitrogen fill - does anyone know anything about this? I haven't had to add any air yet, but am curious as to what I should do when it needs it. The dealership is the only authorized dealer (can't remember which company it was) in the area and their make-ready is the only place to get a fill.

you can safely mix regular ole air with nitrogen inflated tires, however, the main reason nitrogen is used is because the molecules? (im no physicist) are larger, and thus dont leak out of tires as easily. at least thats what i remember from the one science class i took years ago in university.

so in essence...if you have nitrogen filled tires, you shouldnt have to really fill them, UNTIL you get an unnatural leak (hole in the sidewall caused by a nail for example)

Air contains roughly (by volume) 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.039% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases.

The main benefit to filling your tires with nitrogen is that it is lighter then air, which is supposed to increase your gas mileage. But as mentioned it also does not leak out as fast, there is also less affect from varying temperatures which means your tire pressure will remain more consistent. If you can get them topped off with nitrogen for free and without to much hassle you might as well it's certainly not hurting anything, but again regular air is largely composed of nitrogen anyway and there is no harm in "mixing" them.

OMG !!! CAN you not read? air is 78% nitrogen....lol........so much fake science in this thread........
Hey ...why not fill your tires with Helium? they you could lift off the ground........lol

Sorry CRASH1369 not aimed at you.....

uh, ok. good cuz I was pretty sure I was agreeing with you when I said air was mainly nitrogen anyway. :p The rest was just the reasons why they say it is superior, if it really makes a difference or not is debatable.

get your facts straight. there's no fake science in this thread. if you actually bothered to google, as i just did, you will see that nitrogen molecules are in fact larger than normal oxygen molecules. pure nitrogen inflated tires will leak less and are less susceptible to temperature/psi variations as well as being lighter than your typical air (4% lighter, however fuel savings are negligible at best). while our air is 78% nitrogen anyway, the rest of the gases you fill into your tires will find their way out faster, hence why pure nitrogen is used more commonly today.

The molecular size differential is 3%. The only reason the Nitrogen scam works at all is because the Nitrogen they sell you is dry. The key to consistent tire pressures is to put in a dry gas, whether Nitrogen or regular air. Fuel savings comes from having consistent tire pressures, nothing else.

Easy killers, the only reason to fill your tires with nitrogen is as mentioned above, because it stays in the tires longer (NOT because it is lighter lol). either way, its a rip off. Back to the subject, when I mentioned a small compressor, i meant like a 5 gallon tank or something like this:

Amazon.com: Porter-Cable C2002-WK Oil-Free UMC Pancake Compressor with 13-Piece Accessory Kit: Home Improvement

I have a local shop that fills my tires with nitrogen for free. I think they're standard charge is 7 bucks a tire (nothing compared to the dealership charges). I've ran Nitrogen in my tires for 6 years now and have never had to have them topped off. I know it's subjective as to whether or not it's beneficial, but I have never had any leaks since switching to Nitrogen.

Disclaimer: Some will say that a properly installed tire won't leak air either but the fact is that I've never had a car not leak air and I've never had a car leak nitrogen.

your good to go with that set up!

I've got this one...
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...C/IMG_0261.jpg

:rofl2: Can we say overkill, it's as big as my damn motor. :happydance: I originally bought it for my truck though, it should take significantly longer to get the damn thing out and set up then to fill these tiny car tires :bowrofl:

I have an air compressor in the basement and ran tubing to my garage. I even installed a retractable compressor hose that's mounted in the corner. As stated above, I use nitrogen in the Z tires, but this comes in handy for my old truck and various lawn equipment. I also use the blower nozzle when I detail my Z.... it helps with removal of lint/dust/residue after waxing

My facts are right.......BTW and I have a Doctorate in Chemistry....I dont have to Google..... just how much do you tires leak? You are being scammed

scammed? tell me how so. whenever ive gotten new tires they fill it with nitrogen for free. i check my tire pressure monthly (force of habit) and have never had to fill my tires. i get my tires below tirerack prices installed with free rotations and balances for the life of the tires and never once had to worry about low pressure. if that qualifies for being scammed then so be it.

on the other hand, ive yet to get new tires on our acura mdx, yet i have to top off the tires every so often to keep it at 35psi cold. nitrogen IN MY OPINION does not have any leakage problems compared to regular compressed air.

I check my tires every time I get gas......and never have to add air with the exception of large temp. swigs in the summer and winter.....but then again, I use Nitrogen in my tires.....78% nitrogen.....AIR !


You are getting scammed by buying into a false premise......